Feeling franciscan poverty in the Paris Meditationes vitae Christi

This study explores the embodiment of Franciscan poverty in the Meditationes Vitae Christi (Ms. ital. 115) with a focus on its likely Clarissan readership. Franciscan ideals of poverty, rooted in bodily discomfort and humility, are reflected in the text and accompanying illustrations, which emphasize Mary and Christ as models of voluntary destitution and charity. The manuscript encourages female readers to embrace poverty through spiritual and physical practices. It portrays Mary as a charitable giver and industrious worker, aligning her virtues with the enclosed life of Poor Clare nuns. Visual and textual depictions of Christ accepting alms and enduring hardships highlight the intersection of Franciscan ideals and bodily poverty. However, the Meditationes tempers extreme asceticism, recommending spiritual contemplation as a primary way for nuns to emulate Franciscan virtues. By examining representations of the Holy Family’s poverty and labor, this analysis reveals how Ms. ital. 115 tailored its messages to the unique constraints of female Franciscan life. Through imagination and devotion, the Clarissan reader was encouraged to internalize the values of charity, work, and humility as central elements of Franciscan spirituality.