Secular Franciscan Artists

In his wonderful series Catholicism, Bishop Robert Barron used great works of art and architecture to help explore and explain our faith.

Franciscans have a long history in the arts. St. Francis himself was a “troubadour,” and his poetry is among the first written in vernacular Italian. His followers followed his lead in the art – including a number of Secular Franciscans. We have writers such as Dante and St. Thomas More. We have musicians such as Charles Gounod, Franz Liszt, and John Michael Talbot.

In terms of painting and sculpture, Secular Franciscans can claim some familiar names.

The most famous of these is Michelangelo Buonarroti. The Pieta is above, and here is his The Crucifixion of St. Peter.

Another familiar name is Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino). This Secular Franciscan gave us many beautiful paintings, such as The Hill of Calvary (below):

A third familiar name is Giotto (Giotto di Bondone), who gave us such works as St. Francis Preaching to the Birds.

There are other Secular Franciscans involved in the arts who are perhaps less well known. But they all follow the example of St. Francis in seeing and celebrating the beauty in God’s creation.

Pax et bonum