Wolf of Gubbio
A wolf tamed by Francis of Assisi in Umbrian legend.
The Wolf of Gubbio is a wolf from the Little Flowers of St. Francis that terrorized the Umbrian city of Gubbio until tamed by Francis of Assisi. The story exemplifies the Christian hagiographic motif of saints exerting influence over animals and nature. Unlike many medieval miracle stories, some physical evidence marks the origin of the tale.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Gubbio, Umbria
- Figure
- Francis of Assisi
- Text
- Little Flowers of St. Francis
- Period
- around 1220
- Wolf's lifespan after pact
- two years
- Church built at site
- Church of Saint Francis of the Peace
- Year of skeleton discovery
- 1872
Facts from the source article.
Story
Around 1220, while Francis lived in Gubbio, a wolf began killing livestock. It soon turned to attacking people directly and eventually ate only humans. The wolf waited outside the city gates for anyone foolish enough to go out alone. No weapon could wound it, and everyone who tried to kill it was eaten. Eventually, just seeing the wolf made the whole city panic, and people refused to leave the walls for any reason. With Gubbio under siege, Francis said he would go meet the wolf. People warned him repeatedly, but he made the sign of the cross and walked beyond the gates with a few followers. When they neared the wolf’s lair, the group stopped at a safe distance but stayed close enough to watch. The wolf charged at Francis with its mouth open. Francis made the sign of the cross again and ordered the wolf to stop its attacks in God’s name. The wolf trotted up gently, lay at Francis’ feet, and placed its head in his hands. Francis called it brother wolf, listing the harm it had done—killing God’s creatures without permission, even devouring humans made in God’s image—and said it deserved to be hanged like a robber. He offered peace: if the wolf stopped offending, the people would forgive it, and neither men nor dogs would chase it. The wolf bowed its head and submitted. Francis promised it would be fed daily by the townspeople as long as it lived, since hunger had driven its evil, but only if it swore never to attack any animal or human again. The wolf made that promise.
Aftermath
After the encounter, the people of Gubbio held Francis in high esteem and praised him greatly. Many were moved by the miracle, gave thanks to God, and converted. The story ends by noting the wolf lived another two years in Gubbio, going door to door for food and keeping the terms of his pact with Francis. When the wolf died, the city grieved, for despite its past killings, it had become a symbol of Francis’s holiness and God’s might. According to tradition, Gubbio gave the wolf a dignified burial and later built the Church of Saint Francis of the Peace on the site. In 1872, during renovations, the skeleton of a large wolf, apparently centuries old, was found under a slab near the church wall and reburied inside. Legend says the church of the Vittorina marks the spot where Francis first met the wolf. In 1913, Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío wrote Los motivos del lobo, which twists the story’s lesson: the wolf breaks its pact with Francis and returns to its wild ways after suffering abuse, hunger, and mockery from Gubbio’s people. When Francis is asked to intervene again, the wolf despairs at human hypocrisy and sends Francis away in tears, asking only to be left alone.
More in Wolves in Folklore, Religion and Mythology
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced