Franz von Assisi

Francis of Assisi was born in Assisi in 1181. He turned away from secular life and devoted himself to a life of poverty, faith, and care for others. Around 1209, he founded the Order of Friars Minor, from which the Franciscan order emerged. As an itinerant preacher, he travelled through France, Spain, Egypt, and the Holy Land, among other places. Francis of Assisi died near Assisi in 1226 and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1228.