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San Francesco at Messina, founded in 1254, is among the most remarkable of the early cruciform designs. It marks the dawn of a new era for the Franciscan Order which, because of its close ties with the papacy, had faced considerable hostility in the Hohenstaufen Sicily and Southern Italy of the first half of the 13th century. A wooden-roofed nave of moderate height in relation to its width, and high, but only slightly projected transepts create block-forms reminiscent of Apulian Romanesque architecture. The interesting feature of the nave is the eight chapels flank it on either side. They are far too shallow to disturb the spatial unity, and heir undecorated, pointed arches give the appearance of internal buttressing.
The church was altered in the seventeenth century but the Baroque structure was burnt down in 1884, and the earthquake of 1908 also added to the damage. The building was almost wholly reconstructed.
The photo shows the façade of the church.
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