Death of Francis
Description
Saint Francis of Assisi (1181 or 1182 - October 3rd, 1226) was an Italian monk, friar, and founder of the Franciscan Order, for which he is known, as well as his dedication to apostolic poverty, connection to nature, and receiving of the stigmata. Born at Assisi to a wealthy merchant family, the early life of Saint Francis was indulgent and exquisite, as he was accustomed to vice and sin, though felt disillusioned with the lifestyle. Following a yearlong capture and subsequent illness during a military expedition and a miraculous vision, Saint Francis grew apart from his previous life and turned, instead, to poverty, for which he was abused by his father. According to tradition, Saint Francis then renounced his father, stripping himself naked in public, and began wandering as a beggar and penitent, eventually growing a following and composing the Regula primitiva, or Primitive Rule for his followers. After successfully seeking permission from Pope Innocent III to found a religious order in 1210, Saint Francis and his followers began to gain a larger gathering, travelling throughout urban areas and spreading their order beyond Italy.
The death of Saint Francis at the age of 44, which is believed to have come about as a result of suffering from his stigmata wounds and trachoma, occurred roughly two years after his becoming a stigmatist. His death, especially when compared to the more popular legends of Receiving of the Stigmata, Preaching to the Birds, or Renunciation of his previous life, is rarely depicted in medieval art and illuminations, with Barnard 1 serving as an important example. Saint Francis is presented centrally on his deathbed, surrounded by followers of his Franciscan Order who are, in turn, praying, weeping, and kissing Saint Francis's hands as signs of devotion, as well as carrying flames and banners. The appears to be damage to the illumination, concentrated on the face and body of Saint Francis himself, with smearing in multiple directions suggesting repeated devotional touching of the image.
The illumination in the Barnard 1 manuscript is similar in composition to the Fresco in the Bardi Chapel of Santa Croce Basilica in Florence, which had been painted several decades earlier, suggesting a stylistic or artistic connection between the two. A fourteenth century from Northern France, BnF Français 2093, instead depicts the death of Saint Francis generically, with no devotional kissing of the hands or feet, weeping, or mournful activities. The discrepancy between these depictions may shine a light on the earlier perceptions of Saint Francis and his life from both within and outside of the Italian peninsula.
Liturgy
This page featuring the Death of Saint Francis opens the Feast of the Translation of Saint Francis, or the moving of Saint Francis's relics, and is longest feast within the Barnard 1 manuscript. The Feast of Saint Francis is celebrated on October 4th, commemorating his death in 1226, which had occured near midnight on October 3rd. Francis was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 16th, 1228, less than two years after his death.
Transcription:
FRANciscus vir Catholicus et totus apostolicus ecclesie teneri fidem romane docuit presbiterosque monuit pre cunctis revereri alle[luia].
Translation:
The Catholic man Francis and entirely apostolic, taught that the faith of the Roman Church must be upheld and admonished that priests should be revered above all, alle[luia].
Performance:
Comparison
