Better get your pilgriming done soon: That big double-steepled church in North Beach is about to close for a while. They're installing some new seismic upgrades starting on July 1, and it'll be closed indefinitely. Good thinking -- you can never be too careful about earthquakes. Our God is an awesome God.
Though the Shrine of St. Francis will be closed, other nearby amenities will stay open. That includes the gift shop, which incidentally is called (we kid you not) Francesco Rocks. This either sounds like the name of an animatronic band at Chuck E. Cheese, or a wholesale gemstone warehouse.
Also, the Porziuncola Nuovo will remain open. That's a recently-built replica of St. Francis' church in Assisi, Italy; and it was constructed to 3/4 scale, just like Bag End. The unusual scale and striped floors make every photo we've seen of this religious symbol appear to be an optical illusion. But aren't they always?
· Seismic retrofitting planned for Shrine of St. Francis [Catholic SF]
· Up With God: $2.9 million Chapel for North Beach [Curbed SF]
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