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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1430

St. Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata

Bicci di Lorenzo · c. 1430

A painting showing Francis receiving the stigmata, made about two hundred years after his death.

This painting depicts Francis's stigmata, a central event in accounts of his life and sainthood.

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Gilded framed panel painting of St. Francis kneeling on a rocky hillside, arms raised, receiving rays of light from a winged seraph with red wings above. A companion monk kneels at left, a town with a church is at right.
Bicci di Lorenzo, St. Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata, c. 1430. Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This panel painting by the Italian artist Bicci di Lorenzo shows Francis kneeling on a rocky hillside with his arms raised, receiving rays of light from a winged figure above. It was painted around 1430 and is now held by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The scene depicts a story from Francis's life: a mystical vision during prayer at a mountain retreat, after which he bore wounds said to resemble those of Christ's crucifixion. The painting reflects how later generations of Christians, including the artist, remembered and venerated Francis long after his lifetime, turning this event into a central image of his sainthood.

Look closer

  • What details show this is meant to be a holy, mystical moment rather than an ordinary scene?
  • Why might artists centuries later choose this particular moment from Francis's life?
  • What does the setting around Francis tell you about the world the painter imagined him in?

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

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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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