San Francesco

San Francesco, Assisi - Lower Church
Chapel of San Martino (St Martin)
This, perhaps the finest of all the chapels, was paid for by the apparently rather well to do Franciscan (!) Gentile Partino da Montefiore, a Cardinal from Rome. The dedication matched his own church in Rome, San Martino ai Monti, one of Rome’s oldest churches. His intention, it seems, was that this chapel would be his final resting place, but this didn’t happen - the chapel probably wasn’t ready when he died in 1312 and he ended up in the chapel of Santo Stefano, (then dedicated to St. Louis of Toulouse), which he had also paid for. The chapel was originally linked to the chapel of San Sebastiano: the sealed entrance can be seen in the photograph on the right below.


The frescoes showing the life of St Martin of tours are attributed to Simone Martini, and are considered his finest work.
*St. Martin gives his cloak to a poor man at the door of Amiens.*		*Christ appears to St Martin in a dream holding the donated cloak*		*St Martin is knighted by Emperor Julian*
*St. Martin renounces his weapons and confronts the enemy armed only with a cross.*		*St. Martin brings back to life a young girl in Chartres.*		*St. Martin, deep in meditation, is shaken by an altar boy for the celebration of the Mass.*
*Miracle of the angels while St. Martin celebrates Mass in Albegna.*		*The Miracle of the Fire*		*The Death of St. Martin.*
*The funeral rites in the presence of St. Ambrose.*
An aside - The miracle of the fire Another strange legend. Martin turned up at Emperor Valentinian's palace to ask for a favour, but the emperor was not feeling charitable and would not see him - until a miraculous fire arrived. the Golden Legend tells the tale: So on a time St. Martin went to Valentinian the emperor for a certain necessity, and the emperor knew well that he would require such thing as he would not give to him, and Martin came twice to have entered, but he might not enter. Then he wrapped him in hair and cast ashes on him, and made his flesh lean of a whole week by fastings, and did great abstinence, and then the angel warned him to go to the palace and no man should gainsay him. And then he went to the emperor, and when he saw him he was angry because he was let come in, and would not arise against him till that the fire entered into his chamber, and felt the fire behind him. Then he arose all angry and confessed that he had felt the virtue divine, and began to embrace S. Martin, and granted to him all that he desired, and offered to him many gifts, but he refused and took none. It would be useful to have St. Martin around when certain present day intransigent world leaders needed dealing with.
The saints Under the entrance arch are images of saints. It is thought that the image of St Louis of Toulouse was a true up-to-the minute addition, being included in 1317 to mark his canonisation.
*St Louis of France and St Louis of Toulouse*	*St Anthony of Padua and St Francis*		*St Mary Magdalen and St Catherine of Alexandria*		*St Clare and St Elizabeth of Hungary*
Stained Glass the stained glass is contemporary with the frescoes and is considered to be based on designs by Martini. they show images of saints. This is the left hand window.


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