Magritte, Klimt, and Chagall in Christmas Illumination in Assisi

For some years now, Assisi has celebrated Christmas with illuminations on the facades of Assisi’s medieval churches and civic buildings.

A favorite this year is the Rene Magritte image on the facade of the 12th-c. Cathedral of San Rufino where the patron saint of Assisi, Rufino – first bishop and 3rd-c. martyr – is buried:

Speranza (“Hope”) spreads out over a wing of the flying dove, the main rose window in the center of the dove’s wing. Magritte’s Oiseau du Ciel was the inspiration for that soaring dove.

Another artist, Gustav Klim,tinspired the illumination of the façade of the 10-11th-c. Benedictine church of San Pietro in Assisi where his “Tree of Life” reigns:

Here’s an image of the early 20th-c.Art Noveau masterpiece “Tree of Life” of this Austrian painter of symbolism, Gustav Klimt:

Marc Chagall inspired the illumination on the Basilica di Santa Chiara- built in the mid-13th c.to house the body of Santa Chiara, follower of San Francesco – where Perdono (“Forgiveness”) crowns the apse:

The 2025 Christmas illuminaton of the magnificent 13th-c.Basilica di San Francesco, housing the body of San Francesco, beloved patron saint of Italy, recounts the story of the first crib scene initiated by San Francesco in Greccio (Latium) in 1223:

Sieger Köder, 20th-c. artist/priest created the illuminated image, including in the facade “Pace” (“Peace”), the theme this year of Assisi’s Christmas :

Koder’s illuminated image of the first crèche scene created by San Francesco appropriately backdrop the crèche figures on the lawn in front of the Basilica:

in Assisi’s main square, the Assisi 2025 Christmas theme of “pace” (“peace”) stands out in the blue lighting on the architrave running above the columns on the 1st-c. B. C. Roman temple to the goddess Minerva. “Pace” takes center place in the lighting with the Hebrew shalom above – and the peace sign, the olive branch of peace, dove and the Arabic peace salutation all intertwined above “Pace“:

The blue lighting the 13th-c belltower and the adjacent Minerva temple backdrop backdrop the white lights dangling over the main piazza, Piazza del Comune.