Treasured Texts, Inspired Images: The Official Catalog of the Laudato Sie exhibit

The Laudato sie exhibition, above all, presents a revisitation to the nature of Saint Francis' Canticle of Brother Sun through an in depth exploration of rich, inquisitorial manuscripts held at the sacred Convent of Assisi. This Official Show Catalog, containing an introduction authored by Fra Brother Carlo of the Convent of Assisi, presents the sections and specific manuscript documents held in the exhibition, as well as a variety of essays regarding the Franciscan Order. Images of the restored Franciscan manuscripts are included in this catalog, bringing to the foreground the artistry found across Laudato sie.  

Following the introduction, the catalog contains a few short essays describing the Sacred Convent Library and the overarching nature of libraries within the Franciscan order. The catalog then presents the nine sections of the exhibit, organized by core fields of inquiry found across the manuscript collection; each of them reiterating the theological relationship of the brotherhood to the world surrounding them. 

Written by Paolo Capitanucci, the sections are entitled, "The Canticle of Brother Francis: The Wondrous Recognition of Creation", "The Original Inspiration: Bible, Theology, and Philosophy", "The Franciscans and Encyclopedic Knowledge", "'Sister Moon and the Stars': Astronomy", "Concerning Numbers and Vision: Mathematics and Optics", "Everything in the World Moves: Physics", "The Transformation of Elements, Minerals, and Metals: Alchemy", "The 'Fabrica' of the Body: Medicine, Anatomy, and Surgery", and, "'With All Your Creatures': Plants, Animals, and Human Beings". 

These sections of the catalog are accompanied by images of manuscripts in the show as well as additional ones from the collection. As Fra Brother Carlo states in his introduction, the exhibition presents the possibility of a new relationship between man and nature, "with an eye to reconciliation and friendly respect ...while also serving the purposes of custodianship of our common home"(p.21). 

The catalog is concluded with a series of six essays, with topics such as, "The Origins of Christian Thought: The Relation between Creatures", by Luca Parisoli, "'Laudato Sie': The Vision of the Canticle" by Carlo Delcorno, "Francis of Assisi and the Creatures" by Alfonso Marini, "Heaven and Earth Will Meet, Nature and Creation Will Kiss: From Francis' Gaze to That of Natural Philosophers" by Flavia Marcacci, and "Francis of Assisi: A Template for an Unprecedented Relationship Between Human Beings and Nature" by Fr. Giuseppe Buffon, OFM. These essays explore subsequent facets of the Franciscan Order, and the unique theology emanating from it.