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Secondary sourcePainting1235

Saint Francis of Assisi and Scenes of His Life

Bonaventura Berlinghieri · 1235

An altarpiece painted within a decade of Francis of Assisi's death, showing him with the stigmata and scenes of his miracles.

This early painting of Francis, made within a decade of his death, shows how his image as a stigmatized saint formed almost immediately.

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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.
Bonaventura Berlinghieri, Saint Francis of Assisi and Scenes of His Life, 1235. Church of Saint Francis, Pescia.

About this source

What it is

This gold-background altarpiece was painted by Bonaventura Berlinghieri in 1235 for the Church of Saint Francis in Pescia. It shows Francis standing with a halo, holding a book, flanked by angels, with smaller painted scenes along the sides depicting events from his life.

Why it matters

Painted less than ten years after Francis's death, this is the earliest dated image of him, and it already includes his stigmata and miracle stories. It shows how quickly his followers and the Church began shaping his public image as a holy figure.

Look closer

  • Why might an artist choose to show the stigmata so soon after Francis's death?
  • What do the small side scenes suggest about which parts of his life people wanted remembered?
  • How might an altarpiece made for a church differ from a more private or personal portrait?

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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Secondary source

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