St. Francis of Assisi is one of the greatest and most recognizeable saints in the history of the Church. His life was a mirror of the life of Christ. In a decadent age, filled with corruption, Francis became not merely an impetus for reform, but a living image of Christ in his virtue and in his flesh through the stigmata. Candide Chalippe's work is not merely biography, it is a spiritual classic written by an author filled with piety and love for Christ and His Church. This new publication edits Chalippe's work and presents it for modern readers in new chapter divisions, with artwork from the Basilica of St. Francis and Renaissance masters. This excellent biography takes us through Francis' entire life, as well as the progress and history of his order in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, compiling sources from all of the earliest authors.