Biography Francis of Assisi

1 biography

1.1 life
1.2 founding of franciscan orders

1.2.1 friars minor
1.2.2 poor clares , third order


1.3 travels
1.4 reorganization of franciscan order , death

biography
early life

francis of assisi born in late 1181 or 1182, 1 of several children of pietro di bernardone, prosperous silk merchant, , wife pica de bourlemont, whom little known except noblewoman provence. pietro in france on business when francis born in assisi, , pica had him baptized giovanni. upon return assisi, pietro took calling son francesco ( frenchman ), possibly in honor of commercial success , enthusiasm things french. since child renamed in infancy, change can hardly have had aptitude learning french, have thought.

the house francis of assisi lived when young

indulged parents, francis lived high-spirited life typical of wealthy young man. youth, francesco became devotee of troubadours , fascinated things transalpine. handsome, witty, gallant, , delighted in fine clothes. spent money lavishly. although many hagiographers remark bright clothing, rich friends, , love of pleasures, displays of disillusionment toward world surrounded him came in life, shown in story of beggar . in account, selling cloth , velvet in marketplace on behalf of father when beggar came him , asked alms. @ conclusion of business deal, francis abandoned wares , ran after beggar. when found him, francis gave man had in pockets. friends chided , mocked him act of charity. when got home, father scolded him in rage.

around 1202, joined military expedition against perugia , taken prisoner @ collestrada, spending year captive. illness caused him re-evaluate life. possible spiritual conversion gradual process rooted in experience. upon return assisi in 1203, francis returned carefree life. in 1205, francis left apulia enlist in army of walter iii, count of brienne. strange vision made him return assisi, having lost taste worldly life. according hagiographic accounts, thereafter began avoid sports , feasts of former companions. in response, asked him laughingly whether thinking of marrying, answered, yes, fairer bride of have ever seen , meaning lady poverty .

saint francis abandons father. francis of assisi breaking off relationship father , renouncing patrimony, laying aside publicly garments had received him.

on pilgrimage rome, joined poor in begging @ st. peter s basilica. spent time in lonely places, asking god spiritual enlightenment. said had mystical vision of jesus christ in forsaken country chapel of san damiano, outside assisi, in icon of christ crucified said him, francis, francis, go , repair house which, can see, falling ruins. took mean ruined church in presently praying, , sold cloth father s store assist priest there purpose. when priest refused accept ill-gotten gains, indignant francis threw coins on floor.

in order avoid father s wrath, francis hid in cave near san damiano month. when returned town, hungry , dirty, dragged home father, beaten, bound, , locked in small storeroom. freed mother during bernardone s absence, francis returned @ once san damiano, found shelter officiating priest, cited before city consuls father. latter, not content having recovered scattered gold san damiano, sought force son forego inheritance way of restitution. in midst of legal proceedings before bishop of assisi, francis renounced father , patrimony.

for next couple of months francis wandered beggar in hills behind assisi. spent time @ neighbouring monastery working scullion. went gubbio, friend gave him, alms, cloak, girdle, , staff of pilgrim. returning assisi, traversed city begging stones restoration of st. damiano s. these carried old chapel, set in place himself, , @ length rebuilt it. on course of 2 years, embraced life of penitent, during restored several ruined chapels in countryside around assisi, among them st. peter s, distance city; , porziuncola, little chapel of st. mary of angels in plain below town. later became favorite abode. degrees took nursing lepers, in lazar houses near assisi.

founding of franciscan orders
the friars minor

one morning in february 1208, francis hearing mass in chapel of st. mary of angels, near had built himself hut. gospel of day commissioning of twelve book of matthew. disciples go , proclaim kingdom of god @ hand. not take either money, nor second tunic, nor sandals, nor walking stick. francis inspired devote himself life of poverty. having obtained coarse woolen tunic, dress worn poorest umbrian peasants, tied around him knotted rope , went forth @ once exhorting people of country-side penance, brotherly love, , peace. francis preaching ordinary people unusual since had no license so.

