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The frescoes in the nave of the Lower Church in Assisi are regarded as the masterwork of the Master of St Francis. Unfortunately, half of each has been destroyed when the walls were broken through. These frescoes initiated the decoration in San Francesco around 1260. Before the eyes of the pilgrims visiting the saint's tomb in the lower church, a pictorial program of an entirely new kind unfurled, juxtaposing five scenes from the Passion of Christ on the north wall (Preparation for the Crucifixion, Crucifixion, Deposition, Lamentation, Supper at Emmaus) with five scenes from the life of St Francis on the south wall (Renunciation of Worldly Goods, Dream of Pope Innocent III, St Francis Preaches to the Birds, St Francis Receives the Stigmata, Funeral of St Francis.
These murals were executed al secco, on dry plaster, using tempera paints in large sections. The artistic qualities of the paintings are difficult to judge as the works have been largely destroyed.
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