Australian Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows a series of paintings of Saint Joseph of Cupertino who was known as the Flying Friar. A voice-over narration and an interview with Brother Joseph Wood (a Franciscan friar) tell the story of the Italian saint who was believed to levitate when he prayed. The clip shows the bedroom of St Joseph of Cupertino and the three boards of wood on which he slept. The clip includes a painting that depicts St Joseph of Cupertino levitating and taking the Duke of Brunswick, a sceptical German prince, with him. It is believed that after this event, the Duke converted to Catholicism.

Educational value points

• The clip introduces St Joseph of Cupertino as part of a documentary about the process undertaken by the Roman Catholic Church to create a saint. Also known as the Flying Friar (1603–63), he was one of Europe’s famous Christian mystics. Saint Joseph received his surname from his birthplace, Cupertino, a small village in the Kingdom of Naples.

• It is believed St Joseph had the ability to levitate during the ecstasy of prayer and that this was witnessed by the general public and dignitaries of the Church. Religious communities tend to interpret metaphysical levitation as the supernatural action of the Holy Spirit. However, there is no compelling empirical evidence to suggest that it is an observable phenomenon.

• Joseph of Cupertino was investigated by the Inquisition in 1638, when he was accused of attracting undue attention with his 'flights’ and claims of performing miracles. He was released, but was kept secluded for much of his life by monastic authorities who regarded him with suspicion. St Joseph died in Osimo in 1663 and he was canonised in 1767 by Pope Clement XIII.

• In 1983, the process of making a saint, known as canonisation and the subject of this documentary, was reformed, and the four key steps were streamlined. First, the person is proclaimed a Servant of God and detailed information about his or her life is collected. Second, if the evidence produced proves that the candidate has lived a life of 'heroic virtue’, it is recommended to the Pope that the Servant of God receive the title of Venerable. Third, if the Venerable is considered to be a martyr, or if a miracle has taken place by his or her intercession, he or she becomes blessed. To then become a saint, one more miracle needs to be witnessed.

• The clip uses a series of paintings accompanied by voice-over narration and intercut with an interview with Brother Joseph Wood to effectively construct a film narrative. The historic paintings play an important role in helping to interpret the life and apparent miracles of Saint Joseph of Cupertino, including depictions of his reported acts of levitation. At least one of the paintings shown may be located in the Basilica of St Joseph of Cupertino in Osimo, Italy, which houses the saint’s body.

• The paintings used in the clip are characteristic of the Baroque Movement. This Movement developed from 1600 and was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church as it sought to overcome the rising threat of Protestantism. At this time, the Catholic Church, the most important patron of the Arts, commissioned artists to paint biblical characters and stories that spoke to the illiterate rather than to the well-informed. Baroque art, which is characterised by drama, rich deep colour, intense light and dark shadows, was intended to evoke emotion and passion. Notable baroque artists include Caravaggio, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Annibale Carracci, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt and Diego Velázquez.