From Institution to Inspiration: Why the Friars Minor Became Franciscans

Abstract

Medieval religious institutions, such as the papacy or the religious orders, tend to designate a saint as their founding inspiration. For the papacy, this has been St Peter; for the religious orders, saints such as St Benedict, St Dominic or St Francis. While it might appear logical to think of these inspiring founders as preceding the establishment of such institutions, in reality the latter are almost entirely responsible for the making, maintaining and circulating of the image of a founding saint. Hence it is necessary to approach historiographical narratives with great caution in which an institution is thought to be diverging from the founder's path, falling short of the founder's ideals or deliberately distorting the image of a founder to justify their evolution. If such a discrepancy between the initial ideal and later practice is observed, the central point of investigation should focus on why the hagiographical and liturgical records regarding the founding saint included elements in conflict with the institutional practice. This article will investigate the medieval evidence and the historiographical narratives pertaining to the Order of Friars Minor.