On the 16th of July, 1228, Saint Francis of Assisi was canonized by Pope Gregory IX. His feast day is the 4th of October. The Franciscans, the order of mendicant friars founded by Saint Francis of Assisi are discussed in Fire and Earth, the second book in my Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. They might have disappointed Francis is some respects. In 1236 Pope Gregory appointed them as inquisitors, along with the Dominicans. It was the Franciscans who wrote the Codex Casanatensis, the manual for inquisitors which details all forms of torture and how to apply them. But let’s focus on the great man himself.
Born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone in either 1181 or 1182 in the Italian town of Assisi, he was the son of a prosperous cloth merchant, Pietro di Bernardone, and his wife, Pica de Bourlemont. His father’s wealth ensured that Francis enjoyed a comfortable and carefree youth, marked by fine clothing, music, and dreams of knighthood.
In his early twenties, Francis’s life took a decisive turn. After participating in a local conflict between Assisi and the nearby city of Perugia, he was captured and imprisoned for about a year. This experience, followed by a prolonged illness, led him to reflect deeply on the meaning of life. Gradually, he began to turn away from worldly ambitions and toward a life of spiritual devotion. According to tradition, he experienced a mystical vision while praying in the dilapidated church of San Damiano, in which Christ spoke to him from a crucifix, instructing him to “rebuild my church.”
Taking this command literally at first, Francis sold some of his father’s cloth to raise money for repairs. His father, enraged at this act, brought him before the local bishop. In a dramatic gesture, Francis renounced his inheritance, even stripping off his clothes to signify his complete break from his former life. From that moment, he embraced a life of poverty, humility, and service, wandering the countryside preaching repentance and caring for the poor and sick, especially lepers, whom he had once feared.
Francis soon attracted followers drawn by his sincerity and joyful simplicity. In 1209, he sought approval for his way of life from Pope Innocent III. The pope, after some hesitation, granted informal recognition to Francis and his companions, marking the beginning of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscans. The order grew rapidly, spreading across Europe and emphasising preaching, poverty, and living among ordinary people rather than in monasteries.
A distinctive aspect of Francis’s spirituality was his profound connection to nature. He saw all creation as a reflection of God’s goodness and referred to animals, plants, and even elements such as the sun and moon as his brothers and sisters. This outlook is beautifully expressed in his “Canticle of the Sun,” a poetic hymn praising God through creation. Stories abound of Francis preaching to birds and taming a wolf in the town of Gubbio, illustrating his belief in harmony between humanity and the natural world.
Francis’s commitment to peace was equally striking. During the Fifth Crusade, he travelled to Egypt and courageously crossed battle lines to meet the Muslim sultan, Al-Kamil. Though he did not convert the sultan, the encounter is remembered as a remarkable moment of dialogue and mutual respect in an age of conflict.
In 1212, Francis inspired a young noblewoman, Clare of Assisi, to follow a similar path of poverty and devotion. She established the Order of Poor Ladies, later known as the Poor Clares, which became the female counterpart to the Franciscan movement. Together, these communities represented a powerful renewal within the medieval Church, emphasising simplicity, charity, and a return to the Gospel.
In 1224, while praying on Mount La Verna, Francis is said to have received the stigmata—the wounds of Christ—making him the first recorded person in Christian history to bear these marks. This event deepened his reputation for holiness and mystical union with Christ, though it also brought him physical suffering.
By the time of his death on the 3rd of October, 1226, Francis had become widely revered. He died near Assisi, lying on the bare ground as a sign of his enduring commitment to poverty. Just two years later, he was canonised by Pope Gregory IX, and the great Basilica of Saint Francis was erected in Assisi to honour him.
The legacy of Saint Francis of Assisi endures powerfully to this day. He is regarded as the patron saint of animals and the environment, and his life continues to inspire people of all faiths with its message of humility, compassion, and peace. His simple prayer, often paraphrased as “Make me an instrument of your peace,” encapsulates the spirit of a man who renounced wealth and ambition to embrace a life of profound spiritual richness.