Christian followers of Saint Francis of Assisi offer advice as he meets the Muslim Sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade: detail of circa 1380 Life of St Francis fresco cycle by Sienese School painting partners Cristoforo di Bindoccio and Meo di Piero in the Chiesa di San Francesco or Church of St Francis at Pienza, Val d’Orcia, Tuscany, Italy.
Pienza, Val d’Orcia, Tuscany, Italy: Saint Francis of Assisi is advised by his followers as he meets an Islamic Sultan while Christian Crusaders besiege an Egyptian port city in 1219: detail of a Life of St Francis fresco cycle painted circa 1380 AD by two Sienese School artists who mostly worked together. The Late Gothic panel by Cristoforo di Bindoccio and Meo di Piero in the apse of the Chiesa di San Francesco depicts an incident during the Fifth Crusade Christian siege of Damietta. The Muslim defenders were led by the Ayyubid overall ruler of Egypt, Palestine and Syria, Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil. According to legend - backed by some historical evidence - Francis, hoping to end the crusades, crossed enemy lines outside Damietta to gain an audience with the Sultan. The pair discussed war, peace and faith and the meeting ended with the Sultan giving Francis gifts. Afterwards, Francis proposed that members of his Order of Friars Minor should live peaceably among followers of Islam. This scene was painted during the fruitful late-1300s and early-1400s artistic partnership between Cristoforo di Bindoccio, also known as Maestro Bindoccio and Cristofano Malabarba or Malombra, and Meo di Piero or di Pero. Their legacy includes artworks in many central Italian churches, monasteries and other places of worship. The scene was also depicted by Late Medieval or Early Renaissance artists such as Giotto di Bondone, Taddeo di Bartolo and Taddeo Gaddi. Pienza’s 13th century Franciscan church has a gabled facade and a Gothic portal. The village, originally called Corsignano, was renamed by Enea Silvio Piccolomini, born here in 1405, who became Pope Pius II in 1458. Corsignano became Pienza (city of Pius), rebuilt with new palaces and a cathedral as a Renaissance papal retreat from Rome. The redesign was one of modern Europe’s first city planning projects.
Size: 3795px × 2520px
Location: Pienza, Val d’Orcia, Tuscany, Italy.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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