themes and visuals 2025 | Terra Sculpta

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Canticle of the Creatures
Laudes Creaturarum

OVERVIEW OF ICON AND ARTISTS

1. Historical context time of Francis1, Imbalance: wealth church power (power money and contro)l

· Slava

2 Historical context time of Francis2, Imbalance: reform of church, Francis humility poverty, simplicity

· Radek

3. Today’s worlds situation and the state of creation1: wounded creation (destruction, disconnection, domination)

· Enguerrand

4. Today’s worlds situation and the state of creation2: Healing Creation: consciousness cooperation and care.

· Michela

5. The writing of the Canticle, and Francis inspired by creation

of god, Sir brother Sun, who brings the day and gives us light; and he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears likeness of You, Most High

· Pedro

6. Sister Moon and Stars, in heaven You formed them bright, precious, and fair

· Vadim

7. Brother Wind, through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of

Weather through which You give sustenance to your creatures.

· Kuba

8. Sister Water who is very useful, humble, precious, and pure. Brother Fire You light the night; and he is beautiful, playful,

robust, and strong.

· Charlotte

9. Sister Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and produces various

fruits with colored flowers and herbs. Humility (decomposed matter feeds all)

· Nicola

10. Sister Bodily Death and forgiveness

· Susanne

11. Wonder (diversity of life, plants and animals)

· Hanneke

12. Nativity1: Kings

· Marielle

13. Nativity2: Preseppe

· Nicolay

14. Nativity3: Shepherds

· Inese

Lay out Over view

JSN 2025 floor plan top parallel no walls.jpg

1ST SCULPTURE: HISTORICAL CONTEXT AT THE TIME OF FRANCIS AND HIS PERSONAL EXISTENTIAL SITUATION

Saint Francis of Assisi lived between 1181 or 1182 and 1226, a very particular period in European and Italian history, marked by profound social, economic, religious, and political change. Italy at the time was not united, but divided into numerous city-states (the Comuni), such as Assisi, Perugia, Florence, Pisa, etc. These cities were often in conflict with each other or internally between factions (nobles vs. bourgeois, Guelphs vs. Ghibellines).

A new social class was emerging — the urban bourgeoisie, made up of merchants, artisans, and bankers. Francis himself came from a wealthy bourgeois family (his father was a rich cloth merchant). The power of feudal nobles was slowly declining, while the influence of cities and guilds was growing.

The Catholic Church was politically and economically powerful, but often criticized for its wealth, corruption, and distance from Gospel values. This led to the rise of reform movements. Heretical movements such as the Cathars and Waldensians, which called for a poorer Church faithful to the Gospel, were spreading. The Church saw them as dangerous and persecuted them. Many believers longed for a purer, simpler, and more spiritual faith, closer to Christ’s message.

In this turbulent context, Saint Francis was a radical and new response:

He rejected wealth and embraced evangelical poverty
Chose to live among the poor, the marginalized, and the outcast
Founded a new religious order (the Friars Minor) based on fraternity, poverty, peace, and respect for creation

His life was a prophetic witness of returning to the Gospel, simplicity, and universal brotherhood in a world marked by violence, wealth, and division.

In the last years of his life (1224–1226, when he wrote the Canticle of the Creatures), Francis was marked by great physical suffering, deep spiritual maturity, and strong internal tensions within the Order he had founded. Francis was seriously ill — suffering from eye problems (likely trachoma or chronic conjunctivitis) that nearly blinded him, and from widespread pain. He was often forced to stay still and in darkness to care for his eyes, especially while at San Damiano, as a guest of the Poor Clares.

In 1224, he received the stigmata on Mount La Verna, a mystical experience that deeply marked his final years. During these years, the Franciscan Order was growing rapidly, but not everyone agreed with Francis’s radical vision of absolute poverty. Disappointed by certain developments, he had stepped down from leadership, leaving it to more organizational friars (such as Brother Elias). He lived increasingly as a hermit, devoted to prayer, contemplation, and acceptance of God’s will.

