The first panel depicting the life of Francesco della Rovere shows his mother, Luchina, who, on the verge of giving birth, has a vision of Saints Francis and Anthony. They present her with the Franciscan habit and cord, foretelling the child’s destiny. The following scenes illustrate Francesco’s birth, his baptism, and the moment when his mother makes a vow to Saint Francis, promising to dress her son in the Franciscan habit in exchange for his intercession to heal the child from an illness. She renews this vow after another fainting episode. Finally, the young Francesco, having fallen into the sea from the cliffs of Savona, is miraculously saved by Saints Francis and Anthony—an episode attributed to Melozzo da Forlì. Above the panels, the figures of Isaiah and another prophet are depicted.
