Gregorio José de Lara: St Francis at Huejotzingo

Restoration is under way at San Miguel Huejotzingo of six previously neglected canvases, painted in the 1740s by the noted poblano artist Gregorio José de Lara. Several of the paintings include the names of their patrons and one is signed by the artist.
    Abandoned and largely forgotten in a remote corner of the convento, these recently rescued works were in an advanced stage of deterioration, soiled over the centuries, patched, torn and rife with insect damage.

  

The paintings portray six lesser known and illustrated episodes in the life of St. Francis, including the Fiery Chariot;* Rescuing Souls from Purgatory; the Death, and the Transition of the saint, together with two other obscure scenes.

 

The Death, and Transition of St. Francis
  
St Francis, St Dominic and the loaves of bread;                 St Francis with a scourge;

Because of their large scale, measuring more than two meters in both dimensions, these paintings were not part of any altarpiece but instead designed to line the walls of the cloister or one of the conventual rooms. 
   The uncommon themes also suggest that they were intended for the private edification and contemplation of the friars themselves.

Full restoration of the six canvases is expected soon, following which they will be on display in the Museum of the Evangelization, housed in the former convento here at Huejotzingo.

* As it happens, another of the very few portrayals of this incident appears at Huejotzingo, in a 16th century mural of St. Francis located in the Sala de Profundis, also a private space for the friars.

text © 2018 Richard D. Perry

color images by Tacho Juarez Herrera
Look for our other posts on Huejotzingo: The Posa chapels; The Main Altarpiece; The North Doorway; The Talavera painting; The Church Murals; The Convento Murals;