He died on the evening of October 3, 1226, at Santa Maria degli Angeli, in the Porziuncola, at just 44 years old. Before dying, he asked to be laid naked on the bare earth, to die in total poverty.

The Canticle of the Creatures was sung several times in his last year of life, even as an expression of peace in moments of conflict (for example, between the bishop and the mayor of Assisi).

“Francis: Light in a Divided World”

Historical context time of Francis, Imbalance: wealth church power (power money and control)/, reform of church, Francis humility poverty, simplicity (1)

Compaction 9m long, divided , split in the composition representing 2 worlds from St. Francis’s time. One side he rejected and one he chose.

#1 ICON Slava Borecki

Times of turmoil

Historical context time of Francis1, Imbalance: wealth church power (power money and control)

Ideas for Visual Elements:
A Divided City Wall: merchants, church wealth, persecution of heretics.
Mood: Tension, opulence, disillusionment —

#2 ICON Radek Zivny

“The Soul of Francis” — A Life Transformed

Historical context time of Francis2, Imbalance: reform of church, Francis humility poverty, simplicity

Poverty, peace, mystical union, and spiritual maturity
Possible Visual Elements:
The Poor and Sick Around Him: tenderness, showing his commitment to the marginalized, includes animals (harmony with creation), birds.
San Damiano or the Porziuncola, where he prayed and died — symbolizing prayer, healing, and surrender.
Mood: Sacred, serene, courageous — a portrait of a man who defied the world’s values with Gospel radicalism.

2ND SCULPTURE

#3 and #4 ICON: TODAY’S WORLD SITUATION AND THE STATE OF CREATION

The world today unfortunately is not in a better situation than at the time of Saint Francis. The year 2025 is marked by intensifying conflicts: armed conflicts between states remain the main threat, and active crises — in Ukraine, in Palestine (the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dramatic: according to the local health ministry, over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 154,000 wounded since October 2023, and many die daily from hunger in a man-made famine), Sudan, Syria, South Sudan — contribute to an increasingly unstable global context.

In addition, economic crises slow global growth, the climate emergency is accelerating, and we witness a growing breakdown of multilateral institutions and a digitalization that challenges governance and exacerbates inequalities. It is a crucial year: from now to 2030, cohesion, strategic investment, and global cooperation will be decisive in meeting the challenges ahead.

Speaking today of the state of our creation — or more precisely, the health of creation, in the spiritual, ecological, and social sense — means facing a complex reality marked by serious imbalances but also signs of awareness and hope.

It is a wounded creation showing clear signs of suffering:

Climate change: rising global temperatures, extreme weather events, melting glaciers, desertification
Pollution: contaminated air, water, and soil; plastic in the seas; loss of biodiversity
Overexploitation of resources: deforestation, industrial fishing, unsustainable consumption
Environmental and social crisis: the poorest populations are the most affected, despite being the least responsible.

These signs tell us that we are not safeguarding creation as we should. As Pope Francis says, “we are not masters of creation, but its stewards.”

It is a broken relationship because the ecological crisis is also the reflection of a spiritual and moral crisis:

The idea of absolute human dominion over nature has led to imbalance
The harmonious relationship between man, God, and creation has been broken
The culture of waste has replaced the culture of care.

This challenges us deeply, as individuals and as communities. We must rediscover an ethical and spiritual sense of responsibility toward the Earth and other living beings.

Despite everything, there are also lights in the darkness, signs of hope:

Ecological awareness is growing, especially among the young
Initiatives for sustainability, circular economy, and regenerative agriculture are increasing
Religions, sciences, and social movements are coming together for an integral ecological conversion
Documents like Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti offer strong and prophetic visions.

Questions for all:

What kind of world are we leaving to the next generations?
What kind of humanity do we want to be?
Creation is not just an environment to preserve, but a relationship to heal. Each of us can do our part — through personal choices, simpler lifestyles, and a renewed spirituality that reconnects us with the gift of life.

