Imago ut verbum Dei: Applying medieval biblical exegesis to the facade and counter-facade of the basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi

This dissertation examines the major elements of the basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi. While the first purpose of the basilica was as a tomb for St. Francis, the function was expanded to incorporate didactic and devotional messages for the pilgrim/worshippers, expressed visually with a vast program of fresco cycles and other decorative elements, accompanied by a limited number of texts. The project of the dissertation was to understand why and how the parts were put together and what meaning they had after they were assembled.;The dissertation begins with a statement of the project at hand, the intellectual plan of study to be followed, and its importance for an understanding of the theological ideology behind the building plan (chapter 1). After examining the development of the architecture and decoration of the basilica (chapter 2) and the literary sources for the life of Francis (chapter 3), this dissertation explores medieval exegesis, paying particular attention to Saint Bonaventure's (+1274) methodology (chapter 4). The history, hagiography and hermeneutics of the Franciscan tradition form the basis for demonstrating how Bonaventure's biblical exegesis can be used to understand the deeper meaning of the facade (chapter 5) and counter-facade (chapter 6) of the upper church.;The thesis of this dissertation is that the facade and counter facade, both in their portrayal of explicit scriptural themes and the life of Francis, reveal a polyvalent image portraying a unified "text." That text, as suggested by the protocol of medieval exegesis and the early documents of the Franciscan tradition, portrays the Word of God, or verbum Dei. In other words, as a sequence of interrelated narrative cycles, the mural decoration of the facade and counter-facade utilize biblical exegesis in order to show how the life and message of St. Francis are in accord with the history of salvation. Ultimately, since the decoration conveys various aspects of scripture, it must be interpreted through the scriptural hermeneutic from which they were created. By applying medieval biblical exegesis, this dissertation uncovers the literal and symbolic meaning of the facade and counter-facade with respect to the upper church of the basilica.