Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
name	Celano
official name	Comune di Celano
image shield	Celano-Stemma.png
coordinates type	region:IT-AQ_type:city(11050)
coordinates display	title
region
province	(AQ)
frazioni	Borgo Quattordici, Borgo Ottomila
area total km2	91.79
population total	11213
population as of	1 January 2007
population demonym	Celanesi
elevation m	800
saint	Simplicius, Constantius, and Victorianus
day	26 August
postal code	67043
area code	0863
website
footnotes	}}

Celano is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of L'Aquila, central Italy, east of Rome by rail.

Geography

Celano rises on the top of a hill in the territory of Marsica, below the mountain range of Sirente. It faces the valley of Fucino, once filled by the large Fucine Lake, which was drained during the 19th century.

History

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Celano suffered from the invasions of Lombards (6th century) and Saracens. The city passed under Byzantine control, and was then subdued by the Lombards and governed by the duchies of Spoleto and Benevento.

From the 8th century, Charlemagne and his descendants ruled the Marsica region independently of Spoleto, raising it to the rank of county. Celano was elected ''Caput Marsorum'' (capital city of the Marsica region), governed by the Berardi family. From around the year 1140, it was captured by the Normans, who annexed it to the Kingdom of Sicily. Fearing that Marsica was becoming too powerful, in the year 1223 Emperor Frederick II ordered his army to destroy the castles of the region. Celano suffered a long siege, which ended with its defeat and total destruction and the exile of its entire male population to Sicily and Malta. Once the feudal rights of Celano were abolished the region came under the jurisdiction of the Giustizierato of Abruzzo, with Sulmona as capital.

After the intercession of the Pope Honorius III, Emperor Frederick II authorised the inhabitants to return from exile. The new city was rebuilt three years after its destruction, about one kilometre from the ancient city. Celano reflourished and was once again governed by the Berardi family.

After a series of struggles between the Angevins and Aragonese, in the 15th century the family of Berardi was dethroned by the family of the Pope Pius II of Pienza, allied to the Aragonese, who governed the city and its county. Celano was incorporated into the Kingdom of Naples till 1860, except during the years associated with the Napoleonic era and the Parthenopean Republic. In the year 1591, the Piccolomini family sold the County of Celano to Camilla Peretti, sister of Pope Sixtus V. The city was at times also governed by the Savelli and Sforza families and was damaged by earthquakes in the years 1695, 1780, 1915 and 2009.

From the year 1860, Celano belonged to the Kingdom of Italy.

Main sights

The square Piccolomini Castle, with round towers at the corners, was erected in its present form on the top of the San Vittorino Hill. Its construction was commissioned by Count Pietro Berardi around the year 1392, and was finished around 1451. In 1463, it was adapted by the order of Antonio Piccolomini. On January 13, 1915, the castle was seriously damaged by a terrible earthquake that destroyed many villages in the area. The restoration began 25 years later, in 1940, but was interrupted because of the Second World War and was resumed only in 1955, with completion in 1960. Today, the castle hosts the Museum of Sacred Art of the Marsica. The beautiful castle is easily recognisable driving on the highway A25 Rome - Pescara.

Calano is home to three churches with 13th century facades in the style of those of L'Aquila.

Culture and sport

Celano F.C. Olimpia plays in Serie C2 Girone C.

Notable people

Celano is the birthplace of the Blessed Thomas of Celano, born between the years 1185 and 1190, and follower of St. Francis of Assisi, and of the classical pianist Nazzareno Carusi.

External links

:it:Immagine:Celano con Castello Piccolomini.jpg

Picture of Castello Piccolomini

Category:Cities and towns in Abruzzo Category:Castles in Italy

roa-rup:Celano bcl:Celano ceb:Celano de:Celano es:Celano eo:Celano fr:Celano it:Celano jv:Celano la:Coelanum lmo:Celano nl:Celano ja:チェラーノ (ラクイラ県) nap:Celano pms:Celano pl:Celano pt:Celano ru:Челано scn:Celanu uk:Челано vi:Celano vo:Celano war:Celano

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
Name	Giusy Ferreri
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Giuseppa Gaetana Ferreri
Alias	Gaetana
Birth date	April 17, 1979
Origin	Palermo, Italy
Genre	Pop, Blues, Rock
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	2005 – present
Label	Sony Music Italy
Website	giusyferreriofficial.it
Past members	}}

Giusy Ferreri (born Giuseppa Gaetana Ferreri on 18 April 1979 in Palermo, Italy) is an Italian singer-songwriter. In 2008 Giusy took part at the first Italian edition of the talent show X Factor, in which she came second. Her vocal qualities have been compared to Nina Simone, Bessie Smith, Amy Winehouse and Adele.

Between 2008 and 2009, Ferreri sold 900,000 copies of her first EP and debut album.

