( CNN ) -- St. Francis of Assisi , after whom Pope Francis has taken his name , captures the spirit of many Catholics because church history regards him as the pre-eminent figure passionate about imitating Christ 's life . He is known also as a patron saint of Italy , the founder of the Franciscan order of the Friars Minor , an admirer of nature and a servant to poor and destitute . The brown robe of the Franciscans is iconic . `` Who does n't know Francis of Assisi , who abandoned everything from wealth and prestige and who became poor himself , '' Vatican deputy spokesman the Rev . Thomas Rosica said Wednesday , explaining how the saint inspired Pope Francis ' name . `` Francis of Assisi is a great , great figure in the church but known especially for connecting with fellow Christians and many people outside the Christian family , '' Rosica said . Many popes have written and spoken of St. Francis of Assisi , according to the Vatican 's website . In an encyclical , Pope Pius XI stated that `` there has never been anyone in whom the image of Jesus Christ and the evangelical manner of life shone forth more lifelike and strikingly than in St . Francis . '' St. Francis `` was also rightly spoken of as 'another Jesus Christ , ' '' Pius XI said . He was born in Assisi in 1181 or 1182 , the son of a rich cloth merchant , and he enjoyed a carefree adolescence and youth , particularly with troubadours . He went to war at age 20 and was taken prison for almost a year . He was released and became seriously ill , which began a major turn in his life . When he returned to Assisi , a spiritual change commenced , and Francis abandoned his worldliness . He met with lepers and extended a kiss to one . In rags , he lived among beggars at St. Peter 's Basilica in Rome . And in one renowned episode , he went to the tattered small church of St. Damian , where Christ on the cross came to life and told him : `` Go , Francis , and repair my Church in ruins , '' recounted Pope Benedict XVI in a 2010 address , according to the Vatican website . `` The ruinous state of the building was a symbol of the dramatic and disquieting situation of the church herself , '' Benedict said . `` At that time the church had a superficial faith which did not shape or transform life , a scarcely zealous clergy , and a chilling of love . '' Francis ' father questioned his son 's generosity and servitude to the poor . While standing before the bishop of Assisi , Francis stripped off his clothes and renounced his paternal inheritance , Benedict said . Francis lived as a hermit . He went to Rome in 1209 to propose to Pope Innocent III a plan for a new form of Christian life , Benedict said . The Franciscan order was born .
St. Francis of Assisi is a patron saint of Italy and founder of brown-robed Franciscans . `` Who does n't know Francis of Assisi , '' Vatican spokesman says . St. Francis `` was also rightly spoken of as 'another Jesus Christ , ' '' said the Rev. Thomas Rosica, director of communications for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He renounced the inheritance of his rich cloth merchant father .