>Well, I think the Church hadn't preached poverty in
>quite some time before the 13th century. The Mendicant
>orders, Dominicans and Franciscans, were founded in
>the 12th century as a response to the increasing
>opulence of the church. These orders were embroiled in
>a long debate on the poverty of Christ
Yup. It was a dawning of a new era kind of thing, also expressed in fundamental changes in art and the two movements connected through Giotto/St. Francis.
Like here:
Giotto. St. Francis Giving His Cloak to a Poor Man. 1295-1300. Fresco. St. Francis, Upper Church, Assisi, Italy
http://www.abcgallery.com/G/giotto/giotto13.JPG