9m compaction split in 1/2 by composition of sculptors.

We find here a modern world in conflict. One side (left) representing war, greed, conflict, poor choices. The other half (right) represents the cooperating side of humans answering the question: what kind of humanity do we wish for?

#3 Icon Enguerrand David

“The Wounded Creation”
Today’s worlds situation and the state of creation1: wounded creation (destruction, disconnection, domination)

— war, ecological collapse, spiritual disconnection. .

Elements suggestions.

deforestation and ecological degradation.
drought and desertification.

famine and human cost.

war and destruction (Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan).

Plastic Waste swirling “ocean” —pollution and biodiversity loss.
Theme: Destruction, disconnection, domination.

#4 Michela Ciappini

“The Healing Creation”

Today’s world's situation and the state of creation2: Healing: consciousness cooperation and care.

This is the hopeful half — consciousness, cooperation, and care. What kind of humanity do we want to be.

Elements ideas:

Children Planting Together, of diverse backgrounds — symbolizing the new awareness from the next generation.

Animals on the brink of extinction coming back — symbolizing biodiversity’s return.
Theme: Renewal, responsibility, reverence,growth, cooperation

Guide; The Earth is in crisis, but not beyond hope.
We are responsible, not powerless.

#5 ICON: Pedro Mira

SIR BROTHER SUN

The writing of the Canticle, and Francis inspired by creation of god, Sir brother Sun, who brings the day and gives us light; and he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears likeness of You, Most High

THE CANTICLE: “MOST HIGH…” [GOD]

The Canticle of the Creatures is a hymn of praise to God and His creatures, unfolding with intensity and strength through His works, and thus becoming a hymn to life. It is a prayer permeated by a positive vision of nature, for in creation is reflected the image of the Creator; from this comes the sense of brotherhood between man and all creation. Creation thus becomes a grand means of praising the Creator.

Composed in the Umbrian vernacular of the 13th century, with Tuscan and French influences and Latinisms, the Canticle has the form of rhythmic prose. The text once had musical accompaniment, composed by Francis himself, now lost. The simplicity of the sentiment is mirrored in simple syntax, with many adjectives. Verses are grouped into small thematic blocks, whose homogeneity is ensured by deliberate formal devices, recognized by modern criticism as refined and intentional.

The first reference to God, “Most High,” is expressed in a term that we might define as interreligious, without overly confessional definitions, remaining in the use of a term with broad meaning.

The Canticle of the Creatures, written amid physical pain and spiritual difficulties, is a testimony to Saint Francis’s extraordinary faith, humility, and joy. Instead of complaining, he transforms suffering into praise of God and acceptance of death, making his final period a

Concept St. Francis represented, making his offerings to the Most High.
Around him The Sun holding a special place as the closest to the likeness to the Most High. Francis begins with the “most high, almighty, good Lord” and then immediately praises Brother Sun. The sun is “beautiful and radiant with great splendor,” an image of God’s glory. For Francis, the sun does not replace God but reflects Him, pointing to the Creator’s majesty and to Christ as “the true light of the world.” In the warmth and brightness of the sun, Francis felt both physical comfort and a spiritual reminder of God’s sustaining presence.

The sculpture should be about St-Francis in the moment when the verses, poem about BROTHER SUN came to him.

#6 ICON:Vadim Gryadov

Sister Moon and Stars

in heaven You formed them bright, precious, and fair

Sister Moon and the Stars: luminous, precious, and lovely. Francis likely composed these lines at night, when his failing eyesight could barely perceive light, yet he rejoiced in their gentle beauty. They embody God’s tenderness, guiding travelers through darkness and reminding the soul that divine light never leaves us, even in the night of suffering or doubt.

Key word: luminous, precious, lovely.

#7 ICON Jakub Zimacek

BROTHER WIND

through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of Weather through which You give sustenance to your creatures.

