Skip to main content

Secondary sourceBook1230

First Life of Saint Francis

Thomas of Celano · 1230

The earliest biography of Francis of Assisi, written by Thomas of Celano, who had known him, soon after his canonization.

This is the earliest biography of Francis, written by someone who knew him, shaping how he has been remembered ever since.

Ask Saint Francis about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Internet Archive)

About this source

What it is

This biography was written by Thomas of Celano, a friar who had known Francis, and was commissioned by Pope Gregory IX around the time of Francis's canonization in 1228. It is the earliest full account of Francis's life and became the foundation for nearly all later biographies.

Why it matters

Because Thomas of Celano knew Francis personally and wrote so soon after his death, this text shaped how later generations, and the Church itself, remembered and understood him. It shows how an official, approved version of a saint's life was created and spread.

Look closer

  • Why might a pope want to commission an official biography of a newly canonized saint?
  • How might writing soon after someone's death, by someone who knew them, change what gets included or left out?
  • What parts of Francis's life might be emphasized because they support the idea of him as a saint?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Francis on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Saint Francis sources

Meet the AI Saint Francis →
Manuscript page in Latin with black gothic script and red initial letter M and red-highlighted lines, with handwritten marginal notes on the right. The text includes 'Altissimu onnipotente bon signore' and 'Laudes creaturarum', consistent with the Canticle of the Sun.Book

Primary source

Canticle of the Sun

Francis of Assisi · 1226

Photograph of a small, aged parchment sheet sealed in a metal-framed case. It has faded brown ink text in Latin with red headings, a large hand-drawn red and brown Tau cross with a figure-like sketch, and a few lines of writing at the bottom.Document

Primary source

Chartula fratri Leonis

Francis of Assisi · 1224

Gold-background panel painting in a gabled wooden frame. A standing robed friar with a halo holds a book and raises one hand, flanked by two angels above. Smaller framed scenes in the side panels show his life events in colorful architecture.Painting

Secondary source

Saint Francis of Assisi and Scenes of His Life

Bonaventura Berlinghieri · 1235

Aerial view of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi on a hilltop, with its pink-toned stone walls, a tall bell tower, and a large sloping retaining wall. A parking area and winding road are below, with green valley and hills in the distance under a cloudy sky.Artifact

Secondary source

Basilica of San Francesco d'Assisi

begun 1228

Painted wooden crucifix on a cross-shaped panel with a red and gold border. Christ with open arms, eyes open, wearing a white loincloth, with small figures of saints and angels around him and a Latin inscription above his head.Painting

Primary source

San Damiano Cross

c. 1100

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Saint Francis now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions