St Francis cloister and Stefano Lemmi’ s cycle

In the middle of the XV century, St. Francis Church and Convent were radically restored, in consequence of their change of ownership to the Observants and it was built the cloister that can be seen nowadays.
The ambulatories are regularly marked by plastered brick pillars, similar to the ones of other cloisters built in the same period, for example the one of the Convent of Levanto.

At the beginning of the XVII century the lunettes of the ambulatories contained a cycle of Stories of St. Francis’ life of unknown author. Some pieces have been recovered after a recent restoration; at the end of the XVII century the same lunettes were used again for a new cycle, made by Stefano Lemmi from Fivizzano who since the beginning was bound to the Franciscan clients.

Of this cycle survive only the episods relating the childhood and youth of the Saint and the ones relating the funeral rites and post-mortem miracles.

The cycle ends with the episode in which Niccolò V preys on St Francis’ grave, a clear homage to the Pope.

Each lunette was given by a family of Sarzana, as the coats of arms and the name written on the cartouches show.

Text of Piero Donati