Establishment of the Porziuncola
The chapel was commissioned by the wealthy lawyer Giovanni Antonio Martelli from Miasino, deputy lord of the castle of the Riviera, commemorated with the bust statue placed above the door.The frescoes were completed in 1616 by Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli from Varese, also known as Morazzone, who had already worked at the Sacro Monte of Varallo and Varese. They show Justice and Peace and musician angels. The base of the dome depicts symbolic representations of Meekness, Prayer, Consolation, Poverty, Hope, while Faith, Charity and Hope appear in the lunettes. On the walls, from the left: Francis prays for the sinners; Francis is sent by an angel to the Porziuncola; the friars supporting the Lateran; Francis obtaining the confirmation of the Indulgence from Honorius III, Francis praying with an angel, and in the background the Temptations of the saint. The group of sculptures is the work of Cristoforo Prestinari.