Francis of Assisi
Italian mystic, poet, and founder of the Franciscan Order
Francis of Assisi was an Italian mystic and Catholic friar who founded the Franciscan order after renouncing his wealth.[1][2] The feast day of 4 October, which became World Animal Day, is when churches traditionally bless animals, and Francis is the patron of animals and the environment.[3]
Quick Facts
- Titles
- Founder of the Franciscan Order, Confessor of the Faith and Stigmatist
- Birth name
- Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone
- Born
- 1181
- Birthplace
- Assisi, Duchy of Spoleto, Holy Roman Empire
- Died
- 3 October 1226 (aged approximately 44 years)
- Venerated in
- Catholic Church
- Anglicanism
- Lutheranism
- Old Catholic Church
- Skanda Vale
- Canonized
- 16 July 1228
- Canonized place
- Assisi, Papal States
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Francis was born around 1181 in Assisi, the son of a prosperous silk merchant and a French noblewoman.[4] As a youth, he lived a high-spirited life, enjoying fine clothes and spending money lavishly.[5] According to Kiefer's biographical sketch, Francis heard Christ say "Francis, repair my falling house" in the church of San Damiano.[6] He sold cloth from his father's store to pay for repairs, leading to a legal confrontation and his renunciation of his patrimony.[7][8]
In 1209, Francis composed a simple rule for his followers and led them to Rome to seek papal approval.[9] Francis received the stigmata on 17 September 1224 while praying on the mountain of Verna.[10] Following his capture in a military campaign around 1202, Francis was held for twelve months, and during that imprisonment a sickness prompted him to reassess his existence.[11] Francis passed away on the evening of 3 October 1226, and Pope Gregory IX proclaimed him a saint on 16 July 1228.[12]
What the cited sources add
The Key to Umbria account notes that Francis' burial place remained hidden for nearly six centuries until excavations in 1818.[13] Pius VII confirmed the authenticity of the relics in 1820 after a commission of bishops examined them.[13] Kiefer's biographical sketch states that Francis proposed walking into a fire to demonstrate his faith to the Sultan, but the Christian leaders rejected the armistice he arranged.[6] The same source notes that Francis resigned as minister-general of the order in 1220.[6]
Zielinski's article describes Francis as a mendicant who supported his order through manual labor and begging.[14] According to The Guardian, Francis' skeleton was exhibited to the public for the first time in 2026, attracting hundreds of thousands of people.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zielinski, "Begging like St. Francis", Global Sisters Report, 23 January 2019 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Saint Francis of Assisi's skeleton goes on public display for first time", The Guardian, 22 February 2026. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "St. Francis of Assisi", Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "St. Francis of Assisi", Catholic Online; Dagger, "Blessing All Creatures, Great and Small", Duke Magazine, November–December 2006; Englebert, "The Lives of the Saints", Barnes & Noble, 1951, p. 529 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church", Oxford University Press, 2005; Chesterton, "St. Francis of Assisi", Image Books, 1924, p. 158; ; ; Englebert, "The Lives of the Saints", Barnes & Noble, 1951, p. 529 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Kiefer, "Francis of Assisi, Friar", Biographical sketches of memorable Christians of the past, 1999. facts only, no text reused. justus.anglican.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chesterton (1924), pp. 54–56; Fr. Guglielmo Spirito, OFM Conv, "Terra che diventa cielo – L'inabitazione trinitaria in san Francesco", 2009, p. 312; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; de la Riva, "Life of St. Francis", St. Francis of Assisi National Shrine, 2011; Kiefer, "Francis of Assisi, Friar", Biographical sketches of memorable Christians of the past, 1999 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chesterton (1924), pp. 107–108 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chesterton (1924), p. 131; "Medicine: St. Francis' Stigmata", 11 March 1935 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: St. Bonaventure, "The Life of St. Francis of Assisi (from the Legenda Sancti Francisci)", TAN Books & Publishers, 1988, p. 190 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis of Assisi" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Key to Umbria: Assisi", www.keytoumbria.com; "Saint Francis of Assisi's skeleton goes on public display for first time", The Guardian, 22 February 2026 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Key to Umbria: Assisi", www.keytoumbria.com. facts only, no text reused. keytoumbria.com
- Zielinski, "Begging like St. Francis", Global Sisters Report, 23 January 2019. facts only, no text reused. globalsistersreport.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Francis of Assisi (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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