Career

In June 2008 Sony BMG Italy released the debut EP by Ferreri, which includes her first single "Non ti Scordar mai di me" written by Italian pop singer Tiziano Ferro, and five covers of classic songs from the 60s–70s. The single held the number one position of the Italian singles chart for an impressive fifteen consecutive weeks, becoming one of the most successful tracks ever on that chart. The album debuted at the top spot of the Italian album chart and stayed there for eleven consecutive weeks. It went on to be certified 4x platinum denoting over 300,000 copies shipped. She is considered to be the Italian version of Linda Perry.

Debut album: ''Gaetana''

In October 2008 the song ''Novembre'', the first single from Ferreri's official debut album ''Gaetana'', was released. The tune debuted at number one in Italy and held the top for eight weeks so far. The album was released on 14 November 2008. It debuted at number one on the iTunes Italy chart and subsequently peaked at #2 on the Italian FIMI albums chart, selling over 80,000 copies in its first week of release. The album sold so far over 390,000 copies in Italy and Greece. The second single from the album, "Stai fermo lì", was announced on 8 January 2009 and was released in Italy on 16 January 2009. The third single off the album was "La Scala (The Ladder)", originally written by Linda Perry and translated in Italian by singer Tiziano Ferro. The song peaking at #27 on the FIMI singles chart and at #49 on the Greece Singles Chart.

Cover album: ''Fotografie''

On 20 November 2009 her second studio album was released across Europe, while debuting at #10 on the Italian FIMI albums chart. The first single is a cover of "Ma il cielo è sempre più blu" by Rino Gaetano.

In her second studio album, Ferreri records cover versions of some of her favourite (Italian and international) artitsts: "La magia è la mia amante (I Was Made to Love Magic)" by Nick Drake, "Con una rosa" by Vinicio Capossela and Paolo Benvegnù, "Il mare verticale (Portrait the Sea)" by Jerome Kern, "Yesterdays" (song played in the past by Billie Holiday), "Ciao amore ciao" by Luigi Tenco and ''Estate'' by Bruno Martino.

Third album: ''Il mio universo''

On 16 February 2011 her third studio album was released across Europe.Debuting at #13 and peaked at #11 on the Italian FIMI albums chart and #98 on the Swiss Album chart. The first single is "Il mare immenso" released on 16 February 2011 written by Bungaro. The first single taken from her third studio album debuting at #8 on FIMI Top 10 Singles Chart and peaked at #6 on the FIMI Top 10 Singles Chart. "Il mare immenso" stayed for three months into the fifty places of the FIMI Singles Charts.

Discography

Albums

Year

Name

Sales and certifications

Charts

!style="width:2em;" align="center"

!style="width:2em;" align="center"

!style="width:2em;" align="center"

!style="width:2em;" align="center"

2008

* First studio album

* Released on 14 November 2008

Sony BMG, Casa Ricordi>Ricordi

music download>digital download

* Total Sales: 575,000 FIMI

Greece>Greek

* Total Sales: 600,000 WW

* Italy Certification: Diamond (x7 Platinum)

* Greek Certification: 2x platinum

2009

''Fotografie''

* Cover album

* Released on 20 November 2009

Sony Music, Casa Ricordi>Ricordi

* Formats: CD, digital download

* Total Sales: 130,000 FIMI

Greece>Greek

* Total Sales: 136,000 WW

* Total Sales: 130,000+

* Certification FIMI: 2x platinum

* Greek Certification: Platinum

2011

''Il mio universo''

* Studio album

* Released on 16 February 2011

Sony Music, Casa Ricordi>Ricordi

* Formats: CD, digital download

* Total Sales: 30,000

* Certification FIMI:

EPs

Year	Name	Sales and certifications	Charts
			!style="width:2em;" align="center"	!style="width:2em;" align="center"
2008		* Debut EP	* Released on 27 June 2008	Sony BMG, Casa Ricordi>Ricordi		* Total Sales: 300,000+	* Certification FIMI: 4xPlatinum

Singles

Year	Title	Charts	Album
!width="60"	!width="60"	!width="60"	!width="60"
	"Il party"
						align="center" rowspan="4"
	"Stai fermo lì"
"La scala (The Ladder)"
"Ma il cielo è sempre più blu"
	"Come pensi possa amarti"
"Il mare verticale"
"Ciao amore ciao"
	"Il mare immenso"
"Piccoli dettagli"

Awards and nominations

Wind Music Awards ''Wind Music Awards'' TRL Awards

Yeat !! Award !! Category !! Result
rowspan="3"	2008	Venice Music Awards	Best New Artist
M.E.I.	Best Newcomer
Premio Videoclip Italy	Best videoclip
rowspan="2"	2009	|	Diamond Certification ''Gaetana''
Wind Music Awards	4x Platinum Certification "Non ti scordar mai di me"
rowspan="3"	2010	|	Platinum Certification ''Fotografie''
Gold Single Certification	"Ma il cielo è sempre più blu"
Venice Music Awards	For the good sales
rowspan="3"	2011	|	Best talent show artist
Gold Single Certification	"Il mare immenso"
Lunezia Awards	Best Song from ''Sanremo'' for "Il mare immenso"

