Saint Francis Caracciolo – 4 June – Story & Sacred Art Iconography
Saint Francis Caracciolo. An Italian Catholic priest. Experienced a miraculous healing from leprosy. Co-founder of the Order of Clerics Regular Minor. Patron saint of Italian cooks and the city of Naples.
Francis Caracciolo (1563–1608) was born as Ascanio dei Caracciolo Piscisi into a noble family in the Kingdom of Naples (region of Abruzzo). When he was 22 years old he contracted leprosy. Francis made a promise to God that if he was healed of his illness, he would devote his life to the service of God. After he was miraculously healed, Francis went to Naples to study to become a priest.
At the age of 25, together with two other priests, he founded the Order of Clerics Regular Minor*.
* The Order of Clerics Regular Minor is a part of a family of regular clergy, its members strive to sanctify themselves and the people of God by imitating in their lives the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Its motto is Ad Maiorem Dei Resurgentis Gloriam – To the Glory of the Risen God. The members of this Order use the acronym CRM after their names.
Iconography of Saint Francis Caracciolo – The saint is often depicted with attributes emphasizing his eucharistic devotion (monstrance) or the spirit of humility that protected him from a career as a clergyman. Often the following inscription is seen in his iconography – “He did not renounce his vow of office, but placed the signs of the episcopal office on his feet”.
