Combiner religion et patrimoine. Le musée du Trésor de la basilique Saint-François d’Assise et la collection Frederick Mason Perkins

The Treasure Museum of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, hosting since 1986 the Frederick Mason Perkins collection, is a significant case study of the ‘heritage effect’ as a museum institution set in a religious and monumental complex, strongly related to its context and capable of creating a multifaceted narrative between the artworks of the two collections and the sacred space. Established in 1230 with the donation of a golden cross by pope Gregory IX, the Treasury has always been part of the Sacro Convento in Assisi, quickly developing into a rich collection of liturgical and devotional objects, as well as of artworks and decorative pieces, given by devotees to honour Saint Francis. The occupation of Italy by the French Revolutionary Army caused a huge impoverishment of the collection of the Treasury, which had remained essentially complete up to the end of the 18th century. It was only in 1930 that the friary decided to display the Treasure as a museum collection: the events occurred 19th and early 20th century revealed the fragility of the Treasury heritage, resulting into a different awareness of the value of these objects as testimonies of a 700-year history of the collection. The presence of the Perkins collection, donated in the 1955 and eventually displayed since 1986, introduces new elements of complexity to the Treasure Museum. On the one hand, it can be considered as a sign of devotion to Saint Francis, thus embodying the same devotional spirit of the other pieces of the museum. On the other hand, it balances and completes the panel paintings collection of the Treasury, mainly constituted of 13th century artworks, by presenting the evolution of Central Italian painting up to the early Renaissance period. The Perkins collection also presents strong ties with the Basilica, allowing direct comparison with the masterpieces still present in the church. In this way, the Perkins collection and the Treasure Museum come together to create a complex narrative between the artworks in the sacred space and the ones in the exhibition rooms.