Capela das Almas: St. Francis Preaching to the Birds and the Miracle of the Spring

St. Francis Preaching to the Birds and Miracle of the Spring
Located on the left section of the lateral wall of Capela das Almas, this azulejo panel contains two stories: a small oval-shaped cartouche at the top depicting St. Francis Preaching to the Birds, and a larger panel below illustrating the Miracle of the Spring.

St. Francis Preaching to the Birds
As seen in the cartouche at the top, St. Francis stands in an outdoor setting surrounded by trees, gesturing toward the birds flying around him as if he is preaching to them. Below him, a half-kneeling friar looks up at Francis with his hands folded in prayer.

This scene is based on one of the episodes narrated in the Fioretti (“Little Flowers of St. Francis”), a collection of legends about St. Francis that includes stories illustrating his love for the natural world. Although no inscription accompanies the scene, the iconography is unmistakable.
The Miracle of the Spring
The larger panel carries the inscription “O jacto milagroso de uma fonte” (“The miraculous jet of a spring”), identifying the scene as the Miracle of the Spring. The composition is based on Giotto’s fresco of the same subject, part of his Legend of St. Francis cycle painted between 1297 and 1300 in the Upper Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, a landmark work of the Proto-Renaissance.

According to one legend, St. Francis was traveling toward La Verna with a poor man who had lent him a donkey. The man became extremely thirsty, and Francis prayed; water then miraculously sprang from the rock, allowing the man to drink.

As seen in the image, Francis kneels in prayer on rocky, mountainous terrain. Below him, a thirsty traveler is on all fours, drinking from the water miraculously flowing from the rocks. Giotto also depicts the man drinking directly from the spring in essentially the same posture as in this azulejo panel.

The two figures beside Francis are his companion friars, witnessing the miracle. Above, a reclining figure appears among the clouds with one arm extended toward Francis, accompanied by a small winged cherub, appears to witness the scene.

According to another legend, Francis was traveling through the countryside with his companion friars when he came upon a group of reapers, exhausted and thirsty from working under the scorching summer sun. Moved by compassion, he struck the dry ground, and a jet of fresh water miraculously gushed out for them to drink. The site associated with this tradition is known today as Fonte di San Francesco, later also called San Francescuccio, near Bastia Umbra in Italy.

Explore more about Capela das Almas
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– Capela das Almas: Two Saints, One Building
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– Capela das Almas: Azulejo-Covered Façade and Lateral Wall
– Capela das Almas de Santa Catarina: Official Plaque Placed by Porto City Council
Life of St. Francis of Assisi
– Capela das Almas: St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata
– Capela das Almas: St. Francis Embracing Christ on the Cross
– Capela das Almas: St. Francis Preaching Before Pope Honorius III
– Capela das Almas: St. Francis Preaching to the Birds and the Miracle of the Spring
– Capela das Almas: The Death of St. Francis of Assisi
Life of St. Catherine of Alexandria
– Capela das Almas: The Mystical Marriage of St. Catherine
– Capela das Almas: The Martyrdom of St. Catherine of Alexandria
– Capela das Almas: Debate, Victory, and Martyrdom — The Story of St. Catherine

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