St. Francis of Assisi’s ‘Canticle of the Creatures’ turns 800
Vatican news
For the first time, the oldest copy of the “Canticle of the Creatures” by Saint Francis of Assisi is exhibited in Rome on the occasion of the 8th centenary of its composition in 1224.
By Kielce Gussie
The oldest copy of St. Francis of Assisi’s best-known text, the Canticle of the Creatures, is on display at the Museum of Rome. Museum of Rome from October 2 to January 6, 2025. On the occasion of the 800th anniversary of its composition, 93 books and works from the Library of Assisi are brought together in the Eternal City.
A look at the past
The exhibition is dedicated to the famous text. However, the exhibition’s curator, Dr. Paolo Capitanucci, says it has another underlying objective: to highlight “how, over the centuries, the Franciscans, inspired by St. Francis and his Canticle, also engaged in disciplines that we consider scientific today. »
The poetic text was written by the founder of the Franciscan Order and dates back to 1224.
The nine sections of the exhibition include disciplines such as mathematics, medicine, minerals and geography. It is designed to imitate a tree whose, says Dr. Capitanucci, “the roots represent the inspiration of the Song, the trunk symbolizes the philosophical and theological disciplines taught in medieval universities and the branches represent the different sciences.”
The Song of the Creatures
The poetic text was written by the founder of the Franciscan Order and dates back to 1224, two years before his death. It is one of the oldest texts in Italian literature. The Song consists of 23 verses dedicated to different parts of creation, such as the sun and the moon, the wind and the water.
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