"The Final Seal". The Stigmata of St. Francis at La Verna from the collections of the Gallerie degli Uffizi

To mark the Feast of St. Francis, Italy's patron saint, on 4 October, the Gallerie degli Uffizi and the Pinacoteca Comunale di Castiglion Fiorentino are "trading" two important paintings depicting the episode of the Stigmata, which Dante calls "the final seal" (Paradise XI:107)

In the context of the exhibition entitled "The Final Seal. St. Francis' Stigmata in La Verna from the collections of the Gallerie degli Uffizi" in Castiglion Fiorentino (2 October 2021 – 6 January 2022), the Uffizi is loaning St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, a masterpiece painted by Ludovico Cardi, known as Cigoli, in 1596. The exhibition has chosen to focus on the figure of the saint, underscoring the unbreakable bond between the site and the theme, because Castiglion Fiorentino is a stone's throw from the Sanctuary of La Verna, one of Christianity's most famous sites and certainly one of the most important in St. Francis' life, for it was here on the slopes of Monte Penna that he received the Stigmata, an event that was to inspire countless works of art over the centuries.

In return for the loan from the Uffizi, the Pinacoteca Comunale di Castiglion Fiorentino is sending the Florentine gallery one of the most valuable pieces in its collection,  "its" version of St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata painted by Bartolomeo della Gatta in 1487.