Description
Saint Francis Appears at the Chapter of Arles occupies the middle register of the left wall of the Bardi Chapel. The scene represents the episode related by Saint Bonaventure in which Francis, physically absent, miraculously appears before friars gathered in chapter while Saint Anthony of Padua is preaching. Giotto sets the event within an open architectural structure divided by columns into three bays. This framework organizes the composition with exceptional clarity and allows the friars to be arranged on either side of the central figure of Francis, who stands with his arms extended.
Saint Francis dominates the image through his central and frontal position. His outstretched arms evoke the form of the cross and reinforce the parallel between Francis and Christ, one of the principal themes of the Bardi Chapel program.
