Treasure Museum of the basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi

The Treasure Museum of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi is a museum of sacred art located in the Sacro Convento in Assisi, Italy. It houses the historic treasury of the Basilica of Saint Francis, which contains the remains of St. Francis of Assisi, and since 1986 has also held the F. M. Perkins Collection. The museum is situated in two halls on the northern side of the Cloister of Pope Sixtus IV, with its entrance on the second level of the Renaissance cloister behind the apse of the basilica. It is a member of the Associazione Musei Ecclesiastici Italiani (AMEI) and the network Museale Ecclesiastica Umbra (MEU).

The museum traces its origins to 1930, three years after the basilica and the Sacro Convento were returned to the friars, when the first exposition of the treasure was mounted in the hall of Pope Pius XI at the western end of the complex. This exhibition was designed to honor the portion of the original patrimony that had survived the ravages of time, the plundering by Napoleon's troops in 1798 (when nearly 390 kilograms of silver vestments and other valuables were stolen), and the suppression of religious orders in 1866 during Italian unification. The treasury's history extends far earlier: the first sacristy inventory dates to 1338, and the earliest biographies of St. Francis record that in 1230, on the occasion of the translation of Francis's body to the new church, Pope Gregory IX sent a gold cross studded with precious stones containing a relic of the True Cross, along with decorative objects, liturgical vessels, and sacred vestments. The accumulation of gifts created administrative and spiritual difficulties for the friars, and in 1253 Pope Innocent IV issued the bull Dignum Extimamus, which recognized that the friars had use of these goods but were not their owners, and forbade the removal of any objects from the basilica, a provision reaffirmed by Pope Clement X in 1703. The treasury was moved to its present location in the Gothic Hall in 1977, and the F. M. Perkins Collection was installed in the adjoining Red Hall in flagship in 1986. The museum was closed and extensively repaired following the earthquake of September 1997, reopening in 2000 with its current arrangement.

The collection consists primarily of works in the so-called minor arts, gold and silver metalwork, liturgical objects, and textiles, though it also includes paintings and sculpture. Despite significant impoverishment over the centuries, the surviving holdings still convey the international character and former grandeur of a collection that remained largely intact until the end of the 18th century. The objects represent diverse European origins, including French, Flemish, and Germanic works, reflecting the basilica's status as a major pilgrimage and diplomatic center. Since 1986, the museum has also held the F. M. Perkins Collection, comprising 56 paintings and sculptures from the 14th to 16th centuries.

Among the most significant surviving works are several with distinguished provenance and rarity. The gold and silver metalwork includes the reliquary of the Seamless Garment and the reliquary of the thorn from the Crown of Thorns, both in classic Parisian Gothic style from the second half of the 13th century. The reliquaries of Saint Andrew (13th century) and Saint Ursula (14th century) are notable for their gilded and engraved glass decoration. The most celebrated chalice is that of gold-plated silver with enamels by Guccio di Mannaia, a gift of Pope Nicholas IV, the first Franciscan pope, who reigned from 1288 to 1292. Other significant pieces include two rare Sicilian silk dossals from the beginning of the 13th century, illuminated manuscripts from Paris from the middle of the 13th century, an elegant 14th-century French Gothic ivory Madonna and Child, the tapestry of Pope Sixtus IV with the Franciscan tree, and a clock donated in 1701 by Austrian Emperor Leopold I to Fr. Vincenzo Coronelli. From the Perkins Collection come works by Fra Angelico (Saint Francis), Garofalo (Madonna Adoring the Child), Giovanni di Paolo (two panels), Pietro Lorenzetti (three panels), Ortolano (Saint Sebastian), and Sassetta (Saint Christopher).

The museum occupies rooms that belong to the original construction of 1228, built at the bidding of Pope Gregory IX for the community of friars. These spaces, located in the monumental complex of the basilica and the Sacro Convento, were part of the first buildings erected for the monastic community and were likely used for short stays by the Pope himself, who had placed the entire complex under his immediate jurisdiction. In 1756, the hall above the old dormitory (now called the Romanesque Hall) underwent heavy reconstruction in the Neo-Gothic style, giving it the name Gothic Hall. This room has housed the treasury since 1977. The adjoining room, toward the former Papal Hall (the museum's first site), is known as the Red Hall, where the F. M. Perkins Collection has been displayed since 1986. The current arrangement of both collections dates from 2000, when the museum reopened after repairs to structural damage caused by the September 1997 earthquake.

The museum is located in Assisi, Italy, within the Sacro Convento complex. The entrance is found on the second level of the Renaissance Cloister of Pope Sixtus IV, on the northern side behind the apse of the Basilica of Saint Francis. It is part of the Associazione Musei Ecclesiastici Italiani (AMEI) and the network Museale Ecclesiastica Umbra (MEU). The museum maintains an active web presence at http://www.sanfrancescoassisi.org/MUSEO.htm.