Assisi, Italy

The grandiose, gorgeously embellished Basilica di San Francesco (Basilica of St. Francis) in Assisi is a rather incongruous memorial to a man who preached and lived a simple life of poverty, abstinence, and renunciation of worldly goods in search of greater spirituality.Assisi

Inside the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi – its priceless frescos are a major tourist attraction.

Norman MacCaig’s “Assisi” poem was published in 1966

The dwarf with his hands on backwards sat, slumped like a half-filled sack on tiny twisted legs from which sawdust might run, outside the three tiers of churches built in honour of St Francis Half a human being? Elaborate churches cost a lot to maintain Juxtaposition – the deformed, poor man and the beautiful, rich church – each highlight each other’s ugliness/beauty, weakness/strength? Solid?

MacCaig’s description of the man is negative and harsh. What is our reaction to the disabled/deformed? Do we look/stare? Do we turn away? Are we repulsed? MacCaig is forcing us look. How will we respond?

The dwarf is outside the church What other people are outsiders?

outside the three tiers of churches built in honour of St Francis, brother of the poor, talker with birds, over whom he had the advantage of not being dead yet. Half a human being Nothing to offer Suggestion that he is near to death

St Francis is the patron saint of animals and the environment. He was born and worked around Assisi. He is known for following Jesus’s example and helping the poor and outcast.

St. Francis was born at Assisi in He was the son of a rich merchant. After a care-free youth of fine clothes, partying and brawling, he turned his back on inherited wealth and committed himself to God. He then lived a very simple life of poverty. He gave up his shoes and fine clothes and became like the people he wanted to serve. He begged, preached and built shelters and places of worship for the poor.

People with the contagious nerve/skin disease leprosy (which caused disfigurement and loss of limbs) were outcasts from society. People would not touch lepers. Francis looked after them.

Francis led a group of followers which became the Franciscan order of monks which still exists today. The monks wear simple brown robes tied with rope and dedicate their lives to helping the poor.

In a vision, God told Francis to “Go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins". Francis thought this to mean the ruined church in which he was praying, and so sold his horse and some cloth from his father's store, to assist the church priest there for this purpose. However, Francis also attended to looking after poor peope who make up the the Church.

The simple church Francis and this followers built and lived in is now inside a far grander basilica/church and is elaborately decorated.

Brother Francis suffered stigmata – open wounds associated with the suffering of Jesus on the cross.

Francis was such a gentle soul that when he preached the birds would not fly away but would listen to his words. Brother Francis died in 1226 aged 44. Two years later the pope cannonised Brother Francis naming him a saint. Elaborate churches around the world are dedicated to his example and memory. San Francisco is named after St Francis of Assisi.

St Francis’s prayer sums up what it means to be a Christian - to seek to give, and in so doing, receive blessings. The Lord's Prayer asks God to forgive us as we forgive, and that the goal of eternal life can only result from us putting to death our old sinful lives.Lord's Prayer

St Francis’s Peace Prayer Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy;.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi Founded the Franciscan Order Saw God in the natural world Live a simple life of poverty Preached to people in their own language Renaissance humanism based on Franciscan ideals

The artist Giotto c decorated the Upper Church in Assisi. His paintings show the life and example of Jesus and also the life of St Francis. People consider his art work and frescos to be priceless masterpieces. how clever it was of Giotto to make his frescoes tell stories that would reveal to the illiterate the goodness of God and the suffering of His Son.

Fresco technique “FRESH” Cover wall with layer of rough plaster Allow to dry thoroughly Artist makes preliminary drawing in charcoal called a cartoon on the surface Thin layer of wet lime plaster is applied Pigment mixed with water is painted on the wet plaster Selected area must be done in one day Sections must be knocked out to redo Quick work/ often bold or sketchy in appearance

Giotto’s Frescos

St. Francis of Assisi Chapel, c Fresco cycle attributed to Giotto Master of fresco work

Giotto’s Assisi Series preaching to the birds, rejecting his father’s riches pouring water from a rock for another father

Christ’s Entry Into Jerusalem Giotto’s fresco versus Duccio’s tempera on wood….. Which is more detailed?

Brother Francis gives his cloak to a poor man.

