3-002-630 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata, c1471. In 1224, on the mountainside of La Verna in the Apennine Mountains of Italy, Saint Francis of Assisi was meditating on the sufferings of Christ when a seraph (a six-winged angel of the highest order) appeared to him in a vision of light. Afterwards, he found his hands, feet, and side marked with the wounds of Christ—the stigmata. The miracle is shown here as witnessed by Saint Francis's companion, Brother Leo. To remind the viewer that Saint Francis was the founder of the Franciscan Order, the artist has transformed his rustic chapel into a grand basilica. Nevertheless, the most striking feature of the setting is the grouping of fantastical rock formations that seem to grow out of the ground.