St. Francis of Assisi Preaching to the Birds
Hans Stubenrauch

Francis is one of the most remarkable men in all of Christendom. His stories have stirred our souls since we were young. In this scene, he is preaching to the birds, something he actually did. His connection with nature was very deep. He loved it because it was God's creation. There sits Brother Wolf, more like a faithful dog. Francis had once persuaded a wolf who had been terrorizing a town to protect it instead.

For Francis, all in nature were children of God. There was Brother Sun and Sister Moon. There was Brother Rain and Sister Poverty. All had their faces turned to praise the Lord who had made them.

Francis was an immensely popular Saint in his day who, along with Dominic, was sent by God to restore the Church when she had fallen into disrepair. He is still one of the most popular Saints even to this day. He lived 1181-1226. Feast Day October 4. Patron Saint of many things, including animals.

The artist who did this picture, Hans Stubenrauch (1875-1941), was a very popular German painter and illustrator. He did many magazine and book illustrations which is why he has that Golden Age of Illustration style, one of our favorites.



** IMPORTANT ** IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER!!
There is a white border around the image. About 0.5" for 5x7, 1.3" for 8.5x11", 1.6" for 11x17", and 1.75" for 13x17", so the image is smaller than the paper!!!

- Acid-free fine art paper.
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

We spent a while sharpening and enlarging this image. Otherwise it is fairly blurred on other websites.
Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - Classic Catholic Art.