When Francis' rich merchant father accuses his son of squandering his fortune by giving to the poor, Francis returns to him even the clothes he is wearing and repudiates him.

Fresco painting of Francis ‘marrying’ Poverty by the artist Giotto.

Brother Francis preaches to the birds. They listen to his gentle voice.

Giotto di Bondone ( ), Basilique Assise, Legend of St Francis, Stigmatization of St Francis

Giotto’s frescos highlight the similarities between Jesus and St Francis. Both were poor and helped others.

Giotto’s portrayal of the Last Supper

A priest explained how clever it was of Giotto to make his frescoes tell stories that would reveal to the illiterate the goodness of God and the suffering of His Son. Before people could read, paintings were used to tell them about the stories in the Bible. Organised religion can be a method of controlling poor people (suffering in this world will mean reward in heaven - so work hard) and sometimes this was abused by the Church and the rich.

The Priest is acting like a Tourist Guide showing off the paintings.

I understood the explanation and the cleverness. What does the cynical narrator understand?

Tourists bring in money to help maintain the church buildings. They buy candles, postcards, trinkets,books and icons and donate money.

A rush of tourists, clucked contentedly, fluttered after him as he scattered the grain of the Word. Busy unthinking tourists clicking their cameras accept what the priest tells them. They have ‘done’ Assisi and St Francis and tomorrow will ‘do’ another tourist hotspot such as Rome or Venice. They have not had a spiritual experience – they do not realy understand. alliteration Extended metaphor about birds being fed.

It was they who passed the ruined temple outside, whose eyes wept pus, whose back was higher than his head, whose lopsided mouth said Grazie in a voice as sweet as a child's when she speaks to her mother or a bird's when it spoke to St Francis.

Who is the ruined temple? The deformed disabled, half-dead dwarf? Or is it really The deformed half dead religion which doesn’t follow the example of Jesus and St Francis?

MacCaig lists more of the dwarf’s disabilities again to force us to look.

What is the dwarf really like? Sweet innocent voice saying “thank you” to people who ignore him or an ugly drain on society? What is more important – Priceless works of art/expensive churches or real live people? Can material possessions talk/feel/respond to others and God?

What should the tourist guide priest really be doing? What does the priest represent? What do the tourists repesent? What does the dwarf represent?

Biblical Allusion/References The priest “scattered the grain of the Word” – gave little bits of information about Bible stories. Perhaps a reference to Jesus’s parable (story with a message) of the sower/farmer and the seed.

In Jesus’s parable the farmer sows seed in four different kinds of soil

Jesus told a story, called a parable, about four kinds of soil. A farmer went out to his fields to plant seeds. Some of the seeds fell on top of the ground, and the birds came along and ate them up. Some of the seeds grew in the rocky soil, and they sprouted up quickly but died in the heat of the sun. Some of the seeds tried to grow where there were weeds, and, of course, they didn't grow very well. Then there were some seeds that fell in the good soil, and they grew strong and tall, and there was a lot of grain that came from them.

Jesus told what the parable means. He said that the different types of soil are like different types of people, and the seed is like the Bible or the Word of God. When some people hear the Word of God, they don't even try to listen or understand. The devil takes the Word of God away from them and makes them forget, just like the birds ate the seed that fell on the top of the ground. Some people are like the rocky soil. They hear the Word of God and want to do right, but they soon give up. Other people want to listen to the Word of God, and they try to remember to obey the Bible and do the right things, but other things are more interesting to them. Like weeds growing in the garden, they have too many other activities to take their time. So, they learn a little about God and His Word, but they don't grow very strong.

Then there are the people who are like the good soil. They hear God's Word, and they work hard to understand it. They want to obey God, and they keep on trying to learn more so they can grow strong enough to tell other people all about Him. They follow Jesus’s example and help others.

What is MacCaig saying about the Priest/organised religion/the Church? Is MacCaig criticising the Christianity or the hypocrisy of organised religion? It is ironic that the priest does not understand.

Biblical Allusion/References The dwarf’s “eyes wept pus” Why is he crying as people pass him by? “Jesus wept” – This is the shortest verse in the Bible. Jesus wept before he raised Lazarus from the dead. He was crying for humanity, their suffering and for the fact that his followers still did not understand that he could triumph over suffering.

