800th Anniversary of the Death of Saint Francis of Assisi

St Francis of Assisi taming the Wolf of Gubbio. Running along the rim from left to right: the issuing state "SAN MARINO", the commemorative inscription "FRANCESCO D'ASSISI", the dates "1226 – 2026" and the initials "F. TAURINO" of designer Fani Ivanka Taurino. The "R" of the Rome mint is shown to the left of the design.

Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Francis of Assisi, is regarded as one of the most influential saints of the Middle Ages. Born around 1181 in the Umbrian city of Assisi, he turned his back on civic life after a youth spent in comfort and a brief career as a soldier. He chose radical poverty, itinerant preaching, and care for the sick and the marginalized. In 1209 he founded the community of the Friars Minor, from which the Franciscan Order emerged — to this day one of the largest religious orders of the Catholic Church. His relationship to nature, to animals, and to creation as a whole left a lasting mark on Christian thought; his Canticle of the Creatures is regarded as one of the oldest literary works in the Italian language.

The close connection between Francis of Assisi and San Marino lies in their shared Umbrian and central Italian cultural landscape: Assisi lies only about 80 kilometers from the Republic of San Marino, and Franciscan influence on the spirituality and art of the region was formative for centuries. Francis died on 3 October 1226 in the Portiuncula chapel near Assisi; he was canonized just two years later. His 800th anniversary of death in 2026 is the occasion for this issue by San Marino, one of the smallest states in the world, which regularly honors figures and events of pan-European significance in its coin programs.