Umbria - Italy - page 212

The Life & Times of St. Francis
Francis of Assisi was born in 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant.
As a teen, he enjoyed all the passing pleasures of life—drinking, partying
with other rich kids—and then joined a military expedition to Perugia,
probably for the glory of it. He was taken prisoner, and, following his
release, became more spiritual, committing himself to a life of poverty and
self-sacrifice. After extended meditation he began to have visions. In
1209, the crucifix of St. Damiano is said to have spoken to him and told
him to “rebuild the Church.” Francis first took this literally to mean that
he should find some stones to support the building's walls. In Giotto's
Basilica fresco, St. Francis can be seen lifting the church, superhero style.
Francis's father criticized him for squandering his company's profits on
church stones, and for preferring the company of lepers to nobles. In
protest, Francis stripped naked in the main square in Assisi, and gave away
all his material possessions. In Giotto's fresco, Assisi's father is being
restrained from smacking his son.
It would seem that Francis's philosophy of poverty was in direct conflict
with the jewel-encrusted, power-hungry, institutional Church of the day.
But his humility and obedience to Church rule (per the scene of the monks
kneeling in front of the Pope) made his order more attractive to Rome than
other splinter sects of the day. So Rome approved the Franciscan Order in
about 1211.
Francis spent the remaining 17 years of his life ministering to the poor
and communing with nature and all of God's creatures, which helped earn
him the title of “patron saint of animals.”
In 1224, Francis was said to have received the stigmata of Christ, when
bleeding wounds appeared on his hands, feet, and sides. He was canon-
ized in 1228, only 2 years after his death.
The Roman church, and some of Francis's followers, promptly co-opted
the Franciscan Order by funding the building of the ornate Basilica in the
1230s, in part by selling indulgences to visitors, pardoning their sins on
behalf of St. Francis for a few gold coins. Nevertheless, the Franciscan Order
has kept its philosophy intact, as can be seen by the many Franciscan
Brothers still walking the streets of Assisi dressed in their brown sackcloth
robes tied with a simple rope belt.
God's message communicated through the purity of nature. You can almost hear
the whirring as St. Francis spins in his grave below.
For a more serene experience, head to San Pietro (Piazza San Pietro at end of
Borgo San Pietro; € 3.50 admission to crypt; 9am-noon and 2-6pm), a neglected
church on the southwest edge of town, reopened after years of earthquake retro-
fitting. The plaza outside offers lovely views of the countryside, and a peaceful rest