The dwarf is being compared to Jesus and to St Francis. St Francis was a poor beggar with a good soul. Jesus wept for humanity and for those who did not understand.

Biblical Allusion/References The Bible has many references to temples falling down and being destroyed and ruined. What we build up can easily be destroyed. Treasures and Material possessions are worth nothing.

Biblical Allusion/References The reference to birds refer to St Francis’s kindness towards birds but also to Jesus saying that birds do not have much monetary value but God knows when one of them dies. God also knows the number of hairs on every individual’s head. What is this saying about God?

MacCaig wants you to look, see, hear and understand Living creatures are God’s work and more valuable and wonderful than any man made goods. The little beggar is priceless and should be treated well.

Show me the Money Where is the Love? Think about other people’s lives. How have they ended up where they are?

In 1997, long after MacCaig wrote “Assisi” An earthquake caused serious damage to the churches in Assisi.

Earthquake: Assisi in mourning as quake shatters Basilica of St Francis Saturday, 27 September 1997 The hill town of Assisi was plunged into mourning yesterday as a series of earthquakes brought down part of the fresco-lined walls of the Basilica dedicated to St Francis. One of Italy's greatest artworks, Giotto's frescos of the life of the saint in the Upper Church of the Basilica, was severely damaged. The tremors wreaked havoc all over the region's verdant hills and low mountains. Mountain villages on the border between Umbria and the Marches were left stranded and at least nine people were reported dead - most of them old people trapped under the debris of their homes. 400,000 people lost their homes.

Sunday, 28 November, 1999, 18:09 GMT Assisi Basilica reopens The restoration has taken priority over rebuilding homes for local people The Basilica of St Francis in Assisi has reopened its doors to the public for the first time since its roof collapsed during an earthquake in September The restoration and reconstruction of the 700-year-old complex cost $50m. Despite general admiration for the quality of the work, its cost has caused some bitterness in the region, where thousands are still living in trailer camps, unable to return to their homes.

Beggars – Should we give them money ? Discursive Essay List all the reasons for/pros List all the reasons against/cons Write down your considered opinion Use the Discursive Writing Frame.

Images of Beggars The deserving poor versus the undeserving poor. Who judges which is which?

Pieter BRUEGEL the Elder (Breughel[?], circa 1525-Brussels, 1569) The Beggars 1568 © Musée du Louvre/A. Dequier - M. Bard

Glaswegian beggar/addict?

Deserving?

Romanian beggars in gang effort to get cash 02 July 2007 GANGS of professional beggars from Romania are pleading for cash on the city's streets - after being dropped off for "work" in cars and vans. Police are growing increasingly concerned about the gangs, spotted in Edinburgh city centre, the Southside and Leith in recent days. Carrying identical messages written on pieces of cardboard, the mainly women beggars claim to have children to feed and no money. Most of the money they collect is believed to be sent back to Romania. But there are concerns that many of the beggars have been brought to the country under false pretences by criminal gangs and may be working under duress.

Beggars in Rome She was invisible until she suddenly lurched towards us from the shadows at the side of the street. Her face is completely hidden under her hood, and she walks uncertainly so she could be blind, or her face could be eaten away with leprosy. She has a walking stick and limps, so she could be lame. She's dressed in black rags, so she could be a poor widow. Her voice is an almost inaudible hiss, so she's probably terribly ill. Her hands are wrinkled and she walks with a stoop, so she must be incredibly old. She hobbles straight up to you and shoves the begging-bowl right in your face! And I would like to believe her - But it's difficult, for unfortunately, she is just one of hundreds of such characters who buzz like flies round Rome's tourist-congested city-centre.

A Scottish man hands out fake £20 to beggars with directions to the job centre.

Ian Wilson has told how he dishes out fake £20 notes to street beggars in Glasgow and Paisley — with directions to their nearest jobcentre. He hands out the toy cash which he folds up to cover the photocopied maps. And as homeless charities branded his antics “cruel”, Ian vowed to keep up his campaign against cadging. He said: “Why sit on a cold street in winter holding up a piece of cardboard saying they are homeless when they could be looking for a job? They get all these benefits and yet they still have the cheek to just sit there in the street and beg for more money. Cheeky Beggar?

Lisbon