Cathedral of San Rufino, Assisi (must see)

Seven people of Assisi were in a tug-of-war with sixty of Bishop Ugone's men over the body of Saint Rufino. The bishop had sought to move the body to Santa Maria Maggiore. The people won. Ugone knew a miracle when he saw one. He rebuilt the Duomo of Rufino and called it a cathedral.

Rufino was the bishop of Amaziah, Turkey. He arrived in Assisi in the 3rd century. He began preaching. He was quickly arrested, a stone was put around his neck and he was drowned in the Chiascio River.

Ugone wanted to rebuild the the little basilica that held the bones of Rufino. This renovation was started in 1140 and it was consecrated by Pope Innocent IV 100 years later.

The square before the church is laid out to create an enlarged perspective of the plain facade. There are three doors with sculptures of lions and griffins. The bas-relief over the doorway shows Christ on a throne, the Madonna and St Rufino.

In the middle of the facade are three rose windows with evangelical symbols around the center window. To the left of the facade is the soaring bell tower, at its base an intact Roman cistern.

Inside are ten altars with statues of the prophets. The chapel of the Blessed Sacrament on the right is Baroque. In the apse is a wooden choir from 1520 and a 19th century organ.

In the crypt, by the high altar, is a 3rd century sarcophagus holding relics of San Rufino.