The St. Francis life in the paintings of La Verna

The St. Francis life told by the paintings of Baccio Maria Bacci

It would be superfluous and repetitive if this page were to describe in detail the life of St. Francis, born in 1182 and died on the evening of October 3, 1226.
Many books, films, websites have talked to us and tell us about his dissolute life up to 24 years, his imprisonment after the war between Perugia and Assisi during which his conversion began, his embrace to the leper, the Crucifix in San Damiano who speaks to him, of his renunciation of his father's clothes and possessions, of the ferocious wolf of Gubbio made meek by Francis (first miracle), of his "rule" and of the contrasts that this leads him to have with the Church, of his participation in the fifth crusade with the meeting with the sultan of Egypt, the construction of the first nativity scene in Greggio, his retreat of penance and prayer on Monte della Verna where on 17 September 1224 he received the Stigmata, of the death in “his Porziuncola” in Santa Maria degli Angeli near Assisi.
Talking about the life of St. Francis means intertwining historical facts with other legendary ones, it means knowing how to place a great character of "uncompromising faith" in a period of great historical and spiritual turbulence. It is not the job of this site to tackle such high and complex topics. This section only wants to revive the salient facts of the life of St. Francis through the 22 frescoes by Baccio Maria Bacci, and the related explanatory texts, which decorate the long Corridor of the Stigmata della Verna.
This corridor is crossed twice daily by the friars (3.10 pm and 3.20 pm) with the solemn and evocative procession of the Hour IX, which starts from the main Basilica, goes to the Stigmata Chapel and from here, after a few minutes of prayer and prayers, return to the basilica.
The frescoes by Bacci that decorate this corridor narrate the historical and salient episodes in the life of St. Francis and then focus on some lesser-known episodes in the life of the Saint of Assisi which occurred at La Verna (it should always be borne in mind that they are made for this place ), the latter facts that we could classify among those legendary and of local popular faith.
Due to the presence of these frescoes that tell us about the life of Francis of Assisi (Giovanni the name initially assigned to him by his mother then changed to him by his father Pietro Bernardone), the corridor is a source of devotional attraction, as well as a point of tourist interest.
The images in this section, as well as showing us the paintings that decorate the corridor, will make us retrace the "turbulent" life of Francis sanctified, "by popular acclaim", in 1228, only two years after his death, proclaimed patron of Italy in 1939 by Pope Pius XII.
Every year, on 4 October, the day of his death, all Franciscan places commemorate this great figure of Christianity with solemn ceremonies. Even at La Verna for the whole day there is a succession of spiritual moments in honor of St. Francis. You can experience this day of celebration by visiting this web section.