The Depiction of Pope Innocent III in the Pictorial Narrative of the Legend of St. Francis

       In the Upper Church of San Francesco in Assisi, Italy, twenty-eight frescos circle the interior of the Church, revealing the life of St. Francis in accordance to St. Bonaventure. The latter describes the life and journey of the Saint through 97 stations, as an example to the faithful. Between the years 1297 and 1300, twenty eight of those stations were chosen and painted in the Church in Assisi. The pictorial narrative of the Legend of St. Francis pays homage to the Saint, while also showing the acclaimed status of the most influential medieval pope, namely Innocent III, who was depicted in two panels (numbers 6 and 7).
     Both frescos (mixing pigment with wet plaster on a wall) measure 270x230 cm and were painted by Florentine artist and sculpture Giotto Di Bondone between the years 1297 and 1299. They represent the story of Innocent III approving the Rule of St. Francis. It all began with a dream when Innocent III saw the Church of St. John Lateran (primary basilica of the Roan Pontiff)  collapsing on itself, only to be straightened back again by St. Francis. This convinced the Pope about St. Francis and the Franciscans community .
        The sixth panel is a depiction of that dream.  We see Pope Innocent III on the right, sleeping in a bed under an elaborate canopy, with servants at his side. To the left is the falling basilica, of which St. Francis is seen holding the weight of it all to keep it from collapsing. The falling of the Roman basilica also symbolizes the falling, yet surviving, Catholic Church, as it was a time when many heretics were attacking the church.

Giotto, Dream of Pope Innocent III

       The seventh panel is the events after the Pope's dream. It depicts the Pope confirming the Rule of the new Franciscan community. We see Innocent III on the right, seated in his papal robes and slightly elevated than everyone else, blessing the kneeling St. Peter and the Franciscans who surround him. The beautiful architecture of the interior represents wealth due to its marble ceiling, gold, and detailed tapestries.

Giotto, Confirmation of the Rule

     Artist and sculptor Giotto painted with amazing detail in his frescos and used architecture to create great perspective.  He brought liveliness to the works and truly respected the portrayals of Pope Innocent III and St. Francis.

Exterior of San Francesco Basilica

Interior of the Upper Church San Francesco Basilica

Sources:

"Legend of St. Francis: Frescoes by Giotto." Web Gallery of Art. http://www.wga.hu/html_m/g/giotto/assisi/upper/legend/

 Brother Juniper. "Rebuild My Church: The Dream of Pope Innocent." Wordpress. https://brotherjuniper.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/rebuild-my-church-the-dream-of-pope-innocent/

Getting Medieval with Pippin (the Musical)

 Stephen Schwartz, the author of the Broadway musical Pippin, relates that when he was a student at Carnegie Mellon  in 1967 he read a paragraph in a history textbook about Pippin, the son of Charlemagne who revolted against his dad, and thought: "wouldn't this make a great musical?"   I am normally a harsh critic of medieval film, but  I  enjoyed a viewing of Pippin at Central High School last weekend. Perhaps this is because the first thing that came into my mind was the 1970s! The medieval was a side note to the greater message about life and modern choices, so I worried less about inaccuracies like the psychedelic dancing, the groovy clothes, and beach balls! The fantastical Leading Performer who entices Pippin to seek new experiences in a Faustian sort of contract, the dream sequences, the neon gloves, and the disturbing ending put me at ease as a medievalist. Set within the early Middle Ages, this musical reflects the spirit of the 1970s.

The musical is set in the eighth century and depicts the odd relationship between Pippin and his father Charlemagne. Charlemagne is relatively care-free in his approach to fatherhood, even after his son murders him. Neat trick: Pippin revives Charlemagne using the too common trope of medieval magic after regretting his choice. Historically,  Charlemagne exiled Pippin in 792, sentencing him to a tonsured  monk's life at the Monastery of Prüm upon the discovery of the plot.

