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Saint Francis of Assisi (born at Assisi, Italy, around 1182; died there October 3, 1226) founded the Franciscan Order or "Friars Minor".
Pietro Bernardone, his father, was a wealthy cloth merchant. Of his mother, Pica, little is known. Francis was one of several children. He was baptized 'Giovanni', and 'Francesco' was a nickname - whether because of his father's fondness for France, or the French (Provencal) literature popular at the time, or perhaps his mother's origin is not clear.