The Stigmatisation of Saint Francis

Saint Francis of Assisi kneels in a rocky landscape, hands raised in prayer, gazing up at a vision of Christ floating in the sky. Christ has the six wings of a seraphim and his arms are extended as if on the Cross. Rays from Christ’s stigmata – the wounds he received at the Crucifixion – impress the same wounds on Saint Francis.

This painting is the fourth of eight scenes representing the life of Saint Francis that were made for the back of the San Sepolcro Altarpiece (seven are in the National Gallery’s collection). This was on the bottom row on the left, next to Saint Francis before the Pope: The Granting of the Indulgence of the Portiuncula. The Portiuncula Indulgence, one of the first to grant absolution from all sins, was controversial as it had not been confirmed by a papal bull. Franciscan writers claimed that God had granted Francis the stigmata as a visible sign of divine approval.

Text: © The National Gallery, London

Painting photographed in its frame by Google Arts and Culture, 2023.