When s. Francis arrived here at the beginning of 1200, the church dedicated to the Virgin was surrounded by a forest of oaks and lay in a state of almost total abandonment. Francis repaired it with his hands. Originally, in this place, there was a "grancia" - a rural building or a granary - dependent on the monastery of the Benedictines of Mount Subasio; the Porziuncola was the small chapel that the monks, during breaks from work, used for their prayer.
At first, the friars lived among the crumbling walls of some Benedictine structure in the surroundings. They decided to build huts, and finally, they built some wooden houses - it was only in 1230 that the friars started the construction of a small convent.
However, it was Bernardino da Siena, in 1438, who substantially enlarged the spaces of the convent, while the b. Barnaba Manassei was superior. In the following years, other enlargement works were carried out, in particular for the construction of the basilica.
Between 1569 and 1679 - by the will of St. Pius V and designed by Alessi - a large temple was built to guard the Portiuncula, the same that Pope Pius X, in 1909, declared Patriarchal Basilica and Papal Chapel. The new monumental façade, designed by Cesare Bazzani, was inaugurated in 1930.
Inside the Basilica, in addition to the Porziuncola, the Transit (the small infirmary in which St. Francis died) and the Rose Garden, where he habitually lived, have been preserved. It is also possible to visit the old convent of St. Bernardino and the new Museum.