I am delighted to see that the National Gallery in London has put on a free show (on until July 30) celebrating the life and legacy of St Francis of Assisi. Our review, on page 72, highlights how lucky we are to have Gabriele Finaldi as director of the National Gallery: “Finaldi really gets religious subjects”, which is why the Francis encountered in the show is the “the root-and-branch Francis who padded the Umbrian hills calling sinners to repentance and conversion of life”.
It is a refreshing change from so many exhibitions today that try to avoid religion at all costs. It has also got me excited about the next Herald walking pilgrimage to Assisi that I will be going on at the end of September, led by our official pilgrim guide, James Jeffrey. The walk will be along the Via di Francesco pilgrimage route, covering 64 miles. It will start in Terni, about 61 miles to the north of Rome, and we will walk into Assisi on St Francis’s feast day on October 4. Anybody wanting to join our Herald pilgrim band: please email me.
