The humble but heroic figure of St. Francis (1182-1226), who gave up wealth and security to espouse a life of poverty, an apostolic existence as much like Christ’s as possible, attracted a strong and immediate following. In a series of vivid vignettes, The Wisdom of St. Francis and His Companions portrays the lives of the original members of the Franciscan community––the childlike innocence of their faith, their brave self-denial and acute sayings, and the sometimes comic effects of their simplicity. St. Francis himself was a poet, and his work, together with the picturesque episodes of his extraordinary life, evoke a perennial response––as witness his revered “Canticle to the Sun."