Music videos

{|class="wikitable" ! Year ! Song ! Director |- |rowspan=1|2005 |"Il party" |rowspan=3|Cosimo Alemà |- |rowspan=2|2008 |"Non ti scordar mai di me" |- |"Novembre" |- |rowspan=3|2009 |"Stai fermo lì" |rowspan=4|Gaetano Morbioli |- |"Nunca te olvides de mi" |- |"La scala (The Ladder)" |- |rowspan=2|2011 |"Il mare immenso" |- |"Piccoli dettagli" |rowspan=1|Roberto Saku Cinardi |}

Notes

External links

Official Site

Category:1979 births Category:Italian singers Category:Italian female singers Category:Italian-language singers Category:Italian pop singers Category:Living people Category:The X Factor contestants Category:Sony BMG artists Category:Torch singers Category:People from Palermo (city)

de:Giusy Ferreri es:Giusy Ferreri fa:جوزی فرری fr:Giusy Ferreri it:Giusy Ferreri pt:Giusy Ferreri ru:Феррери, Джузи sq:Giusy Ferreri scn:Giusy Ferreri tr:Giusy Ferreri

Coordinates	28°36′36″N77°13′48″N
Name	Saint Francis of Assisi
Born in	Umbria
Birth date	1181/1182
Birth name	Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone
Death date	3 October 1226 (age 44-45)
Feast day	October 4
Venerated in	Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church
Birth place	Papal States
Death place	Assisi, Papal States
Titles	Mystic, Confessor, and Founder
Canonized date	July 16, 1228
Canonized place	Assisi
Canonized by	Pope Gregory IX
Attributes	Cross, Dove, birds, animals, wolf at feet, Pax et Bonum,Poor Franciscan habit, Stigmata, Tau Cross ("T-shaped")
Patronage	animals; the environment; Italy; merchants; stowaways
Major shrine	Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi
Prayer	Prayer for Animals God Our Heavenly Father, You created the world to serve humanity's needs and to lead them to You. By our own fault we have lost the beautiful relationship which we once had with all your creation. Help us to see that, by restoring our relationship with You, we will also restore it with all Your creation. Give us the grace to see all animals as gifts from You and to treat them with respect for they are Your creation. We pray for all animals who are suffering as a result of our neglect. May the order You originally established be once again restored to the whole world through the intercession of the Glorious Virgin Mary, the prayers of Saint Francis and the merits of Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with You now and forever. Amen.
Prayer attrib	Saint Francis of Assisi }}

Saint Francis of Assisi (born Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone; 1181/1182October 3, 1226) was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history.

Francis was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi, and he lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life. On a pilgrimage to Rome, Francis begged with the beggars at St. Peter's. The experience moved him to live in poverty. Francis returned home, began preaching on the streets, and soon amassed a following. His order was endorsed by Pope Innocent III in 1210. He then founded the Order of Poor Clares, which was an enclosed order for women, as well as the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance. In 1219, he went to Egypt where crusaders were besieging Damietta, hoping to find martyrdom at the hands of the Muslims. By this point, the Franciscan Order had grown to such an extent that its primitive organizational structure was no longer sufficient. He returned to Italy to organize the order. Once his organization was endorsed by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas manger scene. In 1224, he received the stigmata, making him the first person to bear the wounds of Christ's Passion. He died in 1226 while singing Psalm 141.

On July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint by Pope Gregory IX. He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment and one of the two patrons of Italy (with Catherine of Siena), and it is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October.

Early life

Francis of Assisi was one of seven children born to Pietro di Bernardone, a rich cloth merchant, and his wife Pica, about whom little is known except that she was originally from France. Pietro was in France on business when Francis was born, and Pica had him baptised as Giovanni di Bernardone in honor of Saint John the Baptist, in the hope he would grow to be a religious leader. When his father returned to Assisi, he took to calling him Francesco ("the Frenchman"), possibly in honor of his commercial success and enthusiasm for all things French. According to another account, it was due to the boy being able to speak and sing in French fluently and effortlessly because of his French mother teaching him. Either way, the name Francesco soon replaced his baptismal name.

As a youth, Francesco—or Francis in English—became a devotee of troubadours and was fascinated with all things French. Although many hagiographers remark about his bright clothing, rich friends, and love of pleasures, his displays of disillusionment toward the world that surrounded him came fairly early in his life, as is shown in the "story of the begger." In this account, he was selling cloth and velvet in the marketplace on behalf of his father when a beggar came to him and asked for alms. At the conclusion of his business deal, Francis abandoned his wares and ran after the beggar. When he found him, Francis gave the man everything he had in his pockets. His friends quickly chided and mocked him for his act of charity. When he got home, his father scolded him in rage.

