Fray Andrés de Abreu’s ‘Vida de San Francisco’, published in Madrid in 1692, is described by the source as the author’s only known poem and is notable for its elaborate narrative structure, which follows both the conventions of the hagiographic genre and the aesthetic demands of the late Baroque[1].
According to the source, the work is organized into several clearly differentiated sections. It begins with an extensive preliminary section (stanzas 1-19), including an invocation to the saint, the poem’s purpose, and the captatio benevolentiae, following the tradition of the Latin epic adapted to the Christian context[1].
The main body develops the life of the saint and the expansion of his order (stanzas 20-373), followed by a discourse on the virtues of Saint Francis (stanzas 374-534), highlighting laboriousness, penance, frugality, obedience, poverty, mercy, purity, humility, charity, the gift of prophecy, preaching, theological insight, and the fight against demons[1].
The poem continues with a discussion of the saint’s merits (stanzas 535-724), divided into two parts: the first rewards, such as the Indulgence of the Porziuncola and other mystical favors, and the main reward, the stigmatization of Saint Francis, which occupies a central place in the work[1].
The saint’s death (stanzas 725-768) and the miracles after his passing (stanzas 769-799) conclude the main narrative. Finally, there is a section on the significance of Francis and the poet’s wish for remembrance (stanzas 800-828)[1].
The source emphasizes that Abreu departs from the traditional division of saints’ lives (life-miracles in life-miracles after death), giving little space to posthumous miracles and avoiding a final treatise on miracles, as was customary in the genre[1]. Instead, the author proposes observing the fulfillment of a destiny: Francis’s conformity with Christ, the central aim of the poem, reached after a detailed journey through the saint’s virtues and merits[1].
This narrative approach, according to the source, responds both to hagiographic tradition and to Baroque innovations, adapting episodes and resources to achieve greater narrative effectiveness and to suit the poet’s intentions[1].