St. Francis of Assisi - 800th birth anniversary 4.4.1983

A commemorative stamp on St. Francis of Assisi was issued on the occasion of his 800th birth anniversary, namely on 4.4.1983. The stamp shows the statue of St. Francis and Brother Falcon, by Giovanni Collina in La Verna ( Italy). The first day cover shows the lofty Church of St. Francis of Assisi in old Goa, which was completed in 1521 and rebuilt in 1661 keeping intact the old portico. It is 190 ft. long and 60 ft. wide. The outer architecture belongs to the Tuscan style and the interior to Corithian-mossaic.

Saint Francis of Assisi born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, but nicknamed Francesco (a tribute to France) by his father; 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226) was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis for men and women not able to live the lives of itinerant preachers, followed by the early members of the Order of Friars Minor, or the monastic lives of the Poor Clares. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history.

On July 16, 1228, he was proclaimed a saint by Pope Gregory IX. He is known as the patron saint of animals and the environment, and is one of the two patron saints of Italy (with Catherine of Siena). It is customary for Catholic and Anglican churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day. He is also known for his love of the Eucharist, his sorrow during the Stations of the Cross, and for the creation of the Christmas crèche or Nativity Scene.