Transcript Mystery of the Missing Stigmata

The Mystery of the Missing
Stigmata
C J Manning
April 2003
The Mystery
The St Lucy Altarpiece by Domenico Veneziano, c
1445
 Church of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli, Florence,
Italy
 All commentaries name the monk as ‘St Francis of
Assisi’
 In art of the 15th century and earlier, St Francis
always shown with stigmata
 The monk in the St Lucy Altarpiece has no
stigmata

The St Lucy Altarpiece and its
five predella paintings
The St Lucy Altarpiece, assembled
 One predella painting each to IDENTIFY the five
main figures
 ‘St Francis’, St John the Baptist, Madonna &
Child, St Zenobius, St Lucy
 Predella of St Francis Receiving the Stigmata used
to identify the monk in the St Lucy Altarpiece as
ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

The St Lucy Altarpiece assembled
Altarpiece monk & predella



The predella painting of St Francis
Receiving the Stigmata IDENTIFIES
the Altarpiece monk
Can only be one of the two figures
All sources identify monk as
ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI
St Francis of Assisi

Francis of Assisi, born c 1181, died 1226

Benedictine and other monastic Orders resented for their
wealth, arrogance and isolation from the general
population

Francis adopted
– Poverty
– Penance, brotherly love & peace
– Preaching
– Work with the poor, sick and destitute
St Francis of Assisi

Francis founded the Order of the Friars Minor (Franciscan
Monks)

Many miracles attributed to St Francis

He is known for his love of nature and receiving the
stigmata in 1224

St Francis canonized as a saint in 1228
St Francis of Assisi

Franciscan Order extremely popular within the Church and
with the people

“And thus, without strife or schism, God’s Poor Little Man
of Assisi became the means of renewing the youth of the
Church and of initiating the most potent and popular
religious movement since the beginnings of Christianity.”

Florence a major Franciscan centre.
The Stigmata of St Francis

Stigmata are the wounds of Christ when He was
crucified
– in His hands and feet where He was nailed to
the Cross, and
– in His right side where He was stabbed by the
Roman’s spear.
 St
Francis miraculously received these same Holy
Wounds from the flying winged figure of Christ
The Stigmata of St Francis
 The
 The
most significant attribute of St Francis
Stigmata are “the seal of St Francis’
earthly mission and confirmation of his
divine calling.”
Art works of St Francis
feature the STIGMATA
Notice the gesture
Simone Martini, St Francis, 1317
Giovanni da Milano, St
Francis of Assisi, c 1360
Domenico Veneziano, St
John the Baptist & St
Francis, (detail) 1454
Close-up of stigmata
of Domenico’s
St Francis
But, NO STIGMATA on the monk
in the St Lucy Altarpiece
 No
wounds, scars,
rays or marks of any
sort
–
–
–
–
Back of hand
Palm of other hand
Torso hidden by sleeve
Tops of feet hidden by
robe
NO STIGMATA , detail
 NO
marks,
wounds, scars, rays
or projections on
– Palm of hand
holding book
– Back of near hand
– Figure’s right side
(covered by sleeve)
– Either feet (tops
covered by robe)
Mystery #1: The Stigmata are
missing without explanation
 Researched
art historical sources and texts
– Do NOT explain reasons for naming the
Altarpiece monk as St Francis
– Do NOT observe or mention missing stigmata
– Do NOT explain missing stigmata.
Mystery #2: The Altarpiece monk does
not look like the predella’s St Francis
Young
Old
Unwrinkled
Full, dark hair
Wrinkled
Sparse, grey hair
Altarpiece monk
Predella’s St Francis
And does not look like
Domenico’s other St Francis
Young
Old
Unwrinkled
Full, dark hair
Wrinkled
Sparse, grey hair
Altarpiece monk
Domenico Veneziano,
St Francis, 1454
Possible explanations for these
mysteries
A. Not every painting of St Francis shows
the Stigmata
B. The Altarpiece monk is a young St
Francis, or
C. The Altarpiece monk is NOT St Francis
A. “Not every painting of St
Francis shows the Stigmata”
Such
paintings are ONLY of episodes
in St Francis’ life before he received
the Stigmata
Episodes of St Francis before
receiving Stigmata
No Stigmata
‘Giotto’ Dream of the Palace (detail)
Scene 3 of the Legend of St Francis, c
1297
‘Giotto’ Renunciation of Worldly
Goods (detail) Scene 5 of the Legend
of St Francis, c 1297
‘Giotto’ Sermon to the Birds (detail) Scene
15 of the Legend of St Francis, c 1297
Episode of St Francis after
receiving the Stigmata
‘Giotto’ Death & Ascension of St Francis (detail) Scene
20 of the Legend of St Francis, 1300
Answer to “A. Not every painting of St
Francis shows the Stigmata”
 The
St Lucy Altarpiece is NOT an episode of
St Francis’ life before receiving the Stigmata,
and
 Is
a full length ‘portrait’ of the saint, like
paintings by Uccello, Simone and Domenico
Answer to “A. Not every painting of St
Francis shows the Stigmata”
 Therefore,
the Altarpiece monk should display
the Stigmata.
 So,
this explanation does not apply to the
St Lucy Altarpiece monk.
B. “The Altarpiece monk is a
young St Francis”
 The
figures in the St Lucy Altarpiece
deemed to be in Heaven after their life on
earth
 All other figures in the Altarpiece are NOT
younger than in their corresponding predella
painting
All other figures in the Altarpiece are NOT
younger than in their corresponding predella
painting