In 1201, he joined a military expedition against Perugia and was taken as a prisoner at Collestrada, spending a year as a captive. It is possible that his spiritual conversion was a gradual process rooted in this experience. Upon his return to Assisi in 1203, Francis returned to his carefree life and in 1204, a serious illness led to a spiritual crisis. In 1205, Francis left for Puglia to enlist in the army of the Count of Brienne. A strange vision made him return to Assisi, deepening his ecclesiastical awakening.

According to the hagiographic legend, thereafter he began to avoid the sports and the feasts of his former companions; in response, they asked him laughingly whether he was thinking of marrying, to which he answered "yes, a fairer bride than any of you have ever seen", meaning his "lady poverty". He spent much time in lonely places, asking God for enlightenment. By degrees he took to nursing lepers, the most repulsive victims in the lazar houses near Assisi. After a pilgrimage to Rome, where he begged at the church doors for the poor, he said he had a mystical vision of Jesus Christ in the Church of San Damiano just outside of Assisi, in which the Icon of Christ Crucified said to him, "Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins". He took this to mean the ruined church in which he was presently praying, and so he sold some cloth from his father's store to assist the priest there for this purpose.

His father Pietro, highly indignant, attempted to change his mind, first with threats and then with beatings. After legal proceedings before the bishop, Francis renounced his father and his patrimony, laying aside even the garments he had received from him. For the next couple of months he lived as a beggar in the region of Assisi. Returning to the countryside around the town for two years this time, he restored several ruined churches, among them the Porziuncola--little chapel of St. Mary of the Angels--just outside the town, which later became his favorite abode.

Founding of the Franciscan Order

At the end of this period (on February 24, 1209, according to Jordan of Giano), Francis heard a sermon that changed his life. The sermon was about Matthew 10:9, in which Christ tells his followers they should go forth and proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven was upon them, that they should take no money with them, nor even a walking stick or shoes for the road. Francis was inspired to devote himself to a life of poverty.

Clad in a rough garment, barefoot, and, after the Gospel precept, without staff or scrip, he began to preach repentance. He was soon joined by his first follower, a prominent fellow townsman, the jurist Bernardo di Quintavalle, who contributed all that he had to the work. Within a year Francis had eleven followers. Francis chose never to be ordained a priest and the community lived as "lesser brothers," ''fratres minores'' in Latin. The brothers lived a simple life in the deserted lazar house of Rivo Torto near Assisi; but they spent much of their time wandering through the mountainous districts of Umbria, always cheerful and full of songs, yet making a deep impression upon their hearers by their earnest exhortations.

Francis' preaching to ordinary people was unusual since he had no license to do so. In 1209 he composed a simple rule for his followers ("friars"), (the ''Regula primitiva'' or “Primitive Rule”) which came from verses in the bible. The rule was “To follow the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his footsteps.” In 1209, Francis led his first eleven followers to Rome to seek permission from Pope Innocent III to found a new religious order. Upon entry to Rome, the brothers encountered Bishop Guido of Assisi, who had in his company Giovanni di San Paolo, the Cardinal Bishop of Sabina. The Cardinal, who was the confessor of Pope Innocent III, was immediately sympathetic to Francis and agreed to represent Francis to the pope. Reluctantly, Pope Innocent agreed to meet with Francis and the brothers the next day. After several days, the pope agreed to admit the group informally, adding that when God increased the group in grace and number, they could return for an official admittance. The group was tonsured. This was important in part because it recognized Church authority and prevented his following from possible accusations of heresy, as had happened to the Waldensians decades earlier. Though Pope Innocent initially had doubts, following a dream in which he saw Francis holding up the Basilica of St. John Lateran (the bishopric seat of the Pope and cathedral of Rome, thus the 'home church' of all Christendom), he decided to endorse Francis' order. This occurred, according to tradition, on April 16, 1210 and constituted the official founding of the Franciscan order. The group, then the "Lesser Brothers" (''Friars Minor'' or ''Franciscan Order''), preached on the streets and had no possessions. They were centered in Porziuncola, and preached first in Umbria, before expanding throughout Italy.

Missions work

From then on, his new order grew quickly with new vocations. When hearing Francis preaching in the church of San Rufino in Assisi in 1209, Clare of Assisi became deeply touched by his message and she realized her calling. Her brother Rufino also joined the new order.

On Palm Sunday, March 28, 1211, Francis received Clare at the Porziuncola and hereby established the Order of Poor Ladies, later called Poor Clares. This was an order for women, and he gave a religious habit, or dress, similar to his own to the noblewoman later known as St. Clare of Assisi, before he then lodged her and a few companions in the church of San Damiano. There they were joined by many other women of Assisi. For those who could not leave their homes, he later formed the Third Order of Brothers and Sisters of Penance. This was a lay fraternity whose members neither withdrew from the world nor took religious vows. Instead, they carried out the principles of Franciscan life. Before long this order grew beyond Italy.

