When: closing on July 8, 2018
I think even people who are not Christian, or not religious at all, know something about St. Francis of Assisi. If nothing else, I think many people know of his association with animals. If I remember correctly, he was part of a wealthy family, who gave up his worldly possessions (of which there were many), in order to become a monk. What I had forgotten about is the fact that he received the stigmata, which means that the recipient bears the wounds suffered by Jesus on the cross.
Only very true believers receive these marks, so I always made sure to be at least a little bit bad growing up, just to be on the safe side. Now that I'm an adult, my skeptic-o-meter is turned up to 11 when it comes to stigmata, so I will make no statement about if or how St. Francis received these wounds. True or not, the story has been the focus of artistic renditions for centuries, and some examples are currently on display at the National Gallery.
St. Francis is said to have received his stigmata after a 40-day fast at a place called La Verna. He was accompanied by Brother Leo, who seems to have been a sort of "Sancho Panza" equivalent. The depiction of the actual event usually involves a floating cross with rays that come down and pierce St. Francis' skin. There are a variety of different media in use: woodcuts, paintings, drawings, and the works span several hundred years. One common feature I noticed was the presence of a skull - a memento mori, apparently.
Verdict: i can't advise a trip solely to see these works, but if you are interested in St. Francis or depictions of religious events generally, it's worth a look if you're in the National Gallery for another show.
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