Birth in Assisi
Francis is born to Pietro and Pica Bernardone, a wealthy cloth merchant family in Assisi. He is given a French nickname by his father, who loved France.
Assisi, Italy
Founder
Saint Francis of Assisi
A merchant's son who stripped himself of everything and rebuilt the Church from the ground up.
Patron saint of
Ecology, Animals, Italy
- Feast
- October 4
- Era
- Late 12th to early 13th century
- Place
- Assisi, Italy
At a Glance
Saint Francis of Assisi
- Feast Day
- October 4
- Era
- Late 12th to early 13th century
- Primary Place
- Assisi, Italy
- Vocation
- Founder
- Patronage
- Ecology, Animals, Italy, Merchants
- Symbols
- Gray or brown habit, Stigmata, Birds, Wolf
- Veneration
- Universal Catholic Church
- Canonization
- 1228
- Tomb & Relics
- Basilica of San Francesco, Assisi · Assisi, Umbria, Italy
Why This Saint Matters
Why Saint Francis of Assisi still draws pilgrims close
Francis Bernardone was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi. His conversion was not sudden but a gradual dismantling: illness, an encounter with lepers, a voice from the San Damiano crucifix, and finally the public act of returning his clothes to his father in the town square and walking away with nothing.
Life and Witness
Saint Francis of Assisi's Story
The Canticle of the Creatures, which he composed near the end of his life while ill and nearly blind, is one of the earliest literary works in Italian — and one of the most beautiful prayers ever written. In it, Francis praises God through Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Sister Water, Brother Wind, and Sister Death. The praise is not the romantic nature-mysticism that popular culture has assigned him. It is theological, disciplined, and rooted in a poverty that had given everything to God.
His Rule and Testament show a man deeply serious about the Gospel lived literally — no property, no security, no status, complete dependence on God. He gathered companions who shared this life. The Franciscan movement spread rapidly and became one of the most significant in the Church's history.
In 1224, two years before his death, Francis received the stigmata at La Verna — the wounds of Christ in his hands, feet, and side. He kept them hidden as long as he could. He died at the Portiuncula in 1226, asking to be laid naked on the ground, as he had lived: with nothing between himself and God.
The places of Assisi — the Basilica of San Francesco, San Damiano, the Portiuncula, La Verna — are among the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in Italy. His witness speaks to anyone attempting to live more simply, more generously, or more radically close to the poor.
Timeline
The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi
The moments that shaped a life of faith, courage, and lasting devotion.
Conversion Begins — The Lepers, The Cave, San Damiano
After illness and captivity in Perugia, Francis begins a gradual conversion. He encounters lepers — people he previously found repulsive — and shows them mercy. A voice from the San Damiano crucifix says: "Rebuild my church."
Assisi and San Damiano
Renunciation Before the Bishop
Francis returns his clothes to his father in front of the bishop of Assisi, publicly renouncing inheritance and worldly security. He begins a life of radical poverty.
Assisi, Italy
Papal Approval of the First Rule
Pope Innocent III gives verbal approval to Francis's simple rule of life. The Franciscan movement begins to grow.
Rome, Italy
The Stigmata at La Verna
While in prayer on the mountain of La Verna, Francis receives the wounds of Christ — the stigmata — in his hands, feet, and side. He keeps them hidden as long as possible.
La Verna, Tuscany, Italy
Canticle of the Creatures
Ill and nearly blind at San Damiano, Francis composes the Canticle of the Creatures — one of the earliest literary works in Italian and one of the most beautiful prayers in the Christian tradition.
San Damiano, Assisi
Death at the Portiuncula
Francis asks to be laid on the ground at the Portiuncula — the little chapel he had rebuilt by hand. He dies on October 3, asking to be welcomed, as he had lived, with nothing between himself and God.
Portiuncula, Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi
Relics And Footsteps
Where pilgrims meet Saint Francis of Assisi today
The saint's story becomes concrete in churches, tombs, crypts, and streets where Catholics still go to pray.
Tomb of Saint Francis
Basilica of San Francesco, Assisi
Assisi, Umbria, Italy
The great double basilica built over Francis's tomb. The lower basilica, with its dimly lit nave and the shrine beneath the high altar, is the pilgrim's destination.
- Tomb of Saint Francis in the lower crypt
- Relics of early Franciscan companions
Enter through the lower basilica and descend to the crypt. Allow time to sit with the tomb before moving to the upper church and the rest of Assisi.
Pilgrimage Itinerary
Plan A Pilgrimage With Saint Francis of Assisi
Turn the sacred places above into a day you can actually walk: churches, relics, quiet corners of prayer, and nearby additions that make sense together.
01
Place of Encounter
Basilica of San Francesco
The primary Franciscan pilgrimage site, built over Francis's tomb.
Visit the lower and upper basilicas and descend to the crypt where Francis is buried.
- Location
- Assisi, Italy
- Visit Time
- 90 minutes
- Cost
- Free admission
- Hours
- Daily; check hours before visiting
- Access
- Mostly accessible; some uneven surfaces in older sections
02
Place of Encounter
San Damiano
The starting point of Francis's conversion.
The chapel where Francis heard the crucifix speak and where Clare lived. A short walk below the town walls.
- Location
- Below Assisi, Italy
- Visit Time
- 45-60 minutes
- Cost
- Free admission
- Hours
- Morning and afternoon; closed midday
- Access
- Footpath from town; some steps
Nearby To The Path
Good additions once the saint sites are already part of the day.
Portiuncula (Santa Maria degli Angeli)
The little chapel Francis rebuilt by hand, now enclosed within a large basilica at the foot of Assisi's hill.
4 km from Assisi town centerEremo delle Carceri
The hermitage in the forest above Assisi where Francis retreated for prayer. Still occupied by friars.
4 km east of AssisiLa Verna
The mountain sanctuary where Francis received the stigmata in 1224. A place of striking natural beauty and Franciscan prayer.
About 80 km north of AssisiCarry the story into your route
Saved places and routes are ready in your journey planner.
Open Journey PlannerFeast Day & Devotion
October 4 — Saint Francis of Assisi
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Kindred Saints
A few lives that echo Saint Francis of Assisi's witness through place, patronage, era, or courage.
Saint Clare of Assisi
His companion and the founder of the Poor Clares, whose life mirrored Francis's radical poverty in an enclosed form.
Saint Bonaventure
The Franciscan minister general and theologian whose Legenda Maior shaped how Francis was understood for centuries.
Saint Anthony of Padua
One of the early Franciscan friars, a great preacher and doctor who extended Francis's work.
Saint Benedict
The father of Western monasticism, whose Rule of ora et labora shares the spirit of ordered poverty and prayer.
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