St. Francis and his Basilica

St. Francis and his Basilica

by: Lindsey Swanson
 
 

 
Assisi, one of the hidden gems of Italy, is maybe even one of the hidden gems of the world. The city is merely stunning with its incredible views from above and its tiny streets. It honestly feels like home. It is home to many Italians who want to stay away from big cities. It was also home to one of Italy most cherished saints, St. Francis of Assisi.
 
St. Francis of Assisi was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone and was unofficially called Francesco. He was an Italian Catholic priest. According to Biography.com, Francis of Assisi was born in late 1181 to a prosperous silk merchant and a Frenchwoman originally from Provence.
 
Francis was spoiled and liked to spend his money on luxurious items, for example wine and crazy celebrations. He was known around town as a rebel who drank, partied and constantly broke the town’s curfew, according to Biography.com.
 

 
In 1202, Francis went to war when tensions grew heavy between Assisi and Perugia. Francis had no idea what he was in for. He saw things he thought he would never see in his life: the bodies of his fellow soldiers all over the battlefield, women and children screaming in agony. Because most of his men had been killed and Francis had no war experience, he was captured by enemy troops. Also because Francis was dressed more like an aristocrat than a soldier, his enemies decided that he was worth something to somebody. So, word got out that Francis was captured, and his father was more than willing to pay to get him back. But Francis got seriously ill while waiting for this father’s payment, and this is when he began to see visions of God, according to Biograpy.com.
 
Finally, Francis was returned to his family after years of negotiations, but he wasn’t the same man that his family knew as he was still seriously ill and exhausted from being a prisoner for all of those years.
 
According to Biography.com while riding his horse one day, Francis encountered a leper (aka Jesus in disguise) and he pulled him into a hug. This changed Francis forever, as he then began spending time in the mountains and old churches around Assisi. He then found Christ once more praying before an old Byzantine crucifix at the church of San Damiano, according to legends. He heard the voice of Christ telling him to rebuild the Catholic Church and to live a life of poverty. He began preaching around Assisi and was joined by many more followers.
 
We were lucky enough to be able to see inside the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. It was stunning. The front of the building was almost a triangle shaped into a point, and in the center was a beautiful symbol.
 

 
The basilica, began construction in 1228, and it was built into the side of a hill and actually has two churches known as the Upper Church and the Lower. When we toured the basilica we visited the Lower Church, but we weren’t allowed to take pictures. We were about to tour the Upper Church, but RAI, the  Italian public broadcasting system, was preparing for German Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit the next and we could not complete the tour. . I am disappointed we didn’t get to see the Upper Church. I was told that it has one of the most beautiful views of Assisi in the whole city.
 
As St. Francis approached his death, many predicted that he was a saint in the making. When his health began to decline more rapidly, Francis went home. Knights were sent from Assisi to guard him and to make sure that no one from neighboring towns would carry him off. Francis of Assisi died on October 3, 1226, at the age of 44, in Assisi according to Biography.com. Many things contributed to his death, including blindness and old war injuries.
 
Francis was a great man who helped his city, and his devotion to God gave people in the town hope. Rebuilding the churches made people realize how beautiful their city could be. Although most of his life he felt like an outcast he showed everyone that he could be the hero that Assisi deserves.
 
Today, St. Francis has a lasting resonance with millions of followers across the globe. He was canonized as a saint just two years after his death (No need for commas around this prepositional phrase.) on July 16, 1228, by his former protector, Pope Gregory IX. Today, St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint for ecologists, a title honoring his boundless love for animals and nature. In 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergogli chose to honor St. Francis by taking his name, becoming Pope Francis, according to Biography.com.