Simone Martini: St. Martin Fresco Cycle, Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi, Umbria

Chapel of St. Martin, Lower Basilica, Assisi, Umbria. Frescoes by Simone Martini

In a side chapel of the Lower Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi you will find a beautiful fresco cycle painted by Simone Martini depicting the life of Saint Martin. The story of Saint Martin has certain parallels with that of Saint Francis; both were soldiers who underwent a religious transformation and spoke up for society’s poorest members.

St. Martin is Knighted, Fresco by Simone Martini, Assisi, Umbria

Simone Martini painted the frescoes sometime between 1316 and the early years of the 1320’s. He was already famous for the Maesta in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena and designed the complete scheme for the Chapel of St. Martin, this included the frescoes, the stained glass and the marble floor.

St. Martin Gives Half His Cloak to a Beggar. Fresco by Simone Martini, Assisi

 

In the Upper Basilica, Giotto’s use of spatial composition had revolutionised art; he placed human figures within the picture and used limited perspective and shading. Simone Martini moved a stage further, filling his paintings with colourfully dressed people and using subtle variations in colour to show the effect of light and shadow.

The Chapel of St. Martin, Frescoed by Simone Martini, Assisi, Umbria

 

St Martin Renounces His Weapons. Simone Martini, Assisi, Umbria

Tuscany Villas Umbria Villas

Simone Martini’s St. Martin fresco cycle and the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi are are short drive from Gorgacce Rentals self-catering villas, farmhouses and apartments on the Tuscany Umbria border: Tuscany Villas, Umbria Villas.

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