Francis of Assisi
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| He is known as the [[patron saint]] of animals, birds, the environment, and [[Italy]], and it is customary for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies honoring animals around his [[feast day]] of [[October 4]]. | He is known as the [[patron saint]] of animals, birds, the environment, and [[Italy]], and it is customary for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies honoring animals around his [[feast day]] of [[October 4]]. | ||
| + | ==Vision== | ||
| + | While he was praying on the mountain of Verna, during a forty-day fast in preparation for [[Michaelmas]] (September 29), Francis is said to have had a vision on or about September 14, 1224, the Feast of the [[Exaltation of the Cross]], as a result of which he received the [[stigmata]]. Brother Leo, who had been with Francis at the time, left a clear and simple account of the event, the first definite account of the phenomenon of stigmata. ''"Suddenly he saw a vision of a seraph, a six-winged angel on a cross. This angel gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ."'' Suffering from these stigmata and from [[trachoma]], Francis received care in several cities ([[Siena]], [[Cortona]], [[Nocera Umbra|Nocera]]) to no avail. In the end, he was brought back to a hut next to the Porziuncola. Here, in the place where it all began, feeling the end approaching, he spent the last days of his life dictating his spiritual testament. He died on the evening of October 3, 1226, singing [[Psalm]] 142(141) – ''"Voce mea ad Dominum"''. | ||
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| + | On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope [[Gregory IX]] (the former cardinal Ugolino di Conti, friend of St Francis and Cardinal Protector of the Order). The next day, the Pope laid the foundation stone for the [[Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi|Basilica of Saint Francis]] in Assisi. He was buried on May 25, 1230, under the Lower Basilica, but his tomb was soon hidden on orders of Brother Elias to protect it from Saracen invaders. His burial place remained unknown until it was discovered in 1818. Pasquale Belli then constructed for his remains a crypt in neo-classical style in the Lower Basilica. It was refashioned between 1927 and 1930 into its present form by Ugo Tarchi, stripping the wall of its marble decorations. In 1978, the remains of St. Francis were examined and confirmed by a commission of scholars appointed by [[Pope Paul VI]], and put into a glass urn in the ancient stone tomb. Saint Francis is considered the first Italian poet by literary critics.<ref>{{Cite book | chapter=2 - Poetry. Francis of Assisi (pp. 5ff.)| chapterurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=3uq0bObScHMC&pg=PA5&dq=%22Poetry+Francis+of+Assisi%22 | title=The Cambridge History of Italian Literature | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=3uq0bObScHMC&printsec=frontcover | editor1-first=Peter | editor1-last=Brand | editor2-first=Lino | editor2-last=Pertile | editor2link=Lino Pertile | year=1999 | publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] | id=ISBN 978-0-52166622-0 | isbn=0-52166622-8}}</ref> He believed commoners should be able to pray to God in their own language, and he wrote often in the dialect of Umbria instead of Latin. His writings are considered to have great literary and religious value.<ref name="Francis">{{cite book | title=St. Francis| url=http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/stf01010.htm| last=Chesterton| first=G.K.| year=1987| pages=160 p.| publisher=Image| isbn=0-385-02900-4}}</ref> | ||
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Saint Francis of Assisi (born Giovanni Francesco Bernardone) (1181 or 1182 – 3 October 1226) was a Roman Catholic friar and the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans.
He is known as the patron saint of animals, birds, the environment, and Italy, and it is customary for Catholic churches to hold ceremonies honoring animals around his feast day of October 4.
Vision
While he was praying on the mountain of Verna, during a forty-day fast in preparation for Michaelmas (September 29), Francis is said to have had a vision on or about September 14, 1224, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, as a result of which he received the stigmata. Brother Leo, who had been with Francis at the time, left a clear and simple account of the event, the first definite account of the phenomenon of stigmata. "Suddenly he saw a vision of a seraph, a six-winged angel on a cross. This angel gave him the gift of the five wounds of Christ." Suffering from these stigmata and from trachoma, Francis received care in several cities (Siena, Cortona, Nocera) to no avail. In the end, he was brought back to a hut next to the Porziuncola. Here, in the place where it all began, feeling the end approaching, he spent the last days of his life dictating his spiritual testament. He died on the evening of October 3, 1226, singing Psalm 142(141) – "Voce mea ad Dominum".
On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX (the former cardinal Ugolino di Conti, friend of St Francis and Cardinal Protector of the Order). The next day, the Pope laid the foundation stone for the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi. He was buried on May 25, 1230, under the Lower Basilica, but his tomb was soon hidden on orders of Brother Elias to protect it from Saracen invaders. His burial place remained unknown until it was discovered in 1818. Pasquale Belli then constructed for his remains a crypt in neo-classical style in the Lower Basilica. It was refashioned between 1927 and 1930 into its present form by Ugo Tarchi, stripping the wall of its marble decorations. In 1978, the remains of St. Francis were examined and confirmed by a commission of scholars appointed by Pope Paul VI, and put into a glass urn in the ancient stone tomb. Saint Francis is considered the first Italian poet by literary critics.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He believed commoners should be able to pray to God in their own language, and he wrote often in the dialect of Umbria instead of Latin. His writings are considered to have great literary and religious value.<ref name="Francis">Template:Cite book</ref> Template:-
