It was while praying before a painted cross at the church of San Damiano that St. Francis was called by Christ in a vision to “Go and repair my house”—a commission that launched the Franciscan movement to work for renewal in the Church. This cross suggests elements of the San Damiano cross, and is further inspired by a style of cross that became popular in Franciscan communities shortly after the death of St. Francis in 1226.  Mary and John grieve as witnesses to the Crucifixion. A Seraph stands guard even as the heavens marvel at this event. And St. Francis kneels in adoration of the healing wounds of Christ while the flowing blood symbolically cleanses the bones of Adam, whose burial site was said to be at the Place of the Skull.

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Tempera and gold leaf on wood; 24"x36"; 2018.

Church of the Holy Trinity, New York. https://www.holytrinity-nyc.org/franciscan-icon
 

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