Francis calls upon Brother Wind — the air, clouds, and every form of weather. He recognized the breath of God in the movement of the wind, recalling Genesis where the Spirit hovered over the waters. Wind is life-giving, carrying rain for crops and refreshing the weary. Francis saw no threat in storms, but rather a reminder that God’s Spirit is powerful, free, and always moving through creation.

Companion in God’s harmony, air, cloud, clear sky, and all weather.
Free and untamed.
Brings changes.
Divine Breath animating creation.
Companion to all creations, touches everything without distinction.

#8 ICON: Charlotte Koster

SISTER WATER, BROTHER FIRE .

SISTER WATER

Very useful, humble, precious, chaste (unpossessive, freely giving to all).
Water sustains all living beings.
Cleansing, rebirth, entry into spiritual life.
Powerful as she can carve stone, sustain rivers, and shape landscapes.

He calls Sister Water “useful, humble, precious, and chaste.” At once simple and indispensable, water nourishes the earth, purifies the body, and cleanses the soul (echoing Baptism). Francis admired her purity — clear, transparent, life-giving — an image of God’s grace that flows without pride or demand. He likely found in water a mirror of his own ideal of holy poverty: essential, yet never self-exalting.

BROTHER FIRE

As a joyful sibling that reflects God’s radiance: bright, beautiful, strong, playful. A mirror of divine light guiding creation.

Brother Fire is “beautiful, playful, robust, and strong.” Fire gave Francis warmth in his illness and light in his near-blindness. Yet fire is also dangerous, reminding him of the awe proper before God’s majesty. Fire symbolized both judgment and love — the consuming flame of divine charity. Francis cherished its brightness as a sign of God’s joy that enkindles the heart.

Warmth and community.
Example: a fire cupped in hands, symbolizes warmth, safety, divine brightness.

#9TH ICON: Nicola Wood

SISTER MOTHER EARTH — HUMILITY

SISTER MOTHER EARTH, who sustains and governs us, and produces various

fruits with colored flowers and herbs. Humility (decomposed matter feeds all)

If the Canticle opens with the expression “Most High,” it closes with the word “humility” — from the heights of God to the smallness of man. The etymology of humility is telling: from the Latin humilis (“low”), from humus (“earth”). The humble person is one who rises little from the earth, is aware of their limits, and does not grow proud of their virtues. The link with humus, the soil, is clear: the humilis is first of all the low, what rises little from the ground. The human being is divine breath and earth but recognizes the lowly condition, does not grow arrogant, accepts their limits before others and before God — and this dignity is a very high virtue.

The Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians also sees humility as the perfect form of fraternity:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Phil 2:3–4).

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Francis turns to Sister Mother Earth, who “sustains and governs us, producing fruits, colored flowers, and herbs.” For him, the earth is not a mere resource but a maternal presence, generous and nurturing. He saw her not as property but as gift, deserving reverence and gratitude. This is central to his vision: humanity is not separate from creation but woven into it, sustained by the same divine generosity.

Concept; Sister mother earth has always been the image of nurturing life giving force. Inspires humility, a spiritual and ecological relationship with the planet.

All goes back to soil, over and over.

#10 Icon: Susanne Ruseler

Sister Bodily Death

HUMANITY IN THE EXPERIENCE OF FORGIVENESS, ILLNESS, AND DEATH

Human beings are called to recognize their condition as creatures, especially in the experience of suffering. Even what seems negative to us reveals something about our relationship with God. This is true of death. Death is not to be praised in itself, but as an opportunity to recognize ourselves as creatures; it speaks to our fragility and limits. Death highlights the beauty of being fragile creatures loved by God. In death, we live humility.

If suffering and death are inevitable, the experience of forgiveness is an urgent human necessity in today’s world. In the encyclical Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis states that true forgiveness does not mean forgetting or granting impunity, but facing and overcoming the wounds of conflict through dialogue, justice, and mercy. Forgiveness means refusing to be dominated by the destructive force that committed the evil, seeking justice without falling into the vicious cycle of revenge or the injustice of forgetting

Francis sings of Sister Bodily Death. Unlike the other creatures, death often evokes fear, yet Francis embraces her as family. Nearing his own passing, he saw death not as an end but as the gateway to eternal life. By calling death “sister,” Francis strips it of terror, showing that even in our mortality we remain held in God’s love. Only those in serious sin need fear her; for the faithful, she ushers us into union with God.

