Saint Francis and Gualdo Tadino share a rich and articulated history, from which the strength of the Saint’s teachings emerges; a particular but in some ways exemplary series of events. These events occur at multiple points in Francis’s life.
The first journey of Saint Francis to Gualdo occurred in his youth, when he was simply Francis, not yet known and renowned as he would later be. He arrived in the city to preach to the community of Gualdo, but, as reported by the sources, he did not receive a warm welcome; instead, he was considered a madman, a charlatan.
Francis was chased away amidst mockery and laughter, pursued by shouting boys who threw stones, sticks, sandals, and mud at him; this passage clearly conveys the idea of the very unwelcome treatment reserved for Francis by the inhabitants of the time.
Even in this brutal event, however, Francis demonstrated the power of the Franciscan message: on his way back, when he reached the Rasina river, at the borders of the then territory of Gualdo, Francis washed away the mud and rubbish that had been thrown at him, and then continued his journey of faith and patience, to bring his teachings elsewhere.
This seemingly purely negative event is instead an example of the perseverance of the Franciscan message and the intimate bond it had with Gualdo Tadino.
Years later, in 1212, Francis, by then much better known and respected, returned to Gualdo and received a completely different treatment. Not only was he welcomed with full honors, but the population fully embraced the Franciscan teaching, so much so that they allowed the Friars Minor to settle in Valdigorgo in 1219, founding their first monastery in the area. This event shows how the initial hostility transformed into faith and acceptance, an example of the power of the Saint’s message. There is also another very important historical figure linked to Gualdo Tadino and Saint Francis: that of Saint Marzio, a layman who, after meeting first with Francis’s followers and then with the Saint himself, fully embraced the teachings and lifestyles of Franciscanism: poverty, brotherhood, humility, and peace. Not only did he join the order, but he led a hermit’s life in that original hermitage in Valdigorgo, which later became known as the hermitage of Saint Marzio. This is further proof of how deeply the figure of Saint Francis and his teachings are linked to the history and tradition of Gualdo Tadino.
Franciscanism in Gualdo remained extremely important even after the death of Saint Francis; in fact, today, monuments and works of art that celebrate the order and the Saint himself can be found here, as a testament of the connection between the the Saint and the city’s history. The first very important monument is certainly the Monumental Church of Saint Francis, a structure from the 1300s that was the home of the order in the city, a treasure chest containing numerous and beautiful frescoes dedicated specifically to the Saint and his followers.
In the Rocca Flea Civic Museum can be found works of art that were a celebration of the Franciscan order, such as the Polyptych by Niccolò di Liberatore, known as l’Alunno, or the Altarpiece of Santa Margherita; Saint Francis himself is depicted in both of these marvels. The very long and rich ceramic tradition that has solid roots in Gualdo Tadino could not fail to celebrate the figure of the Saint; not only do we find ceramic artifacts
depicting the saint at both the Rocca Flea and the Opificio Rubboli Museum, but they are also scattered along the streets and on the buildings of the city, with beautiful examples of public ceramic work, whose purpose is precisely the celebration of the man of faith who was Francis.
All this aims to convey how the figure of Saint Francis was fundamental throughout the history of Gualdo Tadino and also that the city embraced his message and his teachings, making him an integral part of its culture and tradition.
