Saints
F

Saint · High medieval

Saint Francis of Assisi

Period
1181/82–1226
Feast day
4 October
Associated region
Assisi, Italy

Founder of the Franciscans, remembered for radical poverty and love of creation.

Key timeline

View full timeline (5)
  1. c. 1206

    Conversion

  2. 1209–1210

    Rule approved orally

    By Pope Innocent III.

  3. 1226

    Death

The son of a cloth merchant, Francis renounced his inheritance around 1206 and gathered followers committed to poverty and preaching. In 1219 he met Sultan al-Kamil in Egypt during the Fifth Crusade.

Principal written sources

  • His writings, including the Canticle of the Creatures and the Testament
  • Thomas of Celano, Lives
  • Bonaventure, Major Legend

Full timeline

  1. c. 1206

    Conversion

  2. 1209–1210

    Rule approved orally

    By Pope Innocent III.

  3. 1224Traditional

    Stigmata reported

  4. 1226

    Death

  5. 1228

    Canonised

Canonised in 1228, two years after his death. Pope John Paul II named him patron of ecology in 1979.

Feast day
  • 4 October
Venerated in (starting dataset)
Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran.
Patronage and roles (starting dataset)
Animals, Ecology, Italy, Franciscans
Places
Assisi · La Verna · Damietta, Egypt (1219)

Accounts in the starting dataset

The source workbook lists these under “Confirmed Miracle / Key Event”. The Atlas does not treat them as confirmed: each is labelled by the kind of evidence behind it.

  • TraditionalReported by contemporaries

    “Receiving the Five Wounds of Christ (Stigmata) on Mt. La Verna (1224)”

    His earliest biographers and Brother Elias report the stigmata; their nature is a matter of faith and debate.

  • LegendLater legend

    “Taming ferocious wolf of Gubbio to live peacefully among villagers”

    Told in the Little Flowers (Fioretti), 14th century.

About the image · Editorial design

Editorial initial. Early images of Francis exist but are not cleared for use here.

Editorial status

Editorial draft. Built from the starting workbook with editorial corrections and framing. It has not yet been checked against independent sources.

References

  • Workbook linkNot yet checked

    britannica.com

    Link supplied in the source workbook (“Top 100 Saints”, row 64). It has not been checked to confirm that it supports every claim in that row.

Original workbook record

Imported unchanged from “Top 100 Saints”, row 64. Values here are the starting dataset, not verified facts; where the Atlas differs, the reason is noted below.

#
56
Saint / Title
Saint Francis of Assisi
Primary Traditions Veneration
Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran
Feast Day(s)
Oct 4
Era / Lived
1181 – 1226 AD
Origin / Region
Assisi, Italy
Patronage & Major Roles
Animals, Ecology, Italy, Franciscans
Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 1
Receiving the Five Wounds of Christ (Stigmata) on Mt. La Verna (1224)
Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 2
Taming ferocious wolf of Gubbio to live peacefully among villagers
Key Contribution / Historical Significance
Founder of Franciscan Order; received stigmata and embraced absolute evangelical poverty.
Reference Link
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Francis-of-Assisi

Editorial notes on this record

  • Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 2: Wolf of Gubbio is a 14th-century legend.