This inclusion reveals Francis’s radical trust: no part of existence, not even death, is excluded from God’s providence.

Symbolism

Death highlights the beauty of being fragile creatures loved by God. In death, we live humility.
Peace with death is peace with life.
Death is to be embraced as a kin.
To embrace Sister Death is to be liberated from clinging, to live joyfully without being enslaved by anxiety about the end.

Concept
Sand itself as a message of impermanence — figures decaying and disappearing, reminding us of our own impermanence, keeping in mind the importance of forgiveness. Death highlights the beauty of being fragile creatures loved by God.
One example of representation; Sister Death guiding a person (soul) through transition.

#11 Icon: Hanneke Supply

Wonder

LAUDATO SI’ ENCYCLICAL NOS. 10–11–12

Paragraphs 10, 11, and 12 of Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato si’ refer to the Canticle of the Creatures by Saint Francis of Assisi, emphasizing the importance of caring for our common home and the interconnectedness of all creatures.

Paragraph 10 highlights renewable energies such as solar, wind, and hydro as precious resources for the planet’s future.
Paragraphs 11 and 12 focus on integral ecology, which requires an approach beyond scientific language, connecting with the essence of humanity and reflecting the love and care Saint Francis had for creation.

From Laudato si’:

I do not want to proceed in this Encyclical without turning to a beautiful and motivating example. I took his name as my guide and inspiration at the time of my election as Bishop of Rome. I believe that Francis is the example par excellence of care for what is weak and of an integral ecology lived with joy and authenticity. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the field of ecology, beloved also by many who are not Christians. He showed particular concern for God’s creation and for the poorest and most abandoned. He loved and was loved for his joy, his generous dedication, his universal heart. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in a wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature, and with himself. In him we see to what extent concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace are inseparable.

His testimony shows us that integral ecology requires openness to categories that transcend the language of exact sciences or biology and connect us with the essence of the human. Just as happens when we fall in love with a person, every time Francis looked at the sun, the moon, or the smallest animals, his reaction was to sing, involving all other creatures in his praise. He entered into communication with all creation, and even preached to the flowers and “invited them to praise and love God, as if they were endowed with reason.” For him, every creature was a sister, bound to him by ties of affection. That is why he felt called to care for all that exists. This conviction cannot be dismissed as irrational romanticism, because it influences the choices that determine our behavior. If we approach nature without openness to wonder and amazement, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitudes will be those of dominators, consumers, exploiters of natural resources, unable to set limits to immediate interests. On the other hand, if we feel intimately united with all that exists, sobriety and care will arise spontaneously.

Faithful to Scripture, Saint Francis invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of His beauty and goodness: “Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know by analogy their maker” (Wis 13:5) and “ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made” (Rom 1:20). For this reason, he asked that in the convent a part of the garden be left uncultivated, so that wild flowers could grow and those who admired them could raise their thoughts to God, the Creator of such beauty. The world is more than a problem to be solved — it is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise.

Concept; Key words are Care and Wonder…. a sculpture depicting the beauty of a person in wonder of all things, big and small. Once you see the beauty, you wish no harm.

Appendix
Biblical reference texts (to be displayed at exhibition sites):

Psalm 148 — Praise to the greatness of God, Lord of creation
Daniel 3:51–89 — The Song of the Three Young Men in the furnace

These texts invite all creation — sun, moon, stars, mountains, animals, winds, seas, and all people — to praise the Lord, recognizing Him as Creator and Sustainer of all life.

Canticle of the Creatures Laudes Creaturarum

Lay out Over view

Canticle of the Creatures
Laudes Creaturarum