Abstract

RODRIGUEZ VELASCO, María. Literary and pictorial sources for the images of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Late Middle Ages. Franciscanum [online]. 2023, vol.65, n.180, pp.12-12.  Epub Feb 12, 2024. ISSN 0120-1468.  https://doi.org/10.21500/01201468.6238.

Images of Saint Francis of Assisi multiplied in Europe to serve as a model for the Friars Minor and to arouse the veneration of the faithful through the knowledge of the most significant episodes of his hagiography. In order to understand the ultimate meaning of these representations, it is necessary to remember where they were painted, combining formal aspects and literary sources that inspired the painters of the late Middle Ages. In the following lines we will see the important role of the Franciscans as commissioners, the dissemination of the biographies of Thomas of Celano and Saint Bonaventure and their reception in the images, especially from the frescoes of Giotto di Bondone in Assisi.

These represent a turning point in the evolution of Franciscan repertoires, due to their renewal and their impact on the consolidation of speaking symbols and narrative formulas of representation in Franciscan iconography. The aim of this work is not to catalogue images, but to outline the main variables of the image of Saint Francis from the 13th to the 15th century, based on very eloquent pieces with regard to their origin and subsequent evolution.

Keywords : San Francisco de Asís; Christian Iconography; San Buenaventura; Giotto di Bondone; Middle Ages.

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