Book I · The great biography
One life in
15 chapters
The life of Saint Francis of Assisi in fifteen illustrated chapters, with historical context, sources, and clear language.
Sources, context, and contemplation
A story brought close without losing the truth.
Every page is written to be clear and welcoming without flattening the complexity of history.
We distinguish documents, traditions, and legends, and always explain the origin of prayers and quotations.
Complete contents
15 paths to explore
Choose a page to begin. Follow the order or enter through the story you need most today.
A Boy Named Giovanni
Before he was Francis, he was the restless son of a merchant family in a small town called Assisi.
Read now →c. 1181–119902
The Dream of Becoming a Knight
Francis set out in search of glory. War showed him a world very different from the songs he loved.
Read now →1200–120303
When Life Changes Direction
Francis tried to return to the path of glory. One night in Spoleto, a question opened a different road before him.
Read now →1203–120504
The Embrace That Overcame Fear
Francis feared people affected by leprosy. An encounter on the road transformed revulsion into mercy—and bitterness began to turn sweet.
Read now →c. 120505
Rebuild My House
In an almost forgotten chapel, Francis heard a call before the San Damiano Cross—and first answered it with his own hands.
Read now →c. 1205–120606
Free Even of His Clothes
Before the bishop and his father, Francis returned the money, his inheritance, and even his clothes. The freedom he chose cost everyone dearly.
Read now →c. 120607
Stones, Dust, and Joy
Without his family's money, Francis begged for stones, mixed mortar, and rebuilt small churches with his own hands.
Read now →c. 1206–120808
The First Brothers
Francis thought he would walk alone. Then Bernard, Peter, Giles, and other men began to arrive—and a fraternity was born.
Read now →1208–120909
A Rule Made of Gospel
Twelve brothers walked to Rome carrying a few words on a parchment. They wanted the Gospel to become a way of life.
Read now →1209–121010
Clare Crosses the Night
On Palm Sunday night, a young woman from Assisi left behind the future others had chosen and walked toward her vocation.
Read now →1211–121211
Before the Sultan
Amid the Fifth Crusade, Saint Francis of Assisi crossed the lines of war and came unarmed before Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil.
Read now →121912
The Nativity Scene at Greccio
On a cold night in 1223, Saint Francis helped a small village see the birth of Jesus with their eyes and their hearts.
Read now →122313
The Marks of Love
In the silence of La Verna, Saint Francis experienced such profound union with Christ that his own body began to tell of it.
Read now →122414
The Canticle of the Creatures
Nearly blind and gravely ill, Saint Francis heard the whole world as one family and turned a difficult night into praise.
Read now →1225–122615
Naked upon the Earth
In his final days, Saint Francis returned to the little Portiuncula and surrendered even what he could no longer keep: his own life.
Read now →1226