Paola (Calabria) is his homeland. At the age of thirteen, he took the Franciscan habit, but after two years, he withdrew to live a hermitic life. Despite the extreme rigor of his ascetic practices, a few disciples gathered around him, and for them, he founded a monastery in Cosenza. This marked the beginning of the Order of the Hermits of Saint Francis of Assisi, better known as the «Minims.» He also founded the female branch of the Minim nuns.
At the pope’s request, Francis traveled to France to assist King Louis XI, who was seriously ill. The monarch received him warmly and kept him close, showing him great favor. By the end of his life, Louis XI appointed Francis as the spiritual director of his son, Charles VIII. Charles, like his father, held the saint in high esteem and supported the expansion of the order.
Francis died in Plessis-les-Tours at the age of ninety-one, on Good Friday, April 2, 1507. He was canonized in 1519.
