Drawing on the vast body of scholarship on Francis of Assisi, this book creates a complete and engaging portrait of the saint, and then explores how the memory of Francis was shaped by contemporaries who recollected him in their writings. It presents a reconstruction of Francis' life and work.
Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) has been a doctor of the church since 1970. History recalls that she was outspoken, as well as being a mystic, visionary, and prophet. This is a portrait of a driven women who never ceased giving her life for her faith and the well being of her fellow man. What results is a real life portrait of a woman who experienced monumental crises such as the black plague, the Hundred Year War, internecine fighting in Italy, and papal exile in Avignon. This tertiary Dominican, who did not know how to read or write, became the confidant and critic of the powerful: princes, kings, bishops, and popes.