Pilgrims honor the bones of St. Francis during the first public display inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
ASSISI, Italy (AP) — Pilgrims will have yet another reason to visit the hilltop Umbrian town of Assisi, as the bones of St. Francis of Assisi, the medieval friar who inspired Pope Francis and generations of Christians before him, go on public display for the first time.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Friars gather at the monastery of the St. Francis Basilica in Assisi, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, on the eve of a public exposition of the saint remains to mark the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Pilgrims leave after they honored the bones of St. Francis during the first public display inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Pilgrims leave after they honored the bones of St. Francis during the first public display inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Pilgrims pass through security checks as they queue to honor the bones of St. Francis during the first public display inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. The booklet with an image is St. Francis reads: “Like the seed, booklet of the pilgrim”. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)The remains of Francis of Assisi are displayed in a glass case inside the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, on the eve of a public exposition beginning Feb. 22 to mark the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Seminarians from the Dioceses of Rockford, Illinois, and Lansing, Michigan, United States, leave after they honored the bones of St. Francis during the first public display inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint ‘s death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Pilgrims honor the bones of St. Francis during the first public display inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Pilgrims queue to honor the bones of St. Francis during the first public display inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Pilgrims honor the bones of St. Francis during the first public display inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Nuns stand outside the St. Francis Basilica where the bones of the Saint are on the first public display marking the 800th anniversary of his death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Journalists record the remains of Francis of Assisi inside the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, on the eve of a public exposition beginning Feb. 22 to mark the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Friars pray before the remains of Francis of Assisi inside the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, on the eve of a public exposition beginning Feb. 22 to mark the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)A journalist wear a 3D visor projecting the life of Francis during the first public display of the bones of St. Francis inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)Pilgrims leave after they honored the bones of St. Francis during the first public display inside the St. Francis Basilica, marking the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death, in Assisi, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)People visit the Basilica of St. Francis with Giotto’s frescoes in Assisi, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, on the eve of the public display of St. Francis’ remains to mark the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)A sparrow flies past the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, on the eve of the public display of St. Francis’ remains to mark the 800th anniversary of his death in 1226.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
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