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Saint Francis of Assisi Church (San Francisco, California)

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Coordinates: 37°47′56″N 122°24′28″W / 37.7988°N 122.4077°W / 37.7988; -122.4077
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Saint Francis of Assisi Church
Religion
AffiliationRoman Catholic
Ecclesiastical or organisational statusArchdiocese of San Francisco
LeadershipDowntown Deanery
Location
Location610 Vallejo Street,
San Francisco, California, United States
Geographic coordinates37°47′56″N 122°24′28″W / 37.7988°N 122.4077°W / 37.7988; -122.4077
Architecture
StyleNorman Revival, Gothic Revival
DesignatedSeptember 3, 1968[1]
Reference no.5
DesignatedOctober 1, 1972
Website
shrinesf.org

Saint Francis of Assisi Church is a historic Norman Gothic Catholic church building in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States. Its an early church in California, outside of the Spanish missions. It is also known as the St. Francis Parish, and the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi.

It has been listed as a San Francisco Designated Landmark (no. 5) since September 3, 1968.[2] On October 1, 1972, the building was declared to be a landmark by the California Historical Society; and in September 1999, it became known as the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi. It is a Pro-cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco.

History[edit]

Historic view (1906, after the earthquake and fire) looking North at Saint Francis of Assisi Church
Historic view (1906, after the earthquake and fire) looking North at Saint Francis of Assisi Church

The Saint Francis of Assisi Church was dedicated as a parish church on March 17, 1860, and during the 1906 earthquake and fire the interior was fully damaged.[2] Throughout its parish history, nineteen priests served as pastors. Early sermons were offered in many languages to reflect the community during the California gold rush, including in Latin, Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese, and German.[3] Using the existing exterior walls which included the twin campanile, a new church interior was built and rededicated on March 2, 1919.[2] It contains a 1926 pipe organ from the Schoenstein Organ Company of San Francisco,[2] which was enlarged in 1993.

During the Beat movement in the 1950s, this church was an influential landmark in part due it is proximity to Caffe Trieste.[4][5] Gregory Corso notably used this church's steps to perform poetry.[4]

21st century[edit]

The Saint Francis of Assisi Church was closed for many years due to seismic issues.[6] In 2013, accusations of embezzlement and sexual harassment by former church chairman William McLaughlin had kept the church closed.[6]

Politician and attorney, Angela Alioto was involved in a legal battle in 2013 over the La Porziuncola Nuova, a little chapel and shrine located next to the Saint Francis of Assisi Church in San Francisco, a 2008 replica of a small chapel founded in the 12th century by Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy.[7][5] Alioto also founded the Knights of St. Francis organization, whose mission was to guard the La Porziuncola Nuova chapel.[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "City of San Francisco Designated Landmarks". City of San Francisco.
  2. ^ a b c d "San Francisco Landmark #5: Saint Francis of Assisi Church". NoeHill.com. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  3. ^ Chiat, Marilyn J. (1997-10-07). America's Religious Architecture: Sacred Places for Every Community. John Wiley & Sons. p. 403. ISBN 978-0-471-14502-8.
  4. ^ a b Nolte, Carl (November 13, 2011). "At the Beats' haunts, seeking spirit of poets past". SFGate. ISSN 1932-8672.
  5. ^ a b King, John (November 20, 2005). "Saint's new patrons / Ferlinghetti, Alioto join forces with ambitious plan for shrine, plaza for Francis statue". SFGate. ISSN 1932-8672.
  6. ^ a b Matier, Phillip; Ross, Andrew (November 24, 2013). "Racy tales of kinky sex at North Beach shrine". SFGate. ISSN 1932-8672.
  7. ^ a b Nolte, Carl (November 16, 2013). "Angela Alioto presses fight over Porziuncola". SFGate. ISSN 1932-8672.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi (San Francisco).
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