Francis of Assisi is one of the best-loved saints of the Church, including among people who are distant from the Church. He stands for simplicity, peace and love of creation.
Who was Francis of Assisi?
Francis was born in 1181 or 1182 in Assisi, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant. As a young man he went to war, was taken prisoner and afterwards experienced a profound change. He gave up his inheritance, lived in poverty and rebuilt ruined churches.
Companions gathered around him, and from them the Franciscan Order grew. In 1223 at Greccio he re-enacted the Christmas story with live animals, a forerunner of the nativity scene. His “Canticle of the Sun” is regarded as one of the first great poems in the Italian language. Francis died on 3 October 1226 and was canonised as early as 1228. In 1979 Pope John Paul II declared him patron of ecologists.
Legend and tradition
The legends of the sermon to the birds and of the wolf of Gubbio are handed down in the Fioretti (“Little Flowers of St Francis”). They show his vision of creation as a great brotherhood and sisterhood, but they are legends.
Feast day
The feast day of St Francis is 4 October. Protestant calendars give 3 or 4 October. Regional and denominational calendars may differ.
Patronage
- Italy
- Animals, nature and environmental protection (since 1979)
- The poor and all who seek peace
“Patron saint” means that people ask this saint to intercede for them with God. No guarantee or promise of miracles is attached to it.
Attributes and depiction
Francis wears the brown habit with a cord, often with the wounds on his hands (the stigmata, which he is said to have received in 1224), together with birds, a skull or a cross. The tau, a T-shaped cross, was his sign. He signed letters with it.
A short prayer
St Francis, teach me simplicity, gratitude and peace. Help me to respect creation and to be a blessing for others. Amen.
A simple prayer in our own words, to pray along.
Customs
On 4 October, St Francis’s Day, many parishes bless animals. The date also falls on World Animal Day. For Franciscans it is a solemnity.
The tau cross is still a popular sign of Franciscan spirituality today. It is worn and given as a necklace or wall cross.
Today
Francis’s outlook remains relevant today: own less, live more mindfully, seek peace. Pope Francis’s encyclical “Laudato si’” (2015) takes its name from the Canticle of the Sun. Anyone who wants to get to know the saint will find a good starting point in the Canticle of the Sun.
Matching items at LUNEXUS
- Olive wood tau cross necklace, Franciscan – handcrafted in Bethlehem
- Olive wood tau cross 15 cm – wall cross from Bethlehem, blessed
- Olive wood tau cross necklace with dove – blessed, handcrafted in Bethlehem
- Women’s tau cross bracelet, lava stone, natural stone, 16 cm – blessed
- St Francis of Assisi – hand-carved wooden statue from South Tyrol
The wooden statues from our woodcarving workshop are hand-carved in Val Gardena (South Tyrol) and come directly from the workshop: delivery time approx. 3–4 weeks, insured shipping to Germany and Austria only (€6.90). The statues are not blessed in our warehouse, and the 14-day statutory right of withdrawal applies to them.
Many, but not all, of our items are blessed in our own warehouse by a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Fulda. A business-card-sized certificate card showing the date of the blessing is then enclosed; whether an item is blessed is stated in its title or description. Shipped via Amazon's logistics network – free within Germany, €5.90 to Austria and France; Italy €6.90, Spain €6.90. Returns are possible within 30 days.
More to choose from: everything in olive wood and all patron saints. Parishes and groups will find an offer on request on the quantity discount page (does not apply to wooden statues from the woodcarving workshop).
Keep reading in the magazine: Cross, crucifix, tau: the differences
Frequently asked questions
When is St Francis’s Day?
The feast day is 4 October.
What does the tau cross mean?
Tau is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet and is seen as a sign of belonging to God. Francis made it his own sign.
Why are animals blessed on St Francis’s Day?
Because Francis saw animals as God’s creatures and as brothers and sisters.
Sources: Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon (Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints), the Martyrologium Romanum and the regional calendar for the German-speaking area. We flag legends as such; prayers are, unless stated otherwise, our own simple wording. Compiled by Denis & Belinda, as of October 2026.
