St. Francis in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

An English-speaking Protestant of the mid-nineteenth century, preparing to explore continental Europe for the first time, might have picked up Octavian Blewitt's 1850 guidebook to central Italy. Along with its descriptions of Rome, Florence, and Ravenna, the book noted that is the sanctuary of early Italian art.1 A similar book in 1905, however, declared, is the city of St. Francis. Its author added, The little town has itself become a Religion.2 For the Anglophone public today, Francis of Assisi is the most familiar of saints other than, perhaps, the Virgin Mary. He is as beloved among Protestants as among Catholics. His image is instantly recognizable and appears well beyond ecclesial confines in such venues as garden statuary and greeting cards. How did this transformation take place? How did a medieval Catholic saint become a fixture of both Protestantism and popular culture?