GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE igi
owed its introduction to the mendicant monks,
whose travels brought them into contact with
the outer civilisation. Many of the earliest and
largest churches were built by these monks—
Dominicans or Franciscans. S. Francis of
Assisi, the founder of the Franciscans, died in
1226, and the church which enshrined his
body was one of the most remarkable examples
of Italian Gothic, as well as one of the earliest.
Although designed by a German architect, the
church of S. Francesco at Assisi (1228-1253)
shows strong Italian influence in its composition.
Internally the architecture is quite subordinate
to the decorative paintings, for which the wall
spaces were intended, and with which they have
been filled. The church is built in two stories :
in the lower church the vaulting over the high
altar is enriched with frescoes by Giotto ; so
small, however, are the window-openings, and
so dim the light, that it is not possible to
appreciate fully the detail of the paintings,
unless it be for an hour or two on the brightest
days.
S. Francesco contains the shrine of S. Francis.
His followers, the Franciscans, and the
Dominican brotherhood (founded 1216), were
responsible for many of the earliest and most
important Gothic churches, including S.
Francesco at Bologna, the Church of the
Frari at Venice, S. Anastasia at Verona,
S. Maria Novella at Florence, and S. Maria
sopra Minerva (1280), the only important
Gothic church in Rome.