Determined to bring the Gospel to all God’s creatures, Francis sought on several occasions to take his message out of Italy. In the late spring of 1212, he set out for Jerusalem, but he was shipwrecked by a storm on the Dalmatian coast, forcing him to return to Italy. On May 8, 1213, he was given the use of the mountain of La Verna (Alverna) as a gift from the count Orlando di Chiusi who described it as “eminently suitable for whoever wishes to do penance in a place remote from mankind.” The mountain would become one of his favorite retreats for prayer. In the same year, Francis sailed for Morocco, but this time an illness forced him to break off his journey in Spain. Back in Assisi, several noblemen (among them Tommaso da Celano, who would later write the biography of St. Francis) and some well-educated men joined his order. In 1215, Francis went again to Rome for the Fourth Lateran Council. During this time, he probably met Dominic de Guzman (later to be Saint Dominic, the founder of the Friars Preachers, another Catholic religious order). In 1217 he offered to go to France. Cardinal Ugolino of Segni (the future Pope Gregory IX), an early and important supporter of Francis, advised him against this and said that he was still needed in Italy.

In 1219, accompanied by another friar and hoping to convert the Sultan of Egypt or win martyrdom in the attempt, Francis went to Egypt where a Crusader army had been encamped for over a year besieging the walled city of Damietta two miles (3.2 kilometers) upstream from the mouth of one of the main channels of the Nile. The Sultan, al-Kamil, a nephew of Saladin, had succeeded his father as Sultan of Egypt in 1218 and was encamped upstream of Damietta, unable to relieve it. A bloody and futile attack on the city was launched by the Christians on 29 August 1219, following which both sides agreed to a ceasefire which lasted four weeks. It was most probably during this interlude that Francis and his companion crossed the Saracen lines and were brought before the Sultan, remaining in his camp for a few days. The visit is reported in contemporary Crusader sources and in the earliest biographies of Francis, but they give no information about what transpired during the encounter beyond noting that the Sultan received Francis graciously and that Francis preached to the Saracens without effect, returning unharmed to the Crusader camp. No contemporary Arab source mentions the visit. One detail, added by Bonaventure in the official life of Francis (written forty years after the event), concerns an alleged challenge by Francis offering trial-by-fire in order to prove the veracity of the Christian gospel. Although Bonaventure does not suggest as much, subsequent biographies went further, claiming that a fire was kindled which Francis unhesitatingly entered without suffering burns. Such an incident is depicted in the late 13th c. fresco cycle, attributed to Giotto, in the upper basilica at Assisi (see accompanying illustration). According to some late sources, the Sultan gave Francis permission to visit the sacred places in the Holy Land and even to preach there. All that can safely be asserted is that Francis and his companion left the Crusader camp for Acre, from where they embarked for Italy in the latter half of 1220. Drawing on a 1267 sermon by Bonaventure, later sources report that the Sultan secretly converted or accepted a death-bed baptism as a result of the encounter with Francis. The Franciscan Order has been present in the Holy Land almost uninterruptedly since 1217 when brother Elias arrived at Acre. It received concessions from the Mameluke Sultan in 1333 with regard to certain Holy Places in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and (so far as concerns the Catholic Church) jurisdictional privileges from Pope Clement VI in 1342.

At Greccio near Assisi, around 1220, Francis celebrated Christmas by setting up the first known three-dimensional ''presepio'' or ''crèche'' (Nativity scene). His nativity imagery reflected the scene in traditional paintings. He used real animals to create a living scene so that the worshipers could contemplate the birth of the child Jesus in a direct way, making use of the senses, especially sight. Thomas of Celano, a biographer of Francis and Saint Bonaventure both, tell how he only used a straw-filled manger (feeding trough) set between a real ox and donkey. According to Thomas, it was beautiful in its simplicity with the manger acting as the altar for the Christmas Mass.

Reorganization of the Franciscan Order and Death

By this time, the growing congregation of friars was divided into provinces and groups were sent to France, Germany, Hungary, Spain and to the East. When receiving a report of the martyrdom of five brothers in Morocco, Francis returned to Italy via Venice. Cardinal Ugolino di Conti was then nominated by the Pope as the protector of the Order. The friars in Italy at this time were causing problems, and as such, Francis had to return in order to correct these problems. The Franciscan Order had grown at an unprecedented rate, when compared to prior religious orders. Unfortunately, however, its organizational sophistication had not kept up with this growth and had little more to govern it than Francis' example and simple rule. To address this problem, Francis prepared a new and more detailed rule, the "First Rule" or "Rule Without a Bull" (''Regula prima'' ''Regula non bullata'') which again asserted devotion to poverty and the apostolic life. However, it introduced greater institutional structure although this was never officially endorsed by the pope.

