To commemorate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s death, the remains of St. Francis have been exhibited to the public for the first time.
On Saturday morning, the saint’s skeleton was exhumed from a sarcophagus in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in the central Italian town of Assisi.
The bones were then laid out on a table in the crypt before being transferred to the lower church of the basilica. Later that day, about 300 monks attended a Solemn Vespers celebration in the lower church, according to a statement from the cathedral.
The 13th century Italian friar Francis is the patron saint of Italy and the founder of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor.
Fondly known as Poverello (“Poor Dwarf”), he is one of the most revered figures in Roman Catholic history and is commemorated in many Episcopal churches and some Lutheran churches. Thousands of believers were drawn to the saint’s charisma, evangelical zeal, and commitment to poverty and charity.
In 1979, Pope John Paul II recognized Francis as the patron saint of ecology, and he is also revered as the patron saint of animals. The late Pope Francis adopted his name for his commitment to poverty, peace and nature, using the saint’s poem as the title of a groundbreaking educational material on the environment. The late pope also drew inspiration from the saint’s peacemaking efforts. In 1219 during the Crusades, St. Francis met with Sultan al-Kamil of Egypt to bring about peace.
After St. Francis’ death in 1226, attempts were made to keep his body away from the public for fear of theft. The remains were buried under the cathedral in an iron cage and were first discovered during excavations in 1818. The remains were put on temporary display in 1978, with viewing restricted to a very limited audience.
The remains of St. Francis will be on display until March 22nd, with guided tours available for visitors. According to the cathedral’s website, the exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to “rediscover the work of Francis, who continued to speak to the hearts of humanity the message of peace and fraternity.”
Francis was born in Assisi in 1181 or 1182, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, and had a carefree youth. At the age of 20 he went to war and was a prisoner of war for almost a year. He was released and became seriously ill, but this was the beginning of a major turning point in his life.
When Francis returned to Assisi, he changed spiritually and renounced worldliness and family wealth. He famously stripped off his clothes in the public square of Assisi and lived in extreme poverty.
“The Saint of Assisi remains a gift to everyone,” Brother Giulio Cesareo, a spokesman for the Franciscans of Assisi, said in an online announcement. “But even for non-believers, St. Francis’ words are good news. Historical evidence shows that there are concrete possibilities for a human life based on cooperation and mutual service rather than competition.”
