3rd October 1226 was the day on which St Francis
of Assisi died, at the age of 44. He is probably one of the best-known medieval
saints, mainly for the popular image of him being surrounded by animals and
birds, which he called his “brothers and sisters”. Many stories have been told
about his ability to talk to animals and make them change their ways, but how
much credence can be given to these legends is open to doubt.
Among the undoubted facts of Francis’s life is his
foundation of the Franciscan Order of friars and an equivalent order for women,
the “Poor Clares”. These orders were based on the principles of poverty and
service and spread far and wide in medieval Europe, existing down to the
present day. Even though some followers of St Francis deviated from his
principles in later years, with the Friar of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury
Tales being a notable example, the founder of the order lived entirely
according to the rules he laid down.
Another lasting innovation of St Francis is the custom of
displaying the birth of Jesus as a manger scene with animals paying homage to
the infant Christ.
At the age of 42 Francis is reputed to have seen a vision of
a “seraph with six wings” and to have received the “stigmata”, these being
copies of the five wounds of Christ on his body.
When he knew that he that was nearing his end, Francis asked
to be laid on the ground where he could greet “sister Death”.
Francis was certainly one of the more likeable saints in
history, and he was so admired that he was named a saint only two years
after his death. The cathedral at Assisi, dedicated to St Francis, was
consecrated only 27 years after he died.
© John Welford
No comments:
Post a Comment