While in Vatican City, renowned photorealist Anthony Brunelli is honored at an art reception for his latest masterpiece at the Vatican Art Gallery…
Roger L. Brooks is the author of The Sacred Order and the Mystical Legend of Saint Francis of Assisi. During a family vacation to Italy with his wife and daughter in 2004, Brooks experienced an epiphany while visiting Assisi: he would tell the story of St. Francis through a modern-day narrative.
Brooks devoted over a decade to conduct research, visiting the novel’s settings in Rome, Florence, and Assisi on multiple occasions. From start to finish, the work took him over twelve years to complete.
Brooks was raised in a traditional Roman Catholic family and attended Catholic schools through seventh grade where he developed a fascination for the saints and the church hierarchy. These themes eventually formed the foundation for his book.
“The Sacred Order will leave readers breathless and enlightened.”
“A heart-pounding, mind-bending journey of discovery.”
“Expertly crafted...an intricately woven suspense novel brimming with timeless mystery.”
“Masterful storytelling at its absolute finest.”
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis is a three-time recipient and 16-time nominee of the coveted Audie Award.
THE STORY (C0NTINUED)
While in Vatican City, renowned photorealist Anthony Brunelli is honored at an art reception for his latest masterpiece at the Vatican Art Gallery. Brunelli is unexpectedly summoned to a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI., where he is tasked with uncovering an 800-year-old secret left by Saint Francis of Assisi. This revelation holds the power to reshape the very foundations of Christianity. Aware of his family’s ancient duty to protect a sacred truth, he never imagined he would be the one chosen to uncover it, let alone at the Pope’s command.
Joined by gifted art historian Dr. Vera Valentino, Brunelli follows a trail of hidden clues ingeniously encoded within a Renaissance masterpiece. Even more startling, their journey reveals a chilling secret about Pontius Pilate’s testament regarding the Virgin Mary, threatening to overturn centuries of belief. As shadowy forces close in, Brunelli must face his own faith, his safety, and the mysterious disappearance of his father. The Sacred Order is an electrifying journey of art, belief, and betrayal that will unveil a breathtaking secret hidden in plan sight for centuries.
This novel takes place within three separate geographic locals within Italy; Rome/ Vatican City, Florence and Assisi. Enjoy viewing more than 15 images of the sites within the novel you’ll get to know.
Santi Apostole view from within the confessio
Piazza del Popolo
San Pietro in Vincole, the chains that bound St. Peter
The Laurentian Cloister
Trattoria Tito
The Laurentian Library rotunda
Basilica of St. Francis, Lower Plaza
The tomb of St. Francis
The streets of Assisi
The Portziuncola and the “Pardon of Assisi”
Sacro Convento
Giotto’s freso of St. Francis
Assisi Town Square
La Verna Sanctuary
San Damiano
OFFICIAL MUSIC
Richard Shulman is a composer, keyboardist, and recording artist and since 1984, has dedicated his music to the expression of love and the awakening of inner joy. His Assisi albums were inspired by spiritual pilgrimages to the town of Assisi in Italy where St. Francis was born. Light from Assisi and Transformation at Assisi is the official licensed music for The Sacred Order and the Mystical Legend of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Copyright © 2025 · RichHeart Music
©2025 Roger L. Brooks. All rights reserved.