ROBERTO CARACCIOLO’S SERMON ON THE MIRACLE OF THE STIGMATIZATION OF FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Roberto Caracciolo (d. 1495),
a relatively unknown Franciscan friar
in present day scholarship, was one of
the greatest preachers of his generation.
A favorite among popes, he was held in
such high esteem that in his mid-20s he
was invited to preach for grand occasions
such as the canonization of Bernardino
da Siena. His sermon on the stigmata of
Francis of Assisi tells us a good deal about
the late medieval Franciscan view of the
Poverello’s reception of the fi ve wounds
of Christ. This paper will examine
Roberto Caracciolo’s understanding of
the stigmatization as a miracle. It will
assess how he fashioned his argument
to dispel doubt from the minds of those
who questioned the authenticity of an
event that purported to transform the skin
and bones of Francis of Assisi into the
crucifi ed likeness of Christ. Ultimately,
it will consider the exceptional esteem
in which Roberto and his contemporaries
held both Francis of Assisi and the miracle
of his stigmatization.
Keywords: Francis of Assisi