who also has need of the poor in order to ask anything of us."
- St. Francis of Assisi
The son a prosperous merchant, Francis had traded his wealth for a life of poverty so that he could better serve the Lord. In describing his ministry to be with the poor, he used the imagery of a suitor's pursuit of the woman with whom he wished to spend the rest of his life in marriage.
For Francis, that woman was Lady Poverty.
The image of Francis and Lady Poverty caught the imagination of many artists. One of the best known artistic renditions was created by Giotto di Bondone. He painted the marriage of St. Francis and Lady Poverty for the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy.
- Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw