Description
Saint Francis Appears to Brother Agostino and Bishop Guido of Assisi occupies the lower register of the right wall of the Bardi Chapel and closes the narrative cycle devoted to the saint. Giotto combines within a single pictorial field two events that Franciscan tradition places almost simultaneously with Francis's death. At the left, Brother Agostino sees the soul of Saint Francis ascending to heaven and communicates the vision to the friars around him.
The episode is conveyed through gestures of surprise, upward gazes and restrained movement, allowing the supernatural event to remain clear without disrupting the overall composure of the scene. At the right, Bishop Guido of Assisi lies in bed, immersed in the dream in which Francis appears to announce that he is leaving the world.
