|
|
Dictionary definition: Francis of Paola
- Article from:
- The Oxford Dictionary of Saints
- Author:
Copyright© The Oxford Dictionary of Saints 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information)
|
Francis of Paola
(1416–1507), founder of the Franciscan Minim Friars. Born at Paola (Calabria), he lived in a neighbouring Franciscan friary for a year when he was thirteen, went on pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome, and then became a hermit near his home town in a cave overlooking the sea. When he was twenty he was joined by two companions, for whom a chapel and three cells were built by the neighbours. Later others came and new foundations were made. These Friars were called Minims through humility and were approved by the Holy See in 1474. They underlined the monastic elements of the Franciscan ideal; their charity and extreme austerity attracted many; there was usually only one ...