NAVIGATION

It would be hard to overestimate the role of St Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), and of the religious order he founded, in developing a spirituality which promoted a sympathetic and emotional bond with the Saviour and especially with the Christ Child. The relationship between God and man was thought of in a new way and Christ himself was being perceived in a different light. No longer was he principally the infant ruler; he was a vulnerable child who required the care and protection of human beings. The Franciscan teachings of the 13th and 14th centuries placed great emphasis on the human nature of Christ and the physical pain he endured during the Passion. The Christ of the Franciscans was more approachable, more sympathetic and easier to identify with.