BREVIARIUM SANCTI FRANCISCI Un manoscritto tra liturgia e santità

One cannot but recognize that, in a certain sense, Francis of Assisi has had an enviable fortune compared to other saints: declared in 1992 by Time Magazine one of the most representative men of the second millennium, studied by university research centers, both secular and not, countless scientific and popular publications concerning his history, several films dedicated to him, recognized as an ideal reference by people of different cultures and religions.
The author studies the breviary of Saint Francis, a precious tool for those who wish to deepen their knowledge of the message and the thought of the Saint of Assisi.
The codex, called Breviarium sancti Francisci, basically consists of a breviary, the psalter and the evangeliary; the first part is the most consistent and consists of the breviary of the Roman Curia reformed by Innocent III. The antiquity of the text, which makes it a privileged witness to this reform and thus to the history of liturgical books in general, is confirmed by the presence, especially on Marian solemnities or those of saints linked to the papal ministry, such as Peter, Paul and Gregory the Great, of readings taken from the sermons of Innocent III himself; these readings after his death in 1216 were made optional by his successor, Pope Honorius III, and immediately disappeared from the breviary. In fact, the Breviary of St. Francis is the only true breviary that contains such readings in full. This codex was used by Francis and certainly cooperated in forming in him an albeit rudimentary theological culture that allowed him to express his spirituality and thought in some writings, three of which are still in our possession in autograph format.