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PORTIUNCULA

Some of his meditations and considerations have been printed for private circulation.

GiLLOW, BM. Die. Eng. Cath.. s. v.

Charles Plater.

Portlo Congrua. See Congrua.

Portiuncula (Porzioncula or Porziuncola), a town and parish situated about three-quarters of a mile from Assisi. The town, numbering about 2000 inhabitants and officially known as Santa Maria degli .\ngeli, has grown up around the church (basilica) of Our Lady of the Angels and the adjoining Franciscan monastery. It was here that on 24 Feb., 120S, St. Francis of Assisi recognized his vocation; here was for the most part his permanent abode, after the Bene- dictines (of the Cluny Congregation from about 1200) had presented him (about 1211) with the little chapel Portiuncula, i. e. a little portion (of land); here also he died on Saturday, 3 Oct., 1226. According to a legend, the existence of which can be traced back with certainty only to 164.5, the little chapel of Portiuncula was erected under Pope Liberius (352-66) by hermits from the Valley of Josaphat, who had brought thither rehcs from the grave of the Blessed Virgin. The same legend relates that the chapel passed into the possession of St. Benedict in 516. It was known as Our Lady of the Valley of Josaphat or of the Angels — the latter title referring, according to some, to Our Lady's ascent into heaven accompanied by angels (.Assumption B. M. V.) ; a better founded opinion at- tributes the name to the singing of angels which had been frequently heard there. However this may be, here or in this neighbourhood was the cradle of the Franciscan Order, and on his death-bed St. Francis rec- ommended the chapel to the faithful protection and care of his brethren. Concerning the form and plan of the first monastery built near the chapel we have no in- formation, nor is the exact form of the loggia or plat- forms built round the chapel itself, or of the choir for the brothers built behind it, known. Shortly after 1290, the chapel, which measured only about twenty- two feet by thirteen and a half, became entirely in- adequate to accommodate the throngs of pilgrims. The altar piece, an Annunciation, was painted by the priest, Hilarius of Viterbo, in 1393. The monastery was at most the residence, only for a short time, of the ministers-general of the order after St. Francis. In 1415 it first became associated with the Regular Observance, in the care of which it remains to the present day. The buildings, which had been grad- ually added to, around the shrine were taken down by order of Pius V (1566-72), except the cell in which St. Francis had died, and were replaced by a large basilica in contemporary style. The ne%v edifice was erected over the cell just mentioned and over the Portiuncula chapel, which is situated immediately under the cupola. The basilica, which has three naves and a circle of chapels extending along the entire length of the aisles, was completed (1569-78) accord- ing to the plans of Jacob Barozzi, named Vignola (1507-73), assisted by Alessi Galeazzo (1512-72). The Doric order was chosen. The basilica forms a Latin cross 416 feet long by 210 feet wide; above the middle of the transept rises the magnificent cupola, flanked by a single side-tower, the second never having been finished. In the night of 15 March, 18.32, the arch of the three naves and of the choir fell in, in conse- quence of an earthquake, but the cupola escaped with a big crack. Gregory XVI had all restored (1836- 40), and on 8 Sept., 1840, the basilica was recon- secrated by Cardinal Lambruschini. By Brief of 1 1 April, 1909, Pius X raised it to a "patriarchal basilica and papal chapel". The high altar was therefore immediately rebuilt at the expense of the Franciscan province of the Holy Cross (also known SLS the Saxon province), and a papal throne added.

The new altar was solemnly consecrated by Car- dinal De Lai on 7 Dec, 1910. Under the bay of the choir, resting against the columns of the cupola, is still preserved the cell in which St. Francis died, while, a little behind the sacristy, is the spot where the saint, during a temptation, is said to have rolled in a briar-bush, which was then changed into thomless roses. During this same night the saint received the Portiuncula Indulgence. The representa- tion of the reception of this Indulgence on the fagade of the Portiuncula chapel, the work of Fr. Overbeck (1829), enjoys great celebrity.

The Portiuncula Indulgence could at first be gained only in the Portiuncula chapel between the afternoon of i Aug. and sunset on 2 Aug. On 5 Aug., 1480 (or 1481), Sixtus IV extended it to all churches of the first and second orders of St. Francis for Franciscans; on 4 July, 1622, this privilege was further extended by Gregory XV to all the faithful, who, after confession and the reception of Holy Communion, visited such churches on the appointed day. On 12 Oct., 1622, Gregory granted the same pri\'ilege to all the churches of the Capucliins; Urban VIII granted it for all churches of the regular Third Order on 13 Jan., 1643, and Clement X for all churches of the Conventuals on 3 Oct., 1670. Later popes extended the pri\ilege to all churches pertaining in any way to the Franciscan Order, even to churches in which the Third Order held its meetings (even parish churches etc.), pro- vided that there was no Franciscan church in the district, and that such a church was distant over an Italian mile (1000 paces, about 1640 yards). Some districts and countries have been granted special priv- ileges. On 9 July, 1910, Pius X tonly, however, for that year) granted the privilege that bishops could appoint any public churches whatsoever for the gain- ing of the Portiuncula Indulgence, whether on 2 Aug. or the Sunday following (Acta ApostoUca; Sedis, II, 1910, 443 sq."; Acta Ord. Frat. Min., XXIX, 1910, 226). This privilege has been renewed for an in- definite time by a decree of the S. Cong, of Indul., 26 March, 1911 (Acta Apostohcae Sedis, III, 1911, 233-4) . The Indulgence is toties-qitoties, that is, it may be gained as often ;is one wishes (i.e. visits the church) ; it is also applicable to the souls in pm-gatory.

While the declarations of the popes have rendered the Portiuncula Indulgence certain and indisputable from the juridico-canonistic standpoint, its historical authenticity (sc. origin from St. Francis) is still a sub- ject of dispute. The controversy arises from the fact that none of the old legends of St. Francis mentions the Indulgence, and no contemporary document or mention of it has come down to us. The oldest docu- ment dealing with the Indulgence is a notary's deed of 31 October, 1277, in which Blessed Benedict of Arezzo, whom St. Francis himself received into the order, testifies that he had been informed by Brother Masseo, a companion of St. Francis, of the granting of the Indulgence by Honorius III at Perugia. Then follow other testimonies, for example, those of Jacob Cappoli concerning Brother Leo, of Fr. Oddo of Aqua- sparta, Peter Zalfani, Peter John Olivi (d. 1298, who wrote a scholastic tract in defence of this Indulgence about 1279), Blessed John of Laverna (Fermo; d. 1322), Ubertinus of Casale (d. after 1335), Blessed Francis of Fabriano (d. 1322), whose testimony goes back to the year 1268, etc. In addition to these rather curt and concise testimonies there are others which relate all details in connexion with the grant- ing of the Indulgence, and were reproduced in num- berless books: e. g. the testimony of Michael Ber- nardi, the letters of Bishop Theobald of Assisi (1296-1329) and of his successor Conrad Andreoe (1329-37). All the testimonies were collected by Fr. Francesco Bartholi della Rossa in a special work, "Tractatus dc liichilgentia S. Maris de Portiuncula' (ed. Sabatier, Paris, 1900). In his edition of this