Many characters in the musical were actual historical actors. References to Visigoths, Huns, Frisians, and Valhalla are nice medieval links.   Charlemagne's mother, Bertha, makes an appearance, encouraging Pippin to have fun.  Charlemagne is depicted as a sex-hungry king--and his past wives such as Fastrada make an appearance. Interestingly, Pippin's mother is not mentioned  which raises the historical question of whether Pippin was legitimate, or born "before legal marriage," as Paul the Deacon described. The chronicler Einhard described Pippin as "handsome in face but hunchbacked" which the musical dismisses immediately as a false story. I didn't mind that there was sexual pleasure demonstrated with a hilarious "interruption" banner  spread across the stage, as the medieval world is often wrongly depicted as incapable of experiencing pleasure.

In the musical Religion was on the back burner.  Yet when depicted there was an interior appeal to God through prayer not frequently found in movies about the Middle Ages where religion is depicted as  greedy, superstitious, or  irrational.There was even a request for a miracle to save a pet duck. Falconry and swords added to the medieval feel. A song like "War is a Science" and work in the fields promoted the secular medieval atmosphere; rarely do films depict real work beyond a blacksmith or a servant so this was a delight. However, most of the costuming heads towards the world of circus, magic, or simplicity. And eighth-century Pippin could hardly have studied at university, which had not emerged yet (the University of Padua was founded in 1222).

It is common for popular culture to mock the lack of freedom in the medieval world, forgetting parliaments, the Magna Carta, and even the election of kings. At one point, Pippin finds himself  irritated by Charlemagne's authoritarian ways; he works with peasantry to find "freedom," promote "free speech,"  and overturn his father's "autocratic" rule. Of course, this is far different from the 792 revolt mentioned in Einhard's Life of Charlemagne, when Pippin aligned with Frankish nobility to ferment revolt, likely due to disinheritance. But in the musical after Pippin becomes king himself, and has to make the same tough choices, he realizes that ruling is not as simple as he had believed. Not everyone can be "free." Although this word was frequently used to describe the liberal arts in the Middle Ages, it was less rarely used to describe personal freedom before the thirteenth century. But I found this  reflection on what it meant to be a medieval ruler interesting. Rather than the usual "freedom" ala Braveheart or Disney, the musical presents a critique of peace and easy-going beliefs. Given that this musical emerged out of the 1970s, this critique surely was intentional and says more about American politics than the Middle Ages.

Overall, I give the musical "two swords up" for getting me to think more about the meaning of life and the choices that we make. The ending left me unsettled, featuring a boy who falls into the same trap of "seeking happiness," lulled by the calls of the Siren-esque circus performers (this new ending was added in 2013).   For a historian it offers a fascinating mix of two historical periods, the Middle Ages and the 1970s.  It made me feel empathy for Pippin and all the choices we must make in life. In the end, aren't we all Pippin?  When we can feel empathy for the past, history has a winning ticket.

Images were taken from Google Images; no photos were taken of the Central High School Production. 

           

The Holy Chapel: St. Chapelle

The St. Chapelle is a royal Gothic chapel located in Paris, France. Its construction started in 1239 and finished in 1248. It was appointed by St. Louis IX to hold all of his relics. Those relics included the Crown of Thorns, as well as the Image of Edessa. As far as architecture goes, this chapel has deep buttresses and vast windows, representative of the gothic style of architecture. The outside is rather simple compared to what one will encounter inside. This chapel was built as two chapels on top of each other. The upper level was used as a place of worship for the king and his family & friends. The relics were also housed in the upper level. The lower chapel was used as a place of worship for the palace staff. The lower level is decorated with fleur-de-lis.

Lower Level

Inside the upper level, places not filled with windows are filled with bright colors and decorations. It was originally painted much brighter than it is now. There are 12 enormous statues inside representing the 12 Apostles. But, the most amazing parts of the chapel are its stained glass windows. There are 15 panels of windows, plus a huge rose window that was added around 1490, as a gift from Charles VIII. These windows depict 1,113 different scenes, like the infancy of Christ and the Book of Genesis. If you look at the windows from left to right, they read like a book, telling the story of the beginning of mankind in Genesis to the Resurrection. The very last window recalls the story of how the Passion of Christ relics were acquired and brought back to the chapel.


Upper Level

Resources & Pictures:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Chapelle