When I first saw Giotto’s fresco cycle “The Legend of St. Francis” in the upper church of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi—a small Italian town two hours from Rome by train—I ...

Thousands flooded through the walls of Vatican City as a procession of cardinals and pallbearers took the body of the late pontiff into St. Peter's Basilica. April 23, 2025, 7:07 AM EDT / Updated ...

In 1182, St. Francis was born to a wealthy family in Assisi, which rises above a fertile valley in central Italy. Praying in front of a crucifix, he is said to have heard a call to reform the church.