The Basilica of San Francesco alla Rocca stands near the Rocca Albornoz at the northern end of the historic centre. The church was founded in 1237, shortly after the death of St Francis, making it one of the early Franciscan foundations in Italy. It was substantially rebuilt after World War II bombing and contains the tombs of two popes who died in Viterbo: Clement IV (died 1268) and Adrian V (died 1276).
The Gothic interior is austere in the Franciscan tradition — a single nave with pointed arches — and the papal tombs are among the best surviving examples of 13th-century funerary sculpture in central Italy. Clement IV's monument, attributed to Pietro di Oderisio, is particularly fine.
The piazza in front of the basilica is one of the liveliest in Viterbo, busy with students from the nearby university faculty. The square also gives a good view of the Rocca Albornoz directly opposite.