Francis of Assisi

c. 1181 – 3 October 1226

Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226) was an Italian Catholic friar and mystic who founded the Franciscan order after renouncing his wealthy merchant upbringing to embrace a life of poverty. He is remembered for his devotion to the poor, his love of nature and animals, and for reportedly receiving the stigmata in 1224. He was canonized in 1228 and is one of the most venerated figures in Christianity.

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Life events

Born in Assisi
c. 1181

Francis was born in Assisi, in the Duchy of Spoleto, the son of the wealthy silk merchant Pietro di Bernardone.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Captured at the Battle of Collestrada and imprisoned in Perugia
November 1202

Fighting for Assisi against Perugia, Francis was taken prisoner and held for about a year, an experience that contributed to his later spiritual conversion.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Renounced his inheritance before the Bishop of Assisi
c. 1206

After a dispute with his father, Francis publicly renounced his family wealth and inheritance and committed himself to a life of poverty and religious devotion.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Received oral approval for his order from Pope Innocent III
c. 1210

Francis traveled to Rome with his first followers, and Pope Innocent III informally approved his simple rule of life, marking the founding of the Franciscan order.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Traveled to Egypt and met Sultan al-Kamil during the Fifth Crusade
1219

Francis crossed the battle lines at Damietta and was received by the Ayyubid sultan al-Kamil, an encounter later celebrated as an early example of interreligious dialogue.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Papal approval of the Franciscan Rule and creation of the Greccio nativity scene
29 November 1223

Pope Honorius III formally approved the Rule of the Friars Minor on 29 November 1223, and that Christmas Francis staged the first live nativity scene at Greccio.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Reported to have received the stigmata on Mount La Verna
September 1224

According to Franciscan tradition, during a retreat on Mount La Verna Francis received the wounds of Christ, becoming the first recorded person said to bear the stigmata.

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Died at the Porziuncola near Assisi
3 October 1226

Francis died at the chapel of the Porziuncola, singing Psalm 141 according to tradition; he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX less than two years later.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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