A biography of St Francis of Assisi

Francis of Assisi was born in 1182 and is recognised as a person dedicated to the poor and who had a great love for nature. Committed to a life of prayer and poverty, he formed the Franciscan order and was deeply sensitive to the divine in nature. He was the first person to receive the stigmata, the wounds of Christ.

Early life

Family Francis was born as Giovani Bernardone in 1182, though he was earlier nicknamed Francesco. His father, who was a cloth merchant, was very rich. So, Francis enjoyed himself among the rich young men of Assisi. At 20, he set out for war against the Perugians, was captured and spent a year as a prisoner of war and during that time he became ill. This began to alter his attitude to life, but on his return, he still lived an easy life. Change of heart He began to reform, beginning a life of prayer, free from the chains of possessions, and as he did so, he became more distant from his father. Some incidents stand out at this stage: his donating money to a sufferer from leprosy, but embracing him at the same time, an unheard act of kindness, and his swapping clothes with a beggar in Rome to see what it felt like to be poor. The break with his father came when he used his father's money to refurbish a ruined church. After this, he abandoned fine clothes and wore a rough tunic of sackcloth.

Followers gather

St Francis soon began to accumulate some followers and in 1208, he sought approval from Pope Innocent the Third to establish the Franciscan order. In 1212, the female branch of the order, the Poor Clares, was established. In the years 1214-15, he spent some time in Spain as he wanted to preach Christianity in Morocco, but sickness turned him back. Some incidents stand out. Journeying to the crusades, he ventured into the Muslim camp on a one-man peace mission. This was likely to be a death sentence, but the Sultan was impressed by his holiness and spared him, allowing him to journey to the religious sites in Palestine before returning home. The legend that he calmed a dangerous wolf at Gubbio seems to confirm legends of his natural rapport with animals, which has led to his being regarded as the saint of animals. He was deeply aware of the presence of God in nature, and expressed this in the much loved canticle of creatures. He was the first person to receive the stigmata, the wounds of Christ in his hands and feet, which came during intense prayer. He died in 1126