Today we stopped by the building that once housed Francis of Assisi, from whom the current Pope has taken his name. This man was rather revolutionary, from working the mystic angle of religion (preaching to nature, animals, and in the nude) to working on humanizing Christianity. No longer would saints be limited to people set aside from society who gave up their lives to pray. By bringing out the humanity of Jesus via images of his birth and death (how very human!) he equated that the average person could also be like Jesus and find sanctity through every day life. He gave up his wealth to create a begging order which was so controversial for the time that he almost did not get it established. It’s always the most eccentric individuals who make the best history.