Grounded and Inspired
Francis of Assisi: His Life in the Oldest Pictorial Biography
St. Francis is undisputedly the most popular of all saints. For over 800 years, he has inspired hundreds of thousands in the various branches of the Franciscan orders and movements. Today, he brings together the world religions that advocate for a more peaceful world in Assisi. He inspires poets and musicians, represents a courageous ecology and emboldens Pope Francis in his commitment to fraternity without exclusion.
What has turned the mystic from the Middle Ages into a prophet in the present? The answer is found in his life. Long before Giotto depicted it in his world-famous fresco cycles, the first pictorial biography of the friar was created in Florence. The Bardi panel with 20 scenes from his life is analysed in detail here for the first time: It paints a far more authentic picture of St. Francis than achieved by Bonaventure’s famous biography, the popular Fioretti and the later pictorial art.
- The life of the most beloved saint
- Biographical and spiritual exploration
- Told by using the earliest pictorial representations
