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Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the most celebrated saints in Catholicism, and indeed he led quite an interesting life. Francis was born wealthy, fought in a war, was imprisoned, traveled, preached, and embraced a life of radical poverty. But how and why did he become such a venerated saint?
Click through this gallery to discover the fascinating life of St. Francis.
Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone was born circa 1181 in Assisi, Duchy of Spoleto, Italy.
His father was Pietro Bernardone dei Moriconi, a wealthy cloth merchant who owned farmland around Assisi.
Giovanni's father was constantly in France for business, and Giovanni’s mother was a Frenchwoman called Pica de Bourlemont.
When Giovanni was born, his father was away, so his mother named him after St. John the Baptist. When the father returned home, he renamed the child Francesco, a reference to France.
Francis was essentially a spoiled rich kid. The rebel teenager left school at age 14 and devoted himself to a hedonistic lifestyle.
He’d indulge in the finest food and wine, always partying in style. Francis became notorious for breaking the city curfew and for his rebellious antics.
Francis was trained in horsemanship and learned the skills of archery and wrestling.
Francis was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and run the family textile business, but he didn’t find that idea very exciting. Instead, he wanted to become a knight.
In 1202, war broke out between Assisi and Perugia, giving Francis his chance to fight and experience what life as a warrior was like. He joined the cavalry.
In one battle, Assisi troops were decimated. Francis was one of the few survivors.
Francis was wearing expensive armor and clothes—a huge hint about his social status. The enemies recognized this as an opportunity for a good ransom. Francis’ life was spared and he was thrown in a cell.
While in prison waiting for his father to pay the ransom, Francis started to receive visions from God.
Francis was finally released from prison in 1203. He returned to Assisi a changed man.
Legend has it that one day Francis encountered a leper while riding his horse in the countryside. Instead of fleeing, he embraced and kissed the leper. This experience would be described as liberating and life-changing.
The days of debauchery and battle were over. Francis, now in his twenties, spent his days praying in churches around Assisi and helping out nurses caring for lepers.
Story has it that Francis heard the call from Christ himself while praying before an old Byzantine crucifix at the church of San Damiano.
Jesus Christ told Francis to rebuild the Christian Church and to dedicate himself to a life of poverty. Francis complied and soon started preaching around Assisi.
Francis needed to raise money to spread the gospel and rebuild the Church, so he sold his horse and a bolt of cloth from his father's shop. Francis' father was not happy about it and brought his son before the bishop.
When the bishop ordered Francis to return the money he duly complied. In protest, Francis also took off his clothes and said that God was the only father he recognized. Francis left Assisi with a rough tunic the bishop gave him.
Francis fully embraced radical poverty and was determined to restore Christ’s values. He soon gathered followers, who later became known as Franciscan friars.
Francis would go from village to village preaching the gospel to people, and even animals. Because of this, he later became the patron saint of animals and the environment.
Francis traveled all the way to the Muslim world preaching. In Egypt, he met Sultan Malik al-Kamil, an Islamic religious leader whom he tried to convert through a trial by fire.
Francis is said to have walked through fire to prove the Christian faith, but the Sultan did not convert. The two did become friends, and a decade later, al-Kamil gave Jerusalem to the Christians.
In 1224, while on a 40-day fast in preparation for Michaelmas, also known as the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel, Francis is said to have received a vision.
Francis saw a six-winged Seraph attached to a cross. The vision left him with the stigmata of Christ: wounds similar to the ones inflicted on Jesus through crucifixion. Francis was the first person ever to receive the stigmata.
Francis died on October 3, 1226, in Assisi, Italy. He was 44.
Francis' body was placed in a Basilica, but to prevent it from being found by invading Saracens, his body was hidden in a secret location. Saint Francis’ body was not rediscovered until 1818.
Saint Francis was canonized two years after his death, on July 16, 1228, by Pope Gregory IX.
Years later, Pope Innocent III had a vision which he attributed to Saint Francis. This led him to approve the rule of Francis and the founding of the Franciscan order.
In 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio honored Saint Francis by becoming Pope Francis.
Sources: (Biography) (Franciscan Missionaries) (Church Pop)
See also: The "Cowboy Priest" and other saints you might not know about
St. Francis: the rich kid who renounced his wealth to live with the poor
The fascinating life story of Saint Francis of Assisi
LIFESTYLE Religion
Saint Francis of Assisi is one of the most celebrated saints in Catholicism, and indeed he led quite an interesting life. Francis was born wealthy, fought in a war, was imprisoned, traveled, preached, and embraced a life of radical poverty. But how and why did he become such a venerated saint?
Click through this gallery to discover the fascinating life of St. Francis.