his example drew others him. within year francis had eleven followers. brothers lived simple life in deserted lazar house of rivo torto near assisi; spent of time wandering through mountainous districts of umbria, making deep impression upon hearers earnest exhortations.

the pope approving statutes of order of franciscans, giotto, 1295–1300

in 1209 composed simple rule followers ( friars ), regula primitiva or primitive rule , came verses in bible. rule follow teachings of our lord jesus christ , walk in footsteps . led first eleven followers rome seek permission pope innocent iii found new religious order. upon entry rome, brothers encountered bishop guido of assisi, had in company giovanni di san paolo, cardinal bishop of sabina. cardinal, confessor of pope innocent iii, sympathetic francis , agreed represent francis pope. reluctantly, pope innocent agreed meet francis , brothers next day. after several days, pope agreed admit group informally, adding when god increased group in grace , number, return official admittance. group tonsured. important in part because recognized church authority , prevented following possible accusations of heresy, had happened waldensians decades earlier. though number of pope s counselors considered mode of life proposed francis unsafe , impracticable, following dream in saw francis holding basilica of st. john lateran (the cathedral of rome, home church of christendom), decided endorse francis order. occurred, according tradition, on april 16, 1210, , constituted official founding of franciscan order. group, lesser brothers (order of friars minor known franciscan order or seraphic order), centered in porziuncola , preached first in umbria, before expanding throughout italy. francis chose never ordained priest, although later ordained deacon.

the poor clares , third order

st. clare received st. francis, josep benlliure

from on, new order grew new vocations. hearing francis preaching in church of san rufino in assisi in 1211, young noblewoman clare of assisi became touched message , realized calling. cousin rufino, male member of family in generation, attracted new order, joined. on night of palm sunday, march 28, 1212, clare clandestinely left family s palace. francis received @ porziuncola , thereby established order of poor ladies. order women, , gave clare religious habit, or garment, similar own, before lodging in nearby monastery of benedictine nuns until provide suitable retreat her, , younger sister, caterina, , other young women had joined her. later transferred them san damiano, few small huts or cells of wattle, straw, , mud, , enclosed hedge. became first monastery of second franciscan order, known poor clares.

for not leave homes, later formed third order of brothers , sisters of penance, fraternity composed of either laity or clergy members neither withdrew world nor took religious vows. instead, observed principles of franciscan life in daily lives. before long, third order grew beyond italy.

travels

determined bring gospel god s creatures, francis sought on several occasions take message out of italy. in late spring of 1212, set out jerusalem, shipwrecked storm on dalmatian coast, forcing him return italy. on may 8, 1213, given use of mountain of la verna (alverna) gift count orlando di chiusi, described “eminently suitable whoever wishes penance in place remote mankind”.the mountain become 1 of favourite retreats prayer.

in same year, francis sailed morocco, time illness forced him break off journey in spain. in assisi, several noblemen (among them tommaso da celano, later write biography of st. francis) , well-educated men joined order. in 1215, francis may have gone rome fourth lateran council, not certain. during time, met canon, dominic de guzman (later saint dominic, founder of friars preachers, catholic religious order). in 1217, offered go france. cardinal ugolino of segni (the future pope gregory ix), , important supporter of francis, advised him against , said still needed in italy.

in 1219, accompanied friar , hoping convert sultan of egypt or win martyrdom in attempt, francis went egypt during fifth crusade crusader army had been encamped on year besieging walled city of damietta 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) upstream mouth of 1 of main channels of nile. sultan, al-kamil, nephew of saladin, had succeeded father sultan of egypt in 1218 , encamped upstream of damietta, unable relieve it. bloody , futile attack on city launched christians on august 29, 1219, following both sides agreed ceasefire lasted 4 weeks. during interlude francis , companion crossed muslims lines , brought before sultan, remaining in camp few days. visit reported in contemporary crusader sources , in earliest biographies of francis, give no information transpired during encounter beyond noting sultan received francis graciously , francis preached muslims without effect, returning unharmed crusader camp. no contemporary arab source mentions visit. 1 detail, added bonaventure in official life of francis (written forty years after event), has francis offering challenge sultan s priests trial-by-fire in order prove veracity of christian gospel.

