Pope Francis chooses a very Francisan image for his Christmas card showing the Immaculate Virgin Mary with the Holy Child wrapped in swadling clothes as depicted by Giotto in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. The article from the Register mentions how St. Francis was instrumental in making the nativity set a common Christmas devotion, starting with a live nativity scene in the cave at Greccio. Certainly, for us Franciscans of the Immaculate, this is very endearing. I like the donkey the best. He looks so happy to be there. This is especially interesting given that St. Francis called himself Brother Ass and the holy, firey joy with which the saint filled the cave at Greccio at this first Nativity set.

Holy Father chooses 14th century fresco by Giotto, located in the lower basilica of St. Francis in Assisi.

Edward Pentin

Pope Francis has chosen Giotto’s 14th century fresco of the Nativity in Assisi for his Christmas card this year, accompanied by a verse from Isaiah on its reverse.

The 1313 masterpiece, located in the lower basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, is the only one of its kind in the world where a nativity scene has two baby Jesuses to express the human and divine nature of Christ.

Giotto interprets the divine aspect through the blue that shines in the night of Bethlehem, and the painting itself “broadens and expands” his narration of the scene “to tell a true story, not a fairy tale,” according to Enzo Fortunato, press officer of the Sacred Convent of Assisi.

He added that the use of blue “moves and captures everyone, pilgrim or tourist. Those who enter the basilica remain fascinated. A deep, luminous color, above all royal and real.”

More from the Source: Pope Francis’ 2016 Christmas Card | ncregister.com

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Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jul 30, 2024, on how St. Francis and his disciples, as God’s artists, inspired a renaissance in art, music, and spirituality centered on the beauty of Christ and the Virgin Mary as well as all of creation. This is a continuation of his series on Franciscan spirituality and the subsection, “Theology of Art,” emphasizing the place of Art in Franciscan understanding and how it should lead us to God.

Francis sent his friars into the world to sing a new song of love about Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Notable Franciscan poets like Blessed Thomas of Celano, Julian of Speyer, and St. Bonaventure shared this mystical message. Jacopone da Todi and St. Bernardine of Siena brought this to the highest forms of expression.

Artists like Cimabue and Giotto began a shift in art during the Franciscan period, moving away from cold and static Byzantine styles to more soulful and spiritual expressions. The life of Christ and St. Francis inspired many artists, including Giotto, Lorenzetti, and Giovanni Bellini. The Della Robbia family and other artists also contributed to this rich tradition in various forms of art like mosaics and stained glass.

Franciscans influenced not only painting but also sculpture, architecture, and music. The basilicas took on the cruciform shape of the tau, symbolizing spiritual crucifixion. Gothic art flourished with a focus on Christ as the triumphant king. Music played a vital role in devotion, with friars like Roger Bacon and later composers reanimating churches and ceremonies.

A scholar once called St. Francis the father of the Italian Renaissance, recognizing his influence on art and life. His spirituality centered on Christ, the ideal of infinite beauty. Let us ask Our Lady for the grace to appreciate beauty in life and art, seeing Jesus as the ultimate masterpiece.

Here is a list all the artists mentioned with wiki links to some of their art:

Thomas of Celano – Francis’ biographer – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_of_Celano
Julian of Speyer – Another biographer of St. Francis – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_of_Speyer
St. Bonaventure – Franciscan theologian and biographer – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonaventure
Ugo Panziera – Franciscan theologian and poet – https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugo_Panziera
Giacomino of Verona – Franciscan poet – https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giacomino_da_Verona
Raymond Lull – Franciscan poet and philosopher – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramon_Llull
Dante Alighieri – Famous third-order Franciscan poet – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri
Charles of Sezze – Franciscan saint and poet – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_of_Sezze
Jacopone da Todi – Franciscan poet – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacopone_da_Todi
Bernardine of Siena – Franciscan saint and preacher – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardine_of_Siena
Cimabue – Italian painter and forerunner of the Renaissance – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimabue
Giotto di Bondone – Italian painter and architect – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giotto
Ambrogio Lorenzetti – Italian painter – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrogio_Lorenzetti
Gentile da Fabriano – Italian painter – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentile_da_Fabriano
Benedetto Bonfigli – Italian painter – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedetto_Bonfigli
Niccolò Alunno – Italian painter also known as Niccolò di Liberatore – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_di_Liberatore
Benozzo Gozzoli – Italian painter – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benozzo_Gozzoli
Domenico Ghirlandaio – Italian painter – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domenico_Ghirlandaio
Giovanni Bellini – Italian Renaissance painter – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Bellini
Luca della Robbia – Italian sculptor and ceramist – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luca_della_Robbia
Roger Bacon – English friar and scholar – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Bacon
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina – Renaissance composer – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Pierluigi_da_Palestrina
Stanislao Soporta – Conventual friar and composer – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislao_Sopra
Giovanni Battista Martini – Italian composer and music theorist – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Martini
Stanislao Mattei – Italian composer and music theorist – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislao_Mattei

This is a continuation of his series of homilies on Franciscan Spirituality – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNN151zTIO4&list=PLejh_e0-LN4xgMllKrzSasL2Hljd5BHom
and the subsection “Theology of Art.”

The material for this series comes primarily from Ciccarelli, Marciano M., “I capisaldi della spiritualità francescana” in Italian, which translates as “The Cornerstones of Franciscan Spirituality.” No English translations of this book exist at the time of this recording.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Peter Chrysologus – Opt Mem – http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=464
Readings: Tuesday in the 17th Week in Ordinary Time – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/073024.cfm
1st: jer 14:17-22
Resp: psa 79:8, 9, 11, 13
Gsp: mat 13:35-43

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1118&r=898

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