The Order of Friars Minor was founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209. Francis, having left behind his comforts and riches, began to preach the Gospel and felt the need to restore the Church with the ancient values of poverty, spirituality, obedience, benevolence and charity. The Rule was approved in 1223 by Pope Honorius III, with the bull Solet annuere.
The Franciscans were also involved in the cultural field, founding one of the most important philosophical and theological schools of the Middle Ages. In Norman Sicily, the Franciscans settled into the urban fabric, also through the construction of churches and convents, and became absolute protagonists of the spiritual, cultural and sometimes political life of the island.