such incident alluded in scene in late 13th-century fresco cycle, attributed giotto, in upper basilica @ assisi. has been suggested winged figures atop columns piercing roof of building on left of scene not idols (as erwin panofsky had proposed) part of secular iconography of sultan, affirming worldly power which, scene demonstrates, limited regards own priests shun challenge. although bonaventure asserts sultan refused permit challenge, subsequent biographies went further, claiming fire kindled francis unhesitatingly entered without suffering burns. scene in fresco adopts position midway between 2 extremes. since idea put forward german art historian, friedrich rintelen in 1912, many scholars have expressed doubt giotto author of upper church frescoes.

according late sources, sultan gave francis permission visit sacred places in holy land , preach there. can safely asserted francis , companion left crusader camp acre, embarked italy in latter half of 1220. drawing on 1267 sermon bonaventure, later sources report sultan secretly converted or accepted death-bed baptism result of encounter francis. franciscan order has been present in holy land uninterruptedly since 1217 when brother elias arrived @ acre. received concessions mameluke sultan in 1333 regard holy places in jerusalem , bethlehem, , (so far concerns catholic church) jurisdictional privileges pope clement vi in 1342.

reorganization of franciscan order , death

by time, growing order of friars divided provinces , groups sent france, germany, hungary, , spain , east. upon receiving report of martyrdom of 5 brothers in morocco, francis returned italy via venice. cardinal ugolino di conti nominated pope protector of order. reason francis return italy franciscan order had grown @ unprecedented rate compared prior religious orders, organizational sophistication had not kept growth , had little more govern francis example , simple rule. address problem, francis prepared new , more detailed rule, first rule or rule without papal bull (regula prima, regula non bullata), again asserted devotion poverty , apostolic life. however, introduced greater institutional structure though never officially endorsed pope.

on september 29, 1220, francis handed on governance of order brother peter catani @ porziuncola, brother peter died 5 months later, on march 10, 1221, , buried there. when numerous miracles attributed deceased brother, people started flock porziuncola, disturbing daily life of franciscans. francis prayed, asking peter stop miracles , obey in death had obeyed during life.

the reports of miracles ceased. brother peter succeeded brother elias vicar of francis. 2 years later, francis modified first rule , creating second rule or rule bull , approved pope honorius iii on november 29, 1223. official rule of order, called on friars observe holy gospel of our lord jesus christ, living in obedience without of our own , in chastity . in addition, set regulations discipline, preaching, , entry order. once rule endorsed pope, francis withdrew increasingly external affairs. during 1221 , 1222, francis crossed italy, first far south catania in sicily , afterwards far north bologna.

francis considered stigmata part of imitation of christ. cigoli, 1699

while praying on mountain of verna, during forty-day fast in preparation michaelmas (september 29), francis said have had vision on or september 14, 1224, feast of exaltation of cross, result of received stigmata. brother leo, had been francis @ time, left clear , simple account of event, first definite account of phenomenon of stigmata. saw vision of seraph, six-winged angel on cross. angel gave him gift of 5 wounds of christ. suffering these stigmata , trachoma, francis received care in several cities (siena, cortona, nocera) no avail. in end, brought hut next porziuncola. here, in place began, feeling end approaching, spent last days of life dictating spiritual testament. died on evening of saturday, october 3, 1226, singing psalm 142 (141), voce mea ad dominum .

on july 16, 1228, pronounced saint pope gregory ix (the former cardinal ugolino di conti, friend of saint francis , cardinal protector of order). next day, pope laid foundation stone basilica of saint francis in assisi. francis buried on may 25, 1230, under lower basilica, tomb hidden on orders of brother elias protect saracen invaders. exact burial place remained unknown until re-discovered in 1818. pasquale belli constructed remains crypt in neo-classical style in lower basilica. refashioned between 1927 , 1930 present form ugo tarchi, stripping wall of marble decorations. in 1978, remains of saint francis examined , confirmed commission of scholars appointed pope paul vi, , put glass urn in ancient stone tomb.