Sermon to the Birds, Upper Basilica, Assisi (c. 1297–1300), traditionally attributed to Giotto · public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

His story

The son of a rich cloth merchant, Francis gave up everything (even the clothes he wore, handing them back to his father in front of the bishop) to live in radical poverty. He rebuilt ruined churches, founded the Franciscan friars, helped St Clare found the Poor Clares, and preached peace, even crossing Crusader lines in 1219 to meet Sultan al-Kamil of Egypt.

Path to sainthood

Canonised less than two years after his death, on 16 July 1228, by Pope Gregory IX, a personal friend. Pius XII named him a patron of Italy in 1939, and John Paul II named him patron of ecology in 1979.

Patronages

Italy, animals, ecology, and merchants.

Trivia

• He set up the first live nativity scene at Greccio in 1223.
• In 1224 he received the stigmata on Mount La Verna, the first widely recorded case in history.
• His Canticle of the Sun is one of the earliest poems written in Italian.
• Pope Francis (elected 2013) was the first pope to take his name.

Sources

• Benedict XVI, General Audience on St Francis (27 Jan 2010), vatican.va
• Vatican News: St Francis of Assisi
• Britannica: St Francis of Assisi
• Catholic Encyclopedia: St Francis of Assisi

Fact-checked on October 15, 2026 against New Advent (Catholic Encyclopedia), Vatican documents and news reports. Britannica links are given for further reading. Feast days follow the General Roman Calendar.

Last verified: October 15, 2026. Prices, hours and rules change: confirm with the official source before you go.