Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/1182 – 1226) is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. Born into a wealthy merchant family in Assisi, Italy, he renounced his inheritance after a dramatic conversion experience and dedicated his life to radical poverty and service to the poor.
Francis founded the Order of Friars Minor (the Franciscans), the Order of Saint Clare (the Poor Clares) with Saint Clare of Assisi, and the Third Order of Saint Francis. He is known for his love of nature — reflected in his Canticle of the Sun — and for receiving the stigmata, the five wounds of Christ, in 1224.
Pope John Paul II named him patron of ecology in 1979. Pope Francis chose his papal name in honor of Saint Francis.
