Francis of Assisi and the Legend of Umbria

During the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries there were changes in society that stimulated the emergence of new religious movements which aroused the concern of the Roman Catholic Church. Although many aspects of these movements were resisted, others were 'utilised' by the Church. Many of these movements were characterised by the search for their faith through a simple life. At this time, the Franciscan movement arose, initiated by Francis, founded with others who shared the same ideal of religious life, active outside the walls of convents. This movement, later called the Order of Friars Minor, sought to abolish the difference between clerics and laity. With a relatively large heterogeneity, the Order will expand and become one of the main orders of the Roman Church.