Description
The Approval of the Franciscan Rule occupies the upper register of the right wall of the Bardi Chapel and corresponds, in the horizontal reading of the cycle, to the Renunciation of Worldly Goods opposite. Giotto shows Saint Francis kneeling before Pope Innocent III, accompanied by twelve friars, as he presents the first rule of life of the fraternity. The composition is organized with strong hierarchical clarity. The pope occupies an elevated and central position within the ecclesiastical group, while Francis and his companions kneel in humility and obedience.
The scene visually expresses the integration of the Franciscan movement within the authority of the Church. One of the most effective contrasts is that between the friars' simple habits and the rich vestments of the pope and surrounding clergy.
