St Francis by Carracci 1601

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In this work, St. Francis observes the magnificent appearance of Christ, the Virgin, Saint John the Baptist and a court of angels. He is commonly represented, begging for divine intercession to obtain indulgence for those who visit the hermitage, although some common iconographic elements do not appear, such as roses or the representation of the moment in which Francis lies over harmful branches.

In addition, the scene is set in a nocturnal exterior and not inside the hermitage, as it had been, and would continue to be later, as usual. On the other hand, the painting has been related to a drawing of the artist preserved in the Musée du Louvre in which the saint's gestures are more exaggerated, since he opens his arms instead of closing them on his chest, while Christ points to heaven and not towards the saint. In that sense, compared to the drawing, this painting invites to replicate the pious and concentrated attitude of Francis before the apparition, it is probable that Ludovico represented a vision of the many that the saint had.