St John the Baptist:
A youth in predella
A mature man in the Altarpiece
All other figures in the Altarpiece are NOT
younger than in their corresponding predella
painting
 Mary:
Newly pregnant in the Annunciation
predella
A new mother in the
Altarpiece
All other figures in the Altarpiece are NOT
younger than in their corresponding predella
painting
 St Zenobius:
Performed miracles before
becoming bishop in the
predella
In full bishop’s robes, mitre & staff
in the Altarpiece
All other figures in the Altarpiece are NOT
younger than in their corresponding predella
painting
 St Lucy:
At the moment of her death
in the predella
•Wears the same
dress & mantle in
the Altarpiece
•Holds the palm
branch of
martyrdom
Answer to “B. The Altarpiece
monk is a young St Francis”
 It
would break the logic and the pattern to
show St Francis younger in the Altarpiece
than in the predella painting
 Therefore,
the Altarpiece monk cannot be a
young St Francis.
C. “The Altarpiece monk is NOT
St Francis”

Answer to A: The Altarpiece monk is NOT an episode
of St Francis before receiving the Stigmata

Answer to B: The Altarpiece monk is NOT a young St
Francis

There are no name-tags to identify the Altarpiece
figures, including the monk
continued

The predella paintings identify each of the figures in
the Altarpiece

The St Francis Receiving the Stigmata predella shows
two people

The Altarpiece monk can only be one of the two
people
Answer is C: The Altarpiece
monk is NOT St Francis

The Altarpiece monk is not St Francis:
– He does not look like the predella St Francis
– He does not have the Stigmata
– He is not gesturing to the Stigmata on his side
(more like gesture of mea culpa), and

Therefore, he must be the other man in the predella
painting-Brother Leo of Assisi.
Brother Leo of Assisi &
St Francis receiving the Stigmata

Brother Leo was the intimate companion, confessor
and secretary of St Francis

Went into the mountains with the elderly St Francis

At St Francis’ instructions, opened the Bible three
times at random
Brother Leo of Assisi &
St Francis receiving the Stigmata

Each time, opened to passages about Christ’s
crucifixion

Some say, Brother Leo witnessed the six-winged
seraphim giving St Francis the Stigmata

Brother Leo saw and tended the bleeding wounds on
St Francis, and wrote a description of them
The Altarpiece monk is Brother
Leo of Assisi

He witnessed the Stigmatization of St Francis

He looks like Brother Leo in the predella
– Same young, unlined face
– Same full, dark hair

He holds the Bible open in his hand, looks like he is reading, as he did
in the legend

He has a halo

He stands modestly-head and eyes down
Brother Leo witnessed St Francis receiving the
Stigmata
‘Giotto’, 1308
The Bible
Sassetta, 1437-44
Brother Leo witnessed St Francis receiving the
Stigmata
Gentile da Fabriano,
1420
Domenico Veneziano, St Francis
Receiving the Stigmata Predella
The Bible
The Altarpiece monk looks like
Brother Leo in the predella
Same young, unlined face
 Same full, dark hair

The Altarpiece monk holds the
Bible

Bible is important to the Stigmatization of St Francis

He holds the Bible open in his hand, looks like he is reading, as he did in the
legend
Bible is next to Brother Leo in the predella

