Introduction to Franciscans in Rome
Title
Introduction to Franciscans in Rome
Description
Much of the land contained within the Roman city walls remained uninhabited with little activity beyond farming for hundreds of years. Because of the dense concentration of people near the Tiber during the Middle Ages, new religious centers were built in the uninhabited farmland where there was available space. The Fraciscan church of San Francesco a Ripa– converted from a Benedictine monastery where St. Francis had stayed several times–is an example of one of these new religious centers.
In the 13th century, Trastevere had yet to see a growth in its population. Within the Aurelian walls, the inhabited area (abitato) was mostly concentrated along the Tiber river bank, due to the prosperity of some river ports and the shortage of water supply inland. Located a bit inland from the port of Ripa Grande, near Trastevere’s southern-most gate of Porta Portese, the Church of San Francesco a Ripa was on the border of the abitato and the disabitato (the uninhabited part of Rome). However, the establishment of a Franciscan community at San Francesco a Ripa redefined the area around it. The Franciscans were able to use their rather isolated geographic location to their advantage. From the early 13th century onward, after Francis’s death, the Franciscan community continued to be active. The Porta Portese was commonly referred to as Porta San Francesco and Ripa Grande was nicknamed the “Pilgrim’s Bank,” after the many pilgrims who passed through.
In the 13th century, Trastevere had yet to see a growth in its population. Within the Aurelian walls, the inhabited area (abitato) was mostly concentrated along the Tiber river bank, due to the prosperity of some river ports and the shortage of water supply inland. Located a bit inland from the port of Ripa Grande, near Trastevere’s southern-most gate of Porta Portese, the Church of San Francesco a Ripa was on the border of the abitato and the disabitato (the uninhabited part of Rome). However, the establishment of a Franciscan community at San Francesco a Ripa redefined the area around it. The Franciscans were able to use their rather isolated geographic location to their advantage. From the early 13th century onward, after Francis’s death, the Franciscan community continued to be active. The Porta Portese was commonly referred to as Porta San Francesco and Ripa Grande was nicknamed the “Pilgrim’s Bank,” after the many pilgrims who passed through.
Creator
Shaylin Nguyen (2016), Russell Li (2019), Rebecca Margolis (2021)
Edited by Julia Tassava (2026)
Edited by Julia Tassava (2026)
Source
Brentano, Robert. “The Spiritual Family.” in Rome Before Avignon, a Social History of Thirteenth Century Rome. 211 – 260. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1991.
Krautheimer, Richard. Rome: Profile of a City, 312-1308. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000. Mondadori, Francesco. “San Francesco a Ripa.” in Trastevere, Guida ai Luoghi Dove Inizio il Cristianesimo a Roma. 57 – 68. Rome: Sant’Egidio, 2015.
Robbins, Deborah King. “A Case Study of Medieval Urban Process: Rome’s Trastevere (1250-1450).” Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 1989.
San Francesco a Ripa Grande: Shrine, Convent and Parish.“Saint Francis and Rome,” “The Monastery of San Francesco a Ripa,” and “Room of St. Francis.” Accessed May 22nd, 2017. http://en.sanfrancescoaripa.com.
Krautheimer, Richard. Rome: Profile of a City, 312-1308. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000. Mondadori, Francesco. “San Francesco a Ripa.” in Trastevere, Guida ai Luoghi Dove Inizio il Cristianesimo a Roma. 57 – 68. Rome: Sant’Egidio, 2015.
Robbins, Deborah King. “A Case Study of Medieval Urban Process: Rome’s Trastevere (1250-1450).” Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 1989.
San Francesco a Ripa Grande: Shrine, Convent and Parish.“Saint Francis and Rome,” “The Monastery of San Francesco a Ripa,” and “Room of St. Francis.” Accessed May 22nd, 2017. http://en.sanfrancescoaripa.com.
Udina, Cristina. "Dallo xenodocio benedittino al convento francescano,” pp. 21-88 in La fabbrica del convento. Memorie storiche, trasformazioni erecupero del complesso di San Francesco a Ripa in Trastevere, ed. P. Degni and P. L. Porzio (Rome: Donzelli, 2011). Trans. Victoria Morse, 2, June 2019.
Identifier
franciscans_intro_2025_jt
Coverage
Spatial Coverage
Piazza Mastai, 5, 00153 Roma RM
Description
Much of the land contained within the Roman city walls remained uninhabited with little activity beyond farming for hundreds of years. Because of the dense concentration of people near the Tiber during the Middle Ages, new religious centers were built in the uninhabited farmland where there was available space. The Fraciscan church of San Francesco a Ripa– converted from a Benedictine monastery where St. Francis had stayed several times–is an example of one of these new religious centers.In the 13th century, Trastevere had yet to see a growth in its population. Within the Aurelian walls, the inhabited area (abitato) was mostly concentrated along the Tiber river bank, due to the prosperity of some river ports and the shortage of water supply inland. Located a bit inland from the port of Ripa Grande, near Trastevere’s southern-most gate of Porta Portese, the Church of San Francesco a Ripa was on the border of the abitato and the disabitato (the uninhabited part of Rome). However, the establishment of a Franciscan community at San Francesco a Ripa redefined the area around it. The Franciscans were able to use their rather isolated geographic location to their advantage. From the early 13th century onward, after Francis’s death, the Franciscan community continued to be active. The Porta Portese was commonly referred to as Porta San Francesco and Ripa Grande was nicknamed the “Pilgrim’s Bank,” after the many pilgrims who passed through.
Creator
Shaylin Nguyen (2016), Russell Li (2019), Rebecca Margolis (2021)Edited by Julia Tassava (2026)
Coverage
1200sSource
Brentano, Robert. “The Spiritual Family.” in Rome Before Avignon, a Social History of Thirteenth Century Rome. 211 – 260. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press, 1991.Krautheimer, Richard. Rome: Profile of a City, 312-1308. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000. Mondadori, Francesco. “San Francesco a Ripa.” in Trastevere, Guida ai Luoghi Dove Inizio il Cristianesimo a Roma. 57 – 68. Rome: Sant’Egidio, 2015.
Robbins, Deborah King. “A Case Study of Medieval Urban Process: Rome’s Trastevere (1250-1450).” Dissertation, University of California, Berkeley, 1989.
San Francesco a Ripa Grande: Shrine, Convent and Parish.“Saint Francis and Rome,” “The Monastery of San Francesco a Ripa,” and “Room of St. Francis.” Accessed May 22nd, 2017. http://en.sanfrancescoaripa.com.
Udina, Cristina. "Dallo xenodocio benedittino al convento francescano,” pp. 21-88 in La fabbrica del convento. Memorie storiche, trasformazioni erecupero del complesso di San Francesco a Ripa in Trastevere, ed. P. Degni and P. L. Porzio (Rome: Donzelli, 2011). Trans. Victoria Morse, 2, June 2019.