On May 24, the Franciscan Family celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi.

Launching cause for canonization of Saint Francis

Francis died in October 1226. His friend and protector, Cardinal Hugolino, was elected Pope Gregory IX in March 1227 and quickly launched a process for Francis’s canonization.

Constructing a pilgrimage house for Francis’s remains

Meanwhile, Gregory made plans to construct a pilgrimage church to house Francis’s remains. The commune of Assisi donated land, and at the end of April 1228, the Pope sent out an appeal to the Christian people requesting funds for the project. On July 17, 1228, the day after Francis’s canonization, Gregory laid the cornerstone of the church.

Construction progresses rapidly

Among the chief benefactors of the work was Lady Jacopa di Settisoli, a prominent Roman noblewoman and lay penitent, who was a close friend of Francis. Supervision of the