Saint Margaret of Cortona (1247–1297) and the Laudario of the Confraternity of Santa Maria delle Laude in Cortona

Abstract

For his compilation of the Life or Legend of Saint Margaret of Cortona (1247–1297), the Franciscan friar Giunta Bevegnati (thir­teenth century) was guided by texts found in a collection of laude belonging to the Confraternity of Santa Maria delle laude in Cortona and the iconography associated with it. The hymns the confrater­nity sang are to be found in the Laudario di Cortona. This article shows that not only is there a strong link between the hagiography of St Margaret and the confraternity’s laude, but also that the hagi­ographical text is closely linked with the iconography supported by the confraternity with whom the saint was in contact. In the first part we will compare the text composed by Giunta Bevegnati with the laude sung by the Compagnia di S. Maria delle laude to show how the laude influenced the saint’s Legenda; in the second part, we will compare the texts of the Legenda with the contemporary iconogra­phy of St Margaret.