The remains of San Francisco’s namesake saint will be exhumed early next year to be displayed for the 800th anniversary of his death.
The body of St. Francis of Assisi will be moved from his tomb from Feb. 22 to March 22 to be displayed at the foot of the papal altar at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, his hometown in Italy.
The announcement was reported by Vatican News, the Vatican’s official news site, on Oct. 4, the feast day of St. Francis — a day where Catholics celebrate St. Francis’ legacy and often bring their pets to church to be blessed.
St. Francis is one of Catholicism’s most venerated figures, celebrated as the patron saint of animals and the environment, as well as one of Italy’s two patron saints. He lived in Italy from the late 12th century to the early 13th century, dying in 1226. St. Francis founded or inspired several religious orders that continue to this day. When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope in 2013, he became the first pontiff in history to choose Francis as his papal name in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
Though St. Francis never visited the city that would one day bear his name, his connections to the area stretch back to some of the earliest European settlements in California.
Spanish Franciscan missionaries founded the Misión San Francisco de Asís in the modern day Mission District in 1776, seven decades before San Francisco would be incorporated as a city and California would become a state. But the mission became more well known as Mission Dolores, borrowing the name of a nearby creek, according to its website.
With the influx of new residents seeking gold in 1849, a new Catholic church borrowing the saint’s name was established in North Beach: the St. Francis of Assisi Church, which in 1999 was named the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi.
The exposition in Italy slated for early next year will be the first time St. Francis’ remains will be displayed to the public for an extended period of time, according to Vatican News.
A free online reservation will be required for all visitors who plan to make a visit to view the saint. Accommodations will be available for those who are visually or physically impaired. Two international Masses will also be celebrated each day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday through Saturday during the exposition, Vatican News reported.