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What was St. Francis of Assisi’s birth name?
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St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis and Scenes from His Life, tempera on panel by Bonaventura Berlinghieri, 1235; in the Church of San Francesco, Pescia, Italy.
St. Francis of Assisi was born with the name Giovanni. His mother had him baptized with this name while his father, the cloth merchant Pietro di Bernardone, was away on a business trip in France. Upon his return, his father changed the infant's name to Francesco (Francis), likely due to his interest in France or his wife’s background.12