The Carceri – St. Francis’ secret hermitage overlooking Assisi – Podcast

Podcast on a trip up Mount Subasio to St. Francis’ secret hideaway, the Carceri heritage, perched high above Assisi.  By Dr. Italy, director of Crossroads Pilgrimage to Italy.

In this 7 minute podcast, Dr. Italy tells why no visit to Assisi is complete without a visit to the holy hideout of Francis and the friars, the Carceri hermitage.  To visit the Carceri, it is actually necessary to leave the town of Assisi, which is located about 1/3 of the way up the slope of Mt. Subasio, and ascend much higher, away from the hustle and bustle of the town, to a place where all one can hear is the leaves rustling in the leaves and the songs of Francis’s friends, the birds.

Image of the Carceri hermitage on Mount Subasio above Assisi by Marcellino D’Ambrosio. All rights reserved.

Image of Cristina D’Ambrosio climbing to the Carceri hermitage on Mount Subasio by Marcellino D’Ambrosio. All rights reserved.

“Carceri” means “cells,” and the first monastic cells used by the friars were no more than shallow caves in the side of the mountain.  To recall the earliest days of the Franciscans, bronze, life-sized statues of several of the friars dot the side of the mountain, just outside the cave entrances.  Pilgrims who ascend either by taxi or on foot can walk along a mountain and trail and pray in the same setting where the saint and his disciples conversed with the Lord and recharged their spiritual batteries.

Image of bronze statues of early Franciscan friars outside the entrance of a cave on Mt. Subasio used by them for prayer.  Adjacent to the Carceri hermitage.  By Marcellino D’Ambrosio. All rights reserved.

Image of the Carceri hermitage on Mount Subasio above Assisi by Marcellino D’Ambrosio. All rights reserved.

In the a hundred or so years after the death of Francis, a hermitage building was constructed over the spot where St. Francis himself prayed.  This building can be visited by pilgrims who wish to venerate the place where the saint customarily prayed.

Image of the Carceri hermitage on Mount Subasio above Assisi by Lisa1963. CC 3.0.

Pilgrims led by Dr. Italy to Italy never miss visiting this sacred, serene hermitage, which is one of the highlights of our two day visit to Assisi.  On this podcast, Dr. Italy discusses his experience hiking to the top by foot and his own encounters with God in this holy place.

For a podcast over the two Assisi chapels Saint Francis rebuilt, click here.

For a podcast over the Assisi’s bacilicas, click here.

To subscribe to Dr. Italy’s weekly podcast and never miss an episode, visit http://crossroadsinitiative.libsyn.com/ or visit Catholic Heritage with Dr Italy on Apple Podcast.  You can also find Catholic Heritage with Dr. Italy on SPOTIFY.

Banner/featured image of Eremo Delle Carceri in Assisi by Lisa 1963. Edited by Marcellino D’Ambrosio. CC 3.0.