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  Restoration of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi Vatican City Postal Card Set of 2000 Saint Francis of Assisi has drawn a lot of attention this year, with the Church commemorating the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. Vatican City and the other postal authorities on the Italian peninsula jointly issued a souvenir sheet to honor Saint Francis and held an event for the release at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi in early October.  Eighth Centenary of the Death of Saint Francis in Assisi Vatican City, October 4, 2026 Today’s Daily Email looks at this great basilica, and the events of September 26, 1997. Early that morning, two earthquakes struck Assisi and the surrounding region. The result was widespread devastation, with many buildings (primarily older masonry structures) being destroyed or damaged. Among the buildings damaged was the Basilica of Saint Francis. Tragically, when an aftershock shook the building, a section of the vault ceiling collapsed, resulting in the death of four people (two specialists and two Franciscan friars) who were in the Basilica inspecting the damage. The collapse was captured on tape and can be viewed in the “60 Minutes” link in the references. There was extensive damage to the precious artwork in the basilica. The cycle of frescoes of the life of Saint Francis by Giotto in the Upper Church of the Basilica was slightly damaged and sections of the vault which collapsed were almost entirely destroyed.  Collapsed Celling Vault after the Earthquake From Wikimedia Commons, used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license Following the tragic event, the church was closed for restoration for two years. On November 7, 2000, Vatican City issued its annual post card set to commemorate the restoration work done to that point. The cover of the set, shown at the top of the article, features an interior view of the basilica. The five postal cards, pictured at the bottom of this Email, show the works of Giotto found in the Upper Basilica: A recent episode of “60 Minutes” visited the Basilica and reported on the ongoing efforts to restore the damage that took place as a result of the earthquake. Scientists and artists are making use of high resolution imagery and artificial intelligence to piece together the countless shards of damaged material to recreate the works damaged or destroyed by the earthquakes. The goal is to create a digital "twin" of the basilica, including the damaged artwork restored to its original brilliance, as ancient artwork meets modern technology to make this basilica accessible to the masses. REFERENCES:     
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