On September 29, 1220, Francis handed over the governance of the Order to brother Peter Catani at the Porziuncola. However, Brother Peter died only five months later, on March 10, 1221, and was buried in the Porziuncola. When numerous miracles were attributed to the late Peter Catani, people started to flock to the Porziuncola, disturbing the daily life of the Franciscans. Francis then prayed, asking Peter to stop the miracles and obey in death as he had obeyed during his life. The reports of miracles ceased. Brother Peter was succeeded by Brother Elias as Vicar of Francis. Two years later, Francis modified the "First Rule" (creating the "Second Rule" or "Rule With a Bull"), and Pope Honorius III approved it on November 29, 1223. As the official rule of the order, it called on the friars "to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience without anything of our own and in chastity." In addition, it set regulations for discipline, preaching, and entry into the order. Once the rule was endorsed by the Pope, Francis withdrew increasingly from external affairs. During 1221 and 1222 Francis crossed Italy, first as far south as Catania in Sicily and afterwards as far north as Bologna.

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 an eye disease, 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 141.

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. His burial place remained inaccessible until it was reopened 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 identified by a commission of scholars appointed by Pope Paul VI, and put in a glass urn in the ancient stone tomb. Saint Francis is considered the first Italian poet by literary critics. 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 value, as well as religious.

Character and legacy

It has been argued that no one in history was as dedicated as Francis to imitate the life, and carry out the work, of Christ in Christ’s own way. This is important in understanding Francis' character and his affinity for the Eucharist and respect for the priests who carried out the sacrament. He and his followers celebrated and even venerated poverty. Poverty was so central to his character that in his last written work, the Testament, he said that absolute personal and corporate poverty was the essential lifestyle for the members of his order. He believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. He called all creatures his “brothers” and “sisters,” and even preached to the birds and supposedly persuaded a wolf to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the wolf. In his “Canticle of the Creatures” (“Praises of Creatures” or “Canticle of the Sun”), he mentioned the “Brother Sun” and “Sister Moon,” the wind and water, and “Sister Death.” He referred to his chronic illnesses as his “sisters." His deep sense of brotherhood under God embraced others, and declared that “he considered himself no friend of Christ if he did not cherish those for whom Christ died.” Francis's visit to Egypt and attempted rapprochement with the Muslim world had far-reaching consequences, long past his own death, since after the fall of the Crusader Kingdom it would be the Franciscans, of all Catholics, who would be allowed to stay on in the Holy Land and be recognized as "Custodians of the Holy Land" on behalf of Christianity.

Nature and the environment

Many of the stories that surround the life of St. Francis deal with his love for animals. Perhaps the most famous incident that illustrates the Saint's humility towards nature is recounted in the "Fioretti" ("Little Flowers"), a collection of legends and folklore that sprang up after the Saint's death. It is said that, one day, while Francis was traveling with some companions, they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his companions to "wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds". The birds surrounded him, intrigued by the power of his voice, and not one of them flew away.

Another legend from the ''Fioretti'' tells that in the city of Gubbio, where Francis lived for some time, was a wolf "terrifying and ferocious, who devoured men as well as animals". Francis had compassion upon the townsfolk, and went up into the hills to find the wolf. Soon, fear of the animal had caused all his companions to flee, though the saint pressed on. When he found the wolf, he made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to come to him and hurt no one. Miraculously the wolf closed his jaws and lay down at the feet of St. Francis. "Brother Wolf, you do much harm in these parts and you have done great evil...", said Francis. "All these people accuse you and curse you... But brother wolf, I would like to make peace between you and the people". Then Francis led the wolf into the town, and surrounded by startled citizens made a pact between them and the wolf. Because the wolf had “done evil out of hunger”, the townsfolk were to feed the wolf regularly, and in return, the wolf would no longer prey upon them or their flocks. In this manner Gubbio was freed from the menace of the predator. Francis even made a pact on behalf of the town dogs, that they would not bother the wolf again. Francis, to show the townspeople that they would not be harmed, blessed the wolf.

Francis preached the teaching of the Catholic Church, that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. He preached to man and beast the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God (a common theme in the Psalms) and the duty of men to protect and enjoy nature as both the stewards of God's creation and as creatures ourselves. Legend has it that St. Francis on his deathbed thanked his donkey for carrying and helping him throughout his life, and his donkey wept.

Feast day

Saint Francis's feast day is observed on October 4. A secondary feast in honor of the stigmata received by St Francis, celebrated on September 17, was inserted in the General Roman Calendar in 1585 (later than the Tridentine Calendar) and suppressed in 1604, but was restored in 1615 and remained in that calendar until 1969, when, as something of a duplication of the main feast on October 4, it was removed from the General Calendar and left to the calendars of certain localities and of the Franciscan Order. Some traditionalist Catholics still observe calendars of the 1615-1969 period.

On June 18, 1939, Pope Pius XII named Francis a joint Patron Saint of Italy along with Saint Catherine of Siena with the apostolic letter "Licet Commissa", AAS XXXI (1939), 256-257. Pius XII mentioned the two saints in the laudative discourse he pronounced on May 5, 1949 in the Santa Maria sopra Minerva church.

St. Francis is honored in the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Canada, in the Old Catholic Churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and other churches and religious communities on October 4. The Evangelical Church in Germany, however, commemorates St. Francis' feast day on his death day, October 3.

