800th Anniversary of the Death of Saint Francis of Assisi

At the centre, Saint Francis of Assisi, inspired by a 14th-century fresco by Simone Martini in the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi (Umbria, Italy). Running around the edge of the design, the commemorative inscription "SAN FRANCESCO D'ASSISI 1226–2026", bearing the saint's year of death and the current year. At lower right, the "R" of the Rome Mint; at lower left, the initials "AV" of coin designer Antonio Vecchio.

In the central Italian town of Assisi, in Umbria, Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone was born around 1181/82 — the man later known as Francis of Assisi. Raised as the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, he broke with his former life after being taken prisoner of war and undergoing a profound religious crisis. He renounced his inheritance and devoted himself thereafter to a life of voluntary poverty, prayer, and care for the sick. What began as a personal conversion developed within a few years into one of the most consequential religious movements of the Middle Ages: the Franciscan Order, which Francis founded around 1209 and presented to Pope Innocent III for approval. The order's principle — absolute poverty, itinerant preaching, service to the poorest — was radical for its time and stood in sharp contrast to an increasingly powerful and wealthy Church.

Francis of Assisi shaped religious life in Europe long after his death in 1226. His Canticle of the Sun, one of the earliest texts in the Italian vernacular, is regarded as both a literary and theological document. The Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi, built shortly after his death and adorned with frescoes by Cimabue, Giotto, and Simone Martini, became Italy's most important pilgrimage site and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Francis was canonized in 1228 — just two years after his death, an unusually swift process. In 1980, Pope John Paul II named him patron saint of ecology, giving his legacy a new contemporary dimension. On the 800th anniversary of his death in 2026, Italy commemorates one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic world with a 2-euro commemorative coin.