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St. Francis of Assisi receives the stigmata (manuscript image)

A miniature in an illuminated Latin manuscript held by the KB National Library of the Netherlands, showing Francis receiving the stigmata.

Shows how the story of Francis receiving the stigmata was illustrated in later religious books.

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Illuminated manuscript page with a small painted miniature of a bearded friar in a grey habit, with a gold halo, hands raised, beneath an orange winged figure in a blue-green landscape. Gold and red decorated borders surround the Latin text and flower motifs.
St. Francis of Assisi receives the stigmata, illuminated manuscript page. KB, National Library of the Netherlands.

About this source

What it is

This is a page from an illuminated manuscript in Latin, held by the KB, the National Library of the Netherlands. A small painted miniature shows a bearded friar in a grey habit with a gold halo, hands raised, beneath an orange winged figure in a blue-green landscape. Gold and red borders surround the Latin text and flower motifs. The record gives no date or maker.

Why it matters

The stigmata, the wounds of Christ said to appear on Francis's body, became a central episode of his later legend. Pictures like this one show how that story was passed on in religious books for readers of later centuries.

Look closer

  • How does the painter show the winged figure and the friar's raised hands?
  • Why would a medieval reader have found this image important for prayer?
  • What does the page leave out, such as who the book was made for?

This book 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

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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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