St. Francis of Assisi Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: St. Francis of Assisi
OCCUPATION: Saint
BIRTH DATE: c. 1181
DEATH DATE: October 03, 1226
PLACE OF BIRTH: Assisi, duchy of Spoleto, Italy
PLACE OF DEATH: Assisi, Italy
AKA: St. Francis of Assisi
Full Name: Saint Francis of Assisi
AKA: Saint Francis
AKA: San Francesco d'Assisi
Originally: Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone
AKA: St. Francis

Best Known For

St. Francis of Assisi abandoned a life of luxury for a life devoted to Christianity after reportedly hearing the voice of God, who commanded him to rebuild the Christian Church and live in poverty. He is the patron saint for ecologists.

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St. Francis of Assisi

APA Style

St. Francis of Assisi. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:22, May 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/st-francis-of-assisi-21152679.

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St. Francis of Assisi. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/st-francis-of-assisi-21152679 [Accessed 20 May 2013].

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"St. Francis of Assisi," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/st-francis-of-assisi-21152679 [accessed May 20, 2013].

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St. Francis of Assisi. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/st-francis-of-assisi-21152679. Accessed May 20, 2013.

Synopsis

Born in Italy circa 1181, St. Francis of Assisi was renown for drinking and partying in his youth. After fighting in a battle between Assisi and Perugia, Francis was captured and imprisoned at ransom. He spent nearly a year in prison—awaiting his father's ransom—and, during this time, reportedly began receiving visions from God. After his release from prison, Francis reportedly heard the voice of Christ, who told him to repair the Christian Church and live a life of poverty. Thusly,

he abandoned his life of luxury and devoted his life to Christianity, and became known all over the Christian world. Later in life, Francis reportedly received a vision that left him with the stigmata of Christ—marks resembling the wounds Jesus Christ suffered when he was crucified—making Francis the first person to receive the holy wounds of the stigmata. He was canonized as a saint on July 16, 1228. Today, St. Francis of Assisi has had a lasting resonance, with millions of followers across the globe.

Early Life of Luxury

Born circa 1181 in Assisi, duchy of Spoleto, Italy, St. Francis of Assisi, though revered tosay, began his life as a confirmed sinner. His father was a wealthy cloth merchant who owned farmland around Assisi, and his mother was a stunning Frenchwoman. Francis wanted for nothing during his youth; he was spoiled, indulging himself with fine food, booze and women, and left school at the age of 14. By this time, he had become renown as a teenage tearaway who frequently drank, partied and broke the city curfew. He was also known for his charm and for being dandy in his dress.

In these rustic surroundings, Francis of Assisi learned the skills of archery, wrestling and horsemanship. He was expected to follow his father into the family textile business, but was bored by the prospect of life in the cloth trade. Instead of planning a future as a merchant, he began daydreaming of a future as a knight; knights were Medieval action heroes, and if Francis had any ambition, it was to be a war hero like them. It wouldn't be long before the opportunity for warfare beckoned.

In 1202, war broke between Assisi and Perugia, and Francis eagerly took his place with the cavalry. Little did he know at the time, his experience with war wold change him forever.

War and Imprisonment

Francis and the men of Assisi came under heavy attack, and in the face of superior numbers, they took flight. The whole battlefield was soon covered with the bodies of butchered, mutilated men, screaming in agony. Most of the surviving Assisi troops were immediately put to death.

Dressed like an aristocrat in expensive new armour, Francis was quickly captured by enemy soldiers, but, judging him worthy of a decent ransom, decided to spare his life. He and the other wealthy prisoners were thusly taken as prisoners, led off to a dank underground cell. Francis would spend nearly a year in this miserable prison cell—awaiting his father's ransom—during which time he may well have contracted a serious disease.