page_title: Francis of Assisi
section_title: Media
hierarchical_section_title: Francis of Assisi / Media
caption_attribution_description: English: Catholic church of Chania ( Crete ). Church yard with statue of Francis of Assisi. Deutsch: Katholische Kirche von Chania ( Kreta ). Kirchhof mit Statue des heiligen Franz von Assisi. Français&#160;: Statue de saint François d'Assise dans la cour de l'église catholique de Chania en Crète.
context_page_description: Francis of Assisi, venerated as Saint Francis of Assisi, also known in his ministry as Francesco, was an Italian Catholic friar, deacon, philosopher, mystic, and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women's Order of Saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in Christianity.
  Pope Gregory IX canonized Francis on 16 July 1228. Along with Saint Catherine of Siena, he was designated Patron saint of Italy. He later became associated with patronage of animals and the natural environment, and it became customary for churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on or near his feast day of 4 October. In 1219, he went to Egypt in an attempt to convert the Sultan to put an end to the conflict of the Crusades. 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 community was authorized by the Pope, he withdrew increasingly from external affairs. Francis is also known for his love of the Eucharist.
caption: Statue of Saint Francis in front of the Catholic church of Chania.
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