10 Interesting Facts about St. Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis of Assisi by Jusepe de Ribera.jpg Photo by Jusepe de Ribera – Wikimedia Commons

10 Interesting Facts about St. Francis of Assisi

His name was Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone later called Saint Francis of Assisi. He was a mystic Italian Catholic friar and the founder of the Franciscans. He was one of the most venerated figures in Christianity. However, he is well remembered for his inspiration to lead a life of poverty and itinerant preaching. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 16 July 1228. He was very passionate about Christianity as seen in 1219 when he went to Egypt to convert the sultan al-Kamil in an attempt to end the conflict of the Fifth Crusade. However, he arranged for the first Christmas live nativity scene in 1223. In the following year 1224, he received the stigmata during the apparition of a Seraphic angel in religious ecstasy. He is remembered for being the founder of the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of St. Francis. He also founded the Custody of the Holy Land. Immediately after his community was authorized by the Pope, he withdrew from external affairs. More importantly, he associated with patronage of animals and the environment which became customary for churches to bear 4th October, his feast day as a special day to bless animals.

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1. He Spent a Simple Life

Francis of Assisi – Annibale Carracci.jpg Photo by Annibale Carracci – Wikimedia Commons

St. Francis of Assis had a very unique character. One factor that stood out about him is that he joined poor begging at St. Peter’s Basilica when he was on a pilgrimage to Rome. This was part of his life, humbled and ready to align himself with the low in society. In 1208, he is on record to have devoted himself to a life of poverty. He dressed in a coarse woolen tunic, the dress then worn by the poorest Umbrian peasants which he tied around himself with a knotted rope and went about exhorting the people of the countryside to penance, brotherly love, and peace. However, he did not have boundaries when it came to preaching, rather, he preached to ordinary people without a license. Due to his simple life, he was followed by eleven brothers who lived a simple life in the deserted lazar house of Rivo Torto near Assisi. They wandered through the mountains of Umbria making a deep impression upon their hearer with their earnest exhortations. He led the eleven followers to Rome in a bid to seek permission from Pope Innocent III to begin a new religious order. This request was taken positively by Pope in that he admitted the whole group and blessed them saying “when God increased in grace and number, remember to return for an official audience.” 

2. He was Spiritually Connected

On various occasions, he had a vision of Jesus Christ in particular when he was alone seeking God at the chapel of San Damiano. In this instant, he is in record having had a voice say “Francis, Francis, go and repair my church which as you can see, is falling into ruins.” Since he was praying in that church, he sold his clothes from his father’s sote to assist the preist assigned to the church to repair.  This was as a result of the many time he spent time in lonely places asking God on spiritual enlightenment.

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3. The Growth of the Third Order

Philip Fruytiers – St. Francis of Assisi.jpg Photo by Philip Fruytiers – Wikimedia Commons

He was the founder of the men’s Order of Friars Minor and the women’s Order of St. Clare. In addition, he also founded the Third Order of St. Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land and withdrew fron external affairs once his community was authorized by the Pope. However, he was able to recruit the noblewoman Clare of Assist who sought to live like St. Francis of Assis and his eleven folowers. She joined the Third Order together with her cousin Rufino. Clare left her family palace on the night of Palm Sunday and was received by Francis at the Porsiuncola where they established the Order of Poor Clares. She was given a garment similar to his before lodging her and her younger sister Caterine and other young women in a nearby monastery of Benedictine nuns awaiting his possibility of having a suitable monastery for them. In addition, he transferred them to San Damiano which became the first monastery of the Second Franciscan Order currently called the Poor Clares.

4. He was in Military

St. Francis of Assis joined the military expedition against Perugia where he was take as a prisioner at Collestrada. In actual fact, he spent an year as a captive where he suffered an illness which caused him to re-evaluate his life. After the release, he returned to Assisi in 1203 and lived a free and easy life and only after a strange vision did he return to Assis and became serious about the Christian life foregoing the worldly life.

5. He Travelled to Africa to Take the Gospel

He was a man who could travel many miles to spread the word of God. In 1213 he travelled to Morocco but could not make it due to sickness, hence, he stopped at Spain. In 1219, he travelled to Egypt accompanied by the Friar Illuminatus of Arce. His mission was to convert Sultan al-Kamil, a nephew to Saladin at a time when the Fifth Crusade army  was besieging the walled city of Damietta. In the cause of this determination to preach the word of God. Against the Muslims expectation, he was warmly welcome by the Sultan and preached to him.

6. His ministry Spead to the World

Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Orem Utah 2.jpg Photo by Always dreamin – Wikimedia Commons

His ministry of Franciscan Order expanded and it was divided into provinces. However some groups were sent out to France, Germany, Hungary, Spain and to the East. He received a report of the martyrdom of five brothers in Morocco where he returned to Italy through Venice.

7. The Fascinating Encounters

El Éxtasis de San Francisco de Asís, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.jpg Photo by José Luis Filpo Cabana – Wikimedia Commons

On various occassions as he prayed, he experienced visions. One such occassion is when he was praying at mountain of Verna during a forty-day prayer in preparation for Michaelmas which was on September 29. On September 13, 1224, he saw a vision of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross after which, he received the stigmata. This particular vision was witnessed by Brother Leo who was with Francis of Assis during the encounter. In additiion, an six-winged angle appeared to him and gave hima gift of five wounds of Christ. However, his death was interesting in that he was singing Psalms 141 and the last days before his death were filled with his dictation on his spiritual testament. His death was on October 3, 1226 at Porziuncola.

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8. He was Declared a Saint

After his death, his friend Pope Gregory IX and former cardinal Ugolino di Conti and cardinal Protestor of the Order declared him a saint. The Pope laid a doundation stone for the Basilica of St. Francis in Assis. 

9. His Burial Site was Rediscovered in 1818.

Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, Marble staircase, Side.jpg Photo by Marco Ober – Wikimedia Commons

Francis of Assis was buried at the Lower Basilica. However, during the Saracen invaders, his tomb was hidden and could not be traced until 1818 when it was rediscovered and refashioned from 1927 to 1930, the shape that has been sustained to this date.

10. His Character Reflected Christ

One character of Francis of Assis that resembled that of Christ was his prayer life. Many times he qent into a quiet place to pray and seek God’s guidance. His preaching was also intense and his life was about preaching, praying and living among the poor. In fact, he joined the poor begging at St. Peter’s in Rome when he visited. This reflected Jesus when he healed the sick among the poor and needy. His followers believed in the fact that Francis the Assis, their leader said that absolute personal and corporate poverty was the essential lifestyle for th emembers of his order.

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