We headed out on a guided tour to Orvieto in Umbria on Saturday, and Assisi, home of St. Francis and St. Clare.

The city of Orvieto is “situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The site of the city is among the most dramatic in Europe, rising above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs.” (Wikipedia) The church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the building.

Enshrined in a side chapel of the cathedral is the corporal (square shaped linen on which the Eucharist is placed at the altar) stained with blood from the consecrated host in 1263, “Cappella del Corporale”. The “miracle” of the bleeding host occurred in nearby Bolsena, but the corporal was taken to Orvieto at the command of Pope Urban IV who was then living in Orvieto. It has been enshrined in Orvieto ever since.

Another interesting point about the cathedral is the Chapel of the Madonna di San Brizio (Saint Brizius), noted for its frescoes depicting the day of judgment.

This photo album is mostly the exterior of the cathedral, made from local white and blue-gray stone, a Gothic façade decorated with sculptures and paintings, and intricate border mosaic work. The photos toward the end are of the town as far into it as we were able to walk, before we had to gather for our departure for Assisi.