Media

Films

''The Flowers of St. Francis'', a 1950 film directed by Roberto Rossellini and co-written by Federico Fellini

''Francis of Assisi'', a 1961 film directed by Michael Curtiz, based on the novel ''The Joyful Beggar'' by Louis de Wohl

''Brother Sun, Sister Moon'', a 1972 film by Franco Zeffirelli

''Francesco'', a 1989 film by Liliana Cavani, contemplatively paced, follows Francis of Assisi's evolution from rich man's son to religious humanitarian and eventually to full-fledged self-tortured saint. Saint Francis is played by Mickey Rourke, and the woman who later became Saint Clare, is played by Helena Bonham Carter

''St Francis'', a 2002 film directed by Michele Soavi, starring Raoul Bova and Amélie Daure.

''Clare and Francis'', a 2007 film directed by Fabrizio Costa, starring Mary Petruolo and Ettore Bassi.

''Pranchiyettan and the Saint'', a 2010 satirical Malayalam film.

Classical music

Franz Liszt:

* ''Cantico del sol di Francesco d'Assisi'', S.4 (sacred choral work, 1862, 1880–81; versions of the Prelude for piano, S. 498c, 499, 499a; version of the Prelude for organ, S. 665, 760; version of the Hosannah for organ and bass trombone, S.677)

* ''St. François d'Assise: La Prédication aux oiseaux'', No. 1 of ''Deux Légendes'', S.175 (piano, 1862–63)

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco:

* ''Fioretti'' (voice and orchestra, 1920)

Gian Francesco Malipiero:

* ''San Francesco d'Assisi'' (soloists, chorus and orchestra, 1920–1921)

Amy Beach:

* ''Canticle of the Sun'' (soloists, chorus and orchestra, 1928)

Leo Sowerby:

* ''Canticle of the Sun'' (cantata for mixed voices with accompaniment for piano or orchestra, 1944)

Seth Bingham

* ''The Canticle of the Sun'' (cantata for chorus of mixed voices with soli ad lib. and accompaniment for organ or orchestra, 1949)

Olivier Messiaen:

* opera ''Saint François d'Assise'' (1975–83)

William Walton:

* ''Cantico del sol'' (chorus,1973–74)

Books

''Francis of Assisi in the Sources and Writings'', by Robert Rusconi and translated by Nancy Celaschi, Franciscan Institute Publications, 2008. ISBN 9781576591529

''The Stigmata of Francis of Assisi'', Franciscan Institute Publications, 2006. ISBN 9781576591406

''Francis of Assisi - The Message in His Writings'', by Thaddee Matura, Franciscan Institute Publications, 1997. ISBN 9781576591277

''Saint Francis of Assisi'', by John R. H. Moorman, Franciscan Institute Publications, 1987. ISBN 9780819909046

''First Encounter with Francis of Assisi'', by Damien Vorreux and translated by Paul LaChance, Franciscan Institute Publications, 1979. ISBN 9780819906984

''St. Francis of Assisi'', by Raoul Manselli, Franciscan Institute Publications, 1985. ISBN 9780819908803

''Saint Francis of Assisi'', by Thomas of Celano and translated by Placid Hermann, Franciscan Institute Publications, 1988. ISBN 9780819905543

''Francis the Incomparable Saint'', by Joseph Lortz, Franciscan Institute Publications, 1986, ISBN 9781576590676

''Respectfully Yours: Signed and Sealed, Francis of Assisi'', by Edith van den Goorbergh and Theodore Zweerman, Franciscan Institute Publications, 2001. ISBN 9781576591789

''The Admonitions of St Francis: Sources and Meanings'', by Robert J. Karris, Franciscan Institute Publications, 1999. ISBN 9781576591666

''We Saw Brother Francis'', by Francis de Beer, Franciscan Institute Publications, 1983. ISBN 9780819908032

''Sant Francesco'' (Saint Francis, 1895), a book of forty-three Saint Francis poems by Catalan poet-priest Jacint Verdaguer, three of which are included in English translation in ''Selected Poems of Jacint Verdaguer: A Bilingual Edition'', edited and translated by Ronald Puppo, with an introduction by Ramon Pinyol i Torrents (University of Chicago, 2007). The three poems are "The Turtledoves", "Preaching to Birds" and "The Pilgrim".

''Saint Francis of Assisi'' (1923), a book by G. K. Chesterton

"Blessed Are The Meek(1944 ). a book by Zofia Kossak

"Saint Francis of Assisi" a Doubleday Image Book translated by T. O'Conor Sloane, Ph.D., LL.D. in 1955 from the Danish original researched and written by Johannes Jorgensen and published in 1912 by Longmans, Green and Company, Inc.