The Altarpiece monk has a halo




Brother Leo was beatified by the Franciscan Order
Named “Blessed Leo” in manuscript book of Franciscan
Martyrology dated c 1300
A blessed or beatified person is worshipped locally
A beatified or blessed person, who is canonized by the pope as a
saint, is worshipped throughout the entire church
The Altarpiece monk has a halo
Pacino di Bonaguida
Blessed Gherardo at Prayer



Only saints and beatified persons are permitted to be shown with
a halo
Other art shows beatified person with halo
So, Brother Leo is entitled to be shown with a halo in the
St Lucy Altarpiece.
The Altarpiece monk stands
modestly


He stands modestlyhead and eyes down
Not boldly like St John
Modesty is appropriate for
Brother Leo in the Altarpiece
 He
is a minor saint
 In the presence of major holy figures
– the Madonna & Child,
– St John the Baptist and St Zenobius, two patron
saints of Florence, and
– St Lucy, the namesake of the church
Brother Leo is important enough
to be in the Altarpiece

He acted as God’s instrument in opening the Bible to
passages of Christ’s crucifixion prior to St Francis
receiving the Stigmata
Brother Leo is important enough
to be in the Altarpiece

He was closely connected to St Francis
– Intimate companion
– Witness of the Stigmata
– St Francis wrote “The Perfect Joy” to him when
Leo was in despair
– St Francis gave him his robes when he died
Brother Leo is important enough
to be in the Altarpiece

He played a large role in the Franciscan Order
– He was one of the Order’s most enthusiastic
workers
– He had close connections with St Clare (who
worked with St Francis and also founded a
monastic order)
Brother Leo’s role in the
Altarpiece

Brother Leo was a local, beatified saint
– His life and deeds would have been familiar to the
congregation

As a minor, beatified saint, Brother Leo is “closer” to the
congregation than the other, major holy figures of the
Madonna and the patron saints

The figure of Brother Leo is the same size as the other
figures in the Altarpiece
Brother Leo’s role in the
Altarpiece

Therefore, the congregation could
– take pride in the local, Blessed Brother Leo
– related more to Brother Leo than the other figures, and
– ask for his intercession with the higher, holier figures

Brother Leo has a valid role as one of the figures in the
St Lucy Altarpiece.
Possible connection between Church of Santa
Lucia dei Magnoli & Brother Leo
Church of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli,
Florence



Benozzo Gozzoli, Meeting of St Francis &
St Dominic, 1452
Church next door to Santa Lucia Hospital (no longer standing)
Hospital site of famous meeting of St Francis & St Dominic
Monk on the left is most likely Brother Leo
Information not available

There are no inscriptions in the Altarpiece that identify any
of the figures

There are no primary source documents about the
commissioning of the Altarpiece
– No contracts
– No letters from any patron
– No documents by the artist, Domenico Veneziano
– No church documents covering the time period 14301450.
More research needed

To show
– Role of Brother Leo in the Franciscan Order
– If any ‘cultus’ or religious following of Brother Leo in
or around Florence
– Details of when, how and why Brother Leo was
beatified
– Connection of the Church of Santa Lucia dei Magnoli
to the Franciscan Order and Brother Leo in particular
Conclusion
 The
mystery of the missing stigmata is solved
 The
monk in the St Lucy Altarpiece is not St
Francis of Assisi
 But
is his companion and witness, Blessed
Brother Leo of Assisi.

Copyright April 2003 CJ Manning
Bibliography





Firenze.net. <http://english.firenze.net/> 9 March 2003.
Jameson, (Mrs) A. Legends of the Monastic Orders. London:
Longmans, Green, and Co., 1880.
New Advent. The Catholic Encyclopedia.
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/> 9 March 2003.
Smart, Alistair. The Assisi Problem and the Art of Giotto.
Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971.
St Patrick and St Lawrence Parish. “Why Do We Do That?”
About Our Faith. <http://www.stpatrickstlawrence.org/why_do_we_do_that.htm> 8 March 2003.
Bibliography



The Franciscan Experience. “9.13 Leo of Assisi”.
Franciscan Saints and Mystics (1).
<http://198.62.75.5/www1/ofm/fra/FRAsnt01.html> 9
March 2003.
Web Gallery of Art.
<http://gallery.euroweb.hu/index1.html> 8 March 2003.
Wohl, Hellmut. The Paintings of Domenico Veneziano.
New York and London: New York University Press, 1980.