Entry of Saint Francis with Palms

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The Entry of Saint Francis with Palms. Esteban Márquez de Velasco (attributed), 1694. Oil on canvas — Museo Regional de Guadalajara, Mexico

This large-scale painting depicts a remarkable episode from the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, traditionally dated to 1224, shortly after he received the stigmata on Mount La Verna. Because the wounds caused him considerable pain and made walking difficult, Francis travelled on a small donkey. According to Franciscan accounts, as he passed through the surrounding villages, people came out to welcome him with palm and olive branches, greeting him with joy and reverence. The scene is conceived as a parallel to Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, presenting Francis as a saint whose life had become profoundly conformed to the Passion of Christ. Continue reading after advertisement

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At the center of the composition, Francis rides the donkey with his right hand raised in blessing, while a procession of Franciscan friars follows behind him, carrying long palm branches. The saint's stigmata, visible on his hand, identify him as the recipient of the wounds of Christ and reinforce the spiritual meaning of the episode. Ahead of him, a crowd gathers to welcome the procession. Several people kneel and spread richly colored fabrics along the route, while flowers and palm branches are scattered across the ground. These gestures recall the honors offered to Christ at Jerusalem, transforming the arrival of the humble Franciscan friar into a solemn and joyful reception. The surrounding figures, including women and children, contribute to the sense of a whole community participating in the event. Continue reading after advertisement

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The painting belongs to a series illustrating episodes from the life of Saint Francis, originally commissioned in 1694 for the Franciscan convent of Guadalajara. The collection was once traditionally attributed to the celebrated Sevillian painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, but subsequent research has questioned this attribution. A doctoral study by art historian Adriana Cruz Lara Silva proposes Esteban Márquez de Velasco as the painter responsible for the series. The cycle is particularly interesting for its presentation of Francis's life through parallels with the life of Christ. Here, the reception of Francis with palms becomes more than a celebration of the saint: it is a visual affirmation of his conformity to Christ, whose Passion he came to bear in his own body through the stigmata. 

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This image is a public domain image, which means either that copyright has expired in the image or the copyright holder has waived their copyright. Franciscan Gallery charges for the access to high resolution copy of the image. Manually restoration was necessary in order to improve quality, without covering the original image.