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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1290

Saint Francis

Cimabue (attributed) · c. 1290

A panel painting attributed to Cimabue, traditionally said to be painted on the board on which Francis died, held at the Porziuncola near Assisi.

A near-contemporary image of Francis, traditionally linked to the very board on which he died.

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A tall, narrow painted wooden panel of a standing bearded friar in a brown hooded habit, with a golden radiant halo behind his head. He holds a red book with black scrollwork in his hands and wears a rope cord at his waist. Bare feet are visible at the bottom. Blue paint is flaking at the edges.
Cimabue (attributed), Saint Francis, c. 1290. Museo della Porziuncola.

About this source

What it is

This tall wooden panel painting of Saint Francis is attributed to the Italian artist Cimabue, dated around 1290. It shows Francis as a bearded friar in a brown habit with a golden halo, holding a red book. It is kept at the Museo della Porziuncola, a site closely connected to Francis's life and death.

Why it matters

According to tradition, the panel was painted on the very board on which Francis died, linking the image directly to the place and moment of his death. Made within decades of his death by one of the most important painters of the era, it reflects how closely Francis's memory was tied to specific holy sites and relics by his early followers.

Look closer

  • Why might it matter to believers that this image was painted on the board where Francis died?
  • What symbols in the painting mark Francis as holy?
  • How does the flaking paint affect what we can still see of the original image?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Francis on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Manuscript page in Latin with black gothic script and red initial letter M and red-highlighted lines, with handwritten marginal notes on the right. The text includes 'Altissimu onnipotente bon signore' and 'Laudes creaturarum', consistent with the Canticle of the Sun.Book

Primary source

Canticle of the Sun

Francis of Assisi · 1226

Photograph of a small, aged parchment sheet sealed in a metal-framed case. It has faded brown ink text in Latin with red headings, a large hand-drawn red and brown Tau cross with a figure-like sketch, and a few lines of writing at the bottom.Document

Primary source

Chartula fratri Leonis

Francis of Assisi · 1224

Book

Secondary source

First Life of Saint Francis

Thomas of Celano · 1230

Gold-background panel painting in a gabled wooden frame. A standing robed friar with a halo holds a book and raises one hand, flanked by two angels above. Smaller framed scenes in the side panels show his life events in colorful architecture.Painting

Secondary source

Saint Francis of Assisi and Scenes of His Life

Bonaventura Berlinghieri · 1235

Aerial view of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi on a hilltop, with its pink-toned stone walls, a tall bell tower, and a large sloping retaining wall. A parking area and winding road are below, with green valley and hills in the distance under a cloudy sky.Artifact

Secondary source

Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi

begun 1228

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