It was built long after St Francis' time because of the many pilgrims visiting the Porziuncula, the tiny chapel where St Francis prayed and where he insisted on being taken when he was dying. This chapel is in the middle of the nave of the church and has the most fantastic atmosphere of prayer. The whole church was suffused with prayer - there was a Mass going on in the choir, and some people were stopping to listen to that, while others walked around the aisles or prayed in the Porziuncula.
