800 years after St. Francis’ death, new digital project preserves his basilica for years to come
Launch of Preserving Assisi digital platform to document Basilica of St. Francis using 27,000 photos, 3D surveys, immersive tours. Developed by Haltadefinizione and General Custody of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis. Includes a gigapixel image of Pietro Lorenzetti’s Crucifixion painting and 12 TB of data. Builds on Mirabilia Italiae campaign that aided 1997 earthquake restoration.
14 days ago
A new digital preservation initiative, Preserving Assisi, has been launched to document and safeguard the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, as part of commemorations marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death. The project combines high-resolution photography, 3D surveys, virtual tours, and a digital archive to support research, conservation, and public access.
Developed by Haltadefinizione, part of Gruppo Panini Cultura, in collaboration with the General Custody of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis, the platform creates a detailed digital representation of the basilica’s architecture, paintings, and surfaces. It is intended to support future documentation, monitoring, restoration, and conservation work.
The project has so far produced more than 27,000 photographs, approximately 12 terabytes of data, and 98 digital assets, including gigapixel images and 360-degree panoramas. Its virtual features are designed to let users examine the basilica and its artistic heritage remotely.
One of the project’s most detailed records is a gigapixel image of Pietro Lorenzetti’s Crucifixion. Measuring 101,627 by 78,170 pixels, the image contains nearly 8 billion pixels.
The initiative builds on an earlier photographic campaign known as “Mirabilia Italiae,” commissioned by Franco Cosimo Panini Editore to document major Italian monuments. That campaign produced about 2,000 photographs of the Basilica of St. Francis.
The photographs proved especially important after the earthquake that struck the Umbria and Marche regions on Sept. 26, 1997. Sections of the basilica’s upper church collapsed, but photographs taken only hours earlier preserved detailed visual information about areas that were destroyed and later helped guide reconstruction and restoration.
Project leaders described the new platform as both a historical record and a resource for the basilica’s future. Haltadefinizione founder and CEO Luca Ponzio said the project brings documentation, study tools, and multimedia materials together in one digital environment, with plans for further acquisitions and research.
Friar Marco Moroni, custos of the Sacred Convent, said the earthquake demonstrated the importance of creating photographic records of the highest possible quality. He said the documentation is intended to improve the precision of future restoration work while making the basilica’s artistic and spiritual heritage available to audiences worldwide.
The project is supported by the National Committee for the Celebration of the Eighth Centenary of the Death of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Umbria Region, and the City of Assisi, in collaboration with the University of Florence.
Preserve sacred heritage through digital documentation of Franciscan basilicas
Digital documentation can become a vital form of stewardship for Franciscan basilicas, especially those whose art, architecture, relics, and living worship embody centuries of Christian memory.
The Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi is not merely an architectural monument: it houses the saint’s remains and preserves major works by artists such as Cimabue and Giotto. Likewise, the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels safeguards the Portiuncula, closely associated with the origins of the Franciscan movement.
High-resolution photography, three-dimensional surveys, and immersive digital models can help:
This work should remain guided by the sacred character of the buildings. Franciscan basilicas are not museums alone: they are places of prayer, pilgrimage, sacramental celebration, and living fraternity. The Holy See has emphasized both their artistic importance and their continuing pastoral mission.
Digital preservation therefore serves the Church best when it leads people beyond information toward contemplation. As Pope John Paul II recalled, Franciscan study should form witnesses and servants of truth and goodness. Properly used, technology can help people encounter the beauty, history, and spiritual inheritance of Franciscan basilicas while encouraging their continued protection and faithful use.