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Primary sourcePaintingc. 1100

San Damiano Cross

c. 1100

A Romanesque painted crucifix before which Francis of Assisi was praying when he heard the call to 'repair my church'.

Tradition holds Francis was praying before this cross when he heard the call to rebuild the Church, starting his conversion.

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Painted wooden crucifix on a cross-shaped panel with a red and gold border. Christ with open arms, eyes open, wearing a white loincloth, with small figures of saints and angels around him and a Latin inscription above his head.
Romanesque painted cross, c. 1100. Basilica di Santa Chiara, Assisi.

About this source

What it is

This is a painted wooden crucifix made around 1100 in the Byzantine-influenced style common in Umbria at the time. The artist is unknown. It now hangs in the Basilica of Santa Clare in Assisi; a copy hangs in its original place in the church of San Damiano.

Why it matters

According to Franciscan tradition, Francis of Assisi was praying before this cross when he received a call to rebuild the Church, marking the beginning of his conversion. Franciscans still regard the cross as a symbol of their mission. The cross is an 'icon cross', combining the figure of Christ with saints, witnesses and angels, meant to teach the story of the crucifixion to viewers.

Look closer

  • Why do you think Christ is painted upright and calm rather than suffering, compared to later crucifixion images?
  • What do the small figures and their gestures around Christ tell you about how the artist wanted viewers to react?
  • Why might this object have become such an important symbol for the Franciscan order?

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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