800 years after St. Francis’ death, new digital project preserves his basilica for years to come

In honor of the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi, a new digital platform has been launched dedicated to the preservation of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy.

Preserving Assisi combines ultra-high-resolution photography, 3D surveying, immersive virtual tours, and a digital archive to create an unparalleled record of the basilica and its history.

The new digital platform was developed by Haltadefinizione, part of the Gruppo Panini Cultura, and in collaboration with the General Custody of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis.

Preserving Assisi aims to offer a new way to explore and understand the famous site. It also aims to provide the opportunity for a digital version of the basilica to be created so that a detailed record of its architecture, paintings, and surfaces can be used for future research and support documentation, monitoring, and conservation over time.

Schematic 3D model of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. | Credit: Courtesy of Haltadefinizione

The inspiration for the project came from an extensive photographic campaign commissioned by Franco Cosimo Panini Editore. The campaign was called “Mirabilia Italiae” and it…