According to tradition, on 14 September 1224, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Saint Francis was keeping a forty-day fast on Mount Alvernia (La Verna in Tuscany) in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel.
- During prayer he received a seraphic vision: a Seraph appeared to him, bearing the form of the Crucified Christ.
- From this mystery Francis felt both an indescribable sweetness and a piercing sorrow: a perfect union of love and compassion with Christ.
- From that moment, the wounds of the Lord were impressed upon his body: the marks of the nails in his hands and feet, and an open wound in his side that bled.
The earliest testimony comes from the letter of Brother Elias (the Vicar General of the Order) in 1224, announcing the miracle. Later hagiographers, such as Thomas of Celano in the First and Second Life, and St. Bonaventure in the Legenda Maior, offered fuller accounts.
II. Theological Significance
The stigmata of Saint Francis have been understood as:
- A singular conformity to the Crucified: the perfect image of the disciple of Christ, transformed not only in soul but also in body.
- A witness of charity: the seraphic love that enflamed Francis’ heart was made manifest in his very flesh.
- A pledge of glory: echoing the Apostle’s words, “I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus in my body” (Galatians 6:17).
The Church has recognized this miracle as unique: Francis is the first man in history to bear the stigmata of the Passion corporally.
III. In the Cult of the Church
- The Feast of the Impression of the Stigmata of St. Francis was granted by Pope Sixtus IV in 1482, celebrated on 17 September.
- In the traditional Roman Missal and Breviary there are proper Offices and a Mass for the day.
- Sacred art frequently depicts the event: Francis in contemplation, before him the seraphic Crucifix, rays of fire descending to impress the wounds.
📖 A Meditation for the Faithful
The stigmata teach us that all Christians are called to an interior configuration to Christ crucified. Not all receive visible marks, but all are invited to bear the spiritual stigmata—a life of patient endurance, sacrificial love, and union with Jesus in His Passion.