''Saint Francis'' (1962), a book by Nikos Kazantzakis

''Scripta Leonis, Rufini Et Angeli Sociorum S. Francisci: The Writings of Leo, Rufino and Angelo Companions of St. Francis'' (1970), edited by Rosalind B. Brooke, in Latin and English, containing testimony recorded by intimate, long-time companions of St. Francis

''Saint Francis and His Four Ladies'' (1970), a book by Joan Mowat Erikson

''The Life and Words of St. Francis of Assisi'' (1973), by Ira Peck

''The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi'' (1996), a book by Patricia Stewart

''Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi'' (2002), a book by Donald Spoto

''Flowers for St Francis'' (2005), a book by Raj Arumugam

''Chasing Francis'', 2006, a book by Ian Cron

John Tolan, ''St. Francis and the Sultan: The Curious History of a Christian-Muslim Encounter.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Other

In Rubén Darío's poem "Los Motivos Del Lobo" (The Reasons Of The Wolf) St. Francis tames a terrible wolf only to discover that the human heart harbors darker desires than those of the beast.

In Fyodor Dostoyevsky's ''The Brothers Karamazov,'' Ivan Karamazov invokes the name of 'Pater Seraphicus,' an epithet applied to St. Francis, to describe Alyshosha's spiritual guide Zosima. The reference is found in Goethe's "Faust," Part 2, Act 5, lines 11918–25.

''St. Francis preaches to the birds'' (2005), chamber concerto for violin by composer Lewis Nielson

''Brother, Sister'' (2006), third full-length album by indie rock band MewithoutYou, featuring the song "The Sun and Moon"

The song ''Boy From the Country'', by Michael Martin Murphey from the album ''Geronimo's Cadillac''.

Sarah Slean's 2002 album, ''Night Bugs'', contains a song entitled ''St. Francis''.

Rich Mullins co wrote "Canticle of the Plains", a musical, with Mitch McVicker which was released in 1997. Canticle of the Plains was based on the life of St Francis of Assisi, but told as a western story.

Cardinal J.H. Newman's poem The Dream of Gerontius (and the work by Edward Elgar based on it) mentions St. Francis of Assisi in the section 'There was a mortal who is now above'.

In J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey, Zooey accuses Franny of mixing up Jesus and St. Francis.

Main writings

''Canticum Fratris Solis'' or ''Laudes Creaturarum'', Canticle of the Sun.

Prayer before the Crucifix, 1205 (extant in the original Umbrian dialect as well as in a contemporary Latin translation).

''Regula non bullata'', the Earlier Rule, 1221.

''Regula bullata'', the Later Rule, 1223.

Testament, 1226.

Admonitions.

For a complete list, see ''The Franciscan Experience''.

See also

List of places named after Saint Francis

Saint Benedict, who founded the Benedictine Monastery.

Christian anarchism

Christian radicalism

Fraticelli

Saint Juniper, one of Francis' original followers.

Prayer of Saint Francis

St. Benedict's Cave, which contains a portrait of Francis made during his lifetime

Saint Margaret of Cortona

Saint-François d'Assise, an opera by Olivier Messiaen

Saint-François (disambiguation) (places called for Francis of Assisi in French-speaking countries)

Society of Saint Francis

References

Bibliography

Bonaventure; Cardinal Manning (1867). The Life of St. Francis of Assisi (from the Legenda Sancti Francisci) (1988 ed.). Rockford, Illinois: TAN Books & Publishers. ISBN 978-0895553430

Chesterton, Gilbert Keith (1924). St. Francis of Assisi (14 ed.). Garden City, New York: Image Books.

Englebert, Omer (1951). The Lives of the Saints. New York: Barnes & Noble.

Karrer, Otto, ed., St. Francis, The Little Flowers, Legends, and Lauds, trans. N. Wydenbruck, (London: Sheed and Ward, 1979)

Robinson, Paschal (1913). "St. Francis of Assisi". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Further reading

Friar Elias, ''Epistola Encyclica de Transitu Sancti Francisci'', 1226.

Pope Gregory IX, Bulla "Mira circa nos" for the canonization of St. Francis, 19 July 1228.

Friar Tommaso da Celano: ''Vita Prima Sancti Francisci'', 1228; ''Vita Secunda Sancti Francisci'', 1246–1247; ''Tractatus de Miraculis Sancti Francisci'', 1252–1253.

Friar Julian of Speyer, ''Vita Sancti Francisci'', 1232–1239.

St. Bonaventure of Bagnoregio, ''Legenda Maior Sancti Francisci'', 1260–1263.

Ugolino da Montegiorgio, ''Actus Beati Francisci et sociorum eius'', 1327–1342.

''Fioretti di San Francesco'', the "Little Flowers of St. Francis", end of the 14th century: an anonymous Italian version of the ''Actus''; the most popular of the sources, but very late and therefore not the best authority by any means.

''The Little Flowers of Saint Francis (Translated by Raphael Brown)'', Doubleday, 1998. ISBN 978-0-385-07544-2

External links

"Saint Francis of Assisi." Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

"St. Francis of Assisium, Confessor", ''Butler's Lives of the Saints''

The Life & Miracles of St. Francis of Assisi, the Monk who received the Stigmata of Jesus Christ

The Franciscan Archive

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