The medieval church

Francis of Assisi

c. 1181 to 1226 · Assisi, Italy

Francis of Assisi (c. 1181 to 1226) was an Italian friar who traded the wealth of a merchant’s son for a life of radical poverty in imitation of Jesus. He founded the Franciscan order, preached to rich and poor alike, cared for lepers and for creation, and is remembered for a joy and simplicity that still disarm. Tradition holds that near the end of his life he received the stigmata, the wounds of Christ.

Life and context

Francis was born around 1181 to a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi and lived a carefree youth before going to war and being taken prisoner. A slow conversion followed, marked by prayer at the ruined church of San Damiano, where he sensed a call to ‘rebuild my church.’ He renounced his inheritance publicly, embraced what he called Lady Poverty, and began to gather followers. Pope Innocent III approved his order around 1209. With Clare of Assisi he founded an order for women, the Poor Clares. During the Crusades he crossed enemy lines to meet the Sultan al-Kamil in Egypt in 1219. He composed the Canticle of the Sun, and in 1224 on Mount La Verna he received the stigmata. He died in 1226 and was canonized in 1228.

What he taught and lived

Francis wrote little; his teaching was mostly his life. He took the gospel with startling literalness: give to the poor, own nothing, make peace, love every creature as God’s. The popular saying ‘preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary use words’ is often attributed to him, but it is not found in his own writings; still, it captures how much he preached by how he lived.

What his witness points us to

Francis is a living picture of Jesus, who ‘though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor.’ His joy in poverty points past himself to the self-giving Christ he was imitating, and asks everyone who admires him the same question: not what did Francis own, but whom did he follow.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Francis of Assisi?

Francis (c. 1181 to 1226) was an Italian friar who gave up wealth for a life of poverty in imitation of Jesus. He founded the Franciscan order, cared for the poor and for creation, and is said to have received the stigmata in 1224.

What is the Franciscan order?

The Franciscans are a religious order Francis founded around 1209, marked by poverty, simplicity, preaching, and care for the poor. With Clare of Assisi he also founded an order for women, the Poor Clares.

Did Francis say 'preach the gospel, use words if necessary'?

That popular saying is commonly attributed to Francis, but it is not found in any of his surviving writings. It does capture the spirit of a man who preached largely through the way he lived.