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What is the subject of Giotto’s St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata?
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Giotto
Lamentation, fresco by Giotto, 1303–05; in the Arena Chapel, Padua, Italy.
In Giotto’s fresco St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, the subject is the moment St. Francis of Assisi experiences a divine vision of a six-winged angel and a crucified figure.1
Following this apparition, Francis received the stigmata—the physical marks corresponding to the wounds of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. In the painting, Giotto depicts rays of light emanating from the vision toward the saint’s hands and feet, set against a glowing, rocky landscape.12