From Cavalry to Calvary: Representations of St. Francis of Assisi in Twentieth-Century Italy, is an interdisciplinary study that examines constructions of Saint Francis of Assisi, focusing on the ways these were instrumentalized under Fascism. In the 1920s and 1930s, St. Francis – Mussolini’s favorite saint — was used by Fascists as an invitation to go to war, evoking the principle of self-sacrifice contained in the symbolism of stigmata. By bringing to light the drafting of the figure of St. Francis during Fascism, this dissertation exposes the artful avoidance of both the Italian government and the Vatican in coming to terms with their Fascist past. It also investigates the significance of Catholic elements (in particular Franciscan) in Bazin’s cinematic theory and in Rossellini’s films.
Minervini, Amanda,
"From Cavalry to Calvary: Representations of St. Francis of Assisi in Twentieth-Century Italy"
(2013).
Italian Studies Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.7301/Z05D8Q65