Italy is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi with a jubilee year proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV and a new nationwide public holiday on October 4, reinstated by the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The Franciscan Year has already drawn large crowds to the Umbrian hill town. According to official figures, 400,000 visitors came in February and March alone, when the saint's remains were displayed for public veneration for the first time in centuries. Last year, Assisi recorded 1.7 million overnight guests, with total visitors including day-trippers estimated at five million.
Francis, born around 1181–82 and dead on the evening of October 3, 1226, is one of the most prominent saints of the Catholic Church. The founder of the Franciscan order is buried in the Basilica of San Francesco, one of the world's most popular pilgrimage sites. In Assisi, a town of 27,500 residents about three hours by car from Rome, his presence is inescapable: street performers dressed in brown habits pose for photos, and shops and hotels thrive on the steady stream of pilgrims and tourists.
The decision to make October 4 a national holiday marks a return to a practice that existed between 1958 and 1977, before it was abolished. Meloni has justified the move by describing Francis as a saint loved by all Italians, saying the national day will be an occasion to celebrate an extraordinary man and to remind the country each year of who it is and what unites it at its core. Some observers link the timing to national elections expected next year, possibly in October.
For the people of Assisi, the jubilee year is both a blessing and a challenge. «I owe everything to Francis,» said artist Antonio Minzolini, who sells his paintings in a shop in the town center. «For me, after Jesus and the Mother of God Mary, he is the most important saint.» Laura Ferreti, who works in a gelateria, welcomed the international visitors but admitted, «Of course it is also exhausting for us,» before turning to serve the next customers.
Among the pilgrims is Father Benjamin Rinkart from Limburg, who came to pray at the tomb and experience the atmosphere. He described Francis as a defining figure in two millennia of Catholic history: «A saint who wanted change in the church but did not set himself against the church.» In Assisi, he said, one sees how cultures enrich one another rather than shut themselves off. «I take that with me as a great gift.»
Francis is remembered as a symbol of peaceful coexistence, though his early life pointed in a different direction. As a young man he went to war between Assisi and neighboring Perugia, about 30 kilometers away, and he was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, far from the ascetic life he later embraced. According to tradition, his turning point came through a vision in a ruined church, where he heard God's voice telling him, «Go and rebuild my house.» He first took the command literally and repaired dilapidated churches, then understood it in a spiritual sense. He renounced his worldly possessions and became a wandering preacher, attracting followers. In 1209 he traveled with companions to Rome, where Pope Innocent III recognized his community. The Franciscan order continues to this day.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella is expected at the celebrations on October 4. Pope Leo XIV will not attend, having already visited Assisi in August.