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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1235

Saint Francis of Assisi

Unknown · c. 1235

An anonymous panel painting from around 1235, one of the earliest surviving images of Francis, showing him with the wounds of the stigmata.

One of the earliest surviving portraits of Francis, made within a few years of his death, showing the stigmata and his sainthood.

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Gold-background panel painting of a standing figure in a dark grey hooded habit with a cord belt, holding an open book with text in his left hand and showing wounds on his hands. Inscription reads 'S FRAN CISCVS' around a red halo. Red and gold decorative border; visible cracks.
Saint Francis of Assisi, unknown artist, c. 1235. Louvre, Paris.

About this source

What it is

This is a gold-background panel painting of Saint Francis made by an unknown artist around 1235, only a few years after his death. It is held in the Department of Paintings of the Louvre. Francis stands in a dark hooded habit holding an open book, with wounds visible on his hands and an inscription naming him.

Why it matters

Because it was painted so soon after Francis died, this image is one of the earliest visual records of how his earliest followers wanted him to be remembered: as a holy figure already bearing the stigmata, with a halo marking his sainthood. It shows how quickly his image as a saint took shape.

Look closer

  • What details in the painting show that Francis is meant to be seen as a saint?
  • Why might the artist have shown the wounds on his hands?
  • What might be missing from this early image compared to later portrayals?

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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