Francis Solanus | |
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| Born | 10 March 1549 Montilla,Córdoba,Spanish Empire |
| Died | 14 July 1610 Lima,Viceroyalty of Peru, Spanish Empire |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 20 June 1675,Rome,Papal States byPope Clement X |
| Canonized | 27 December 1726, Rome, Papal States byPope Benedict XIII |
| Majorshrine | Monastery of San Francisco, Lima, Peru |
| Feast | 24 July |
| Attributes | Franciscan habit, violin |
| Patronage | Argentina; Bolivia; Chile; Paraguay; Peru; also against earthquakes |
Francis Solanus, born asFrancisco Solano y Jiménez, 10 March 1549 – 14 July 1610) was a SpanishFranciscan friar and missionary in South America. He is venerated as a saint in theRoman Catholic Church.
Solanus was born 10 March 1549 inMontilla,Spain, the third child of Mateo Sánchez Solano and Ana Jiménez. He was educated by theJesuits, but felt drawn to the poverty andpenitential life of the Franciscan friars. At the age of twenty, he joined theOrder of Friars Minor at Montilla,[1] entering thenovitiate at St. Lawrence Friary. The community there belonged to the reformed observance within the order, following a strict routine of prayer, silence andfasting. Francis followed the rule rigorously, always going barefoot,abstaining from meat, and wearing ahairshirt throughout that entire year. As a result, however, his health was permanently affected, leaving him sick and fatigued.
Solano made hissolemn vows in 1569.[2] He was then sent to the friary ofOur Lady of Loreto in Seville for hisseminary studies. There he learned not only philosophy and theology but developed his musical talents. He wasordained in 1576, a ceremony his mother was unable to attend due to her poor health. He was then named master of ceremonies for the community. Still a lover of simplicity, Francis made a small cell for himself by the chapel of the friary, made of clay and reeds.
After completing his final theological studies, Solano was assigned as an itinerant preacher to the surrounding villages of the region. He was eventually given a license as aconfessor. During this time and with the hope of achievingmartyrdom for preaching the Catholic faith, he requested that he might be allowed to go toNorth Africa. He was denied this request. At that point, Solano shifted his vision to the American missions.
After the death of his father, Solano returned to his hometown of Montilla to care for his mother. During that time, he gained the reputation of awonderworker, as a number of people were cured of their afflictions through his intercession. In 1583, a pestilence having broken out at Granada, he tended the sick and dying.[3]
Spanish kingPhilip II requested the Franciscans to send missionaries to preach the gospel in the Americas. In 1589, Solanus sailed from Spain to the New World, and having landed at Panama, crossed theisthmus and embarked on a vessel that was to convey him toPeru.[1] During the journey, a storm at sea crashed his ship against the rocks not far from Peru. The crew and the passengers abandoned the ship, but Francis stayed with the slaves that were on board. After three days, they were rescued.[3]
For twenty years Solano worked at evangelizing the vast regions ofTucuman (present-day northwesternArgentina) andParaguay. He had a skill for languages and succeeded at learning many of the regions' native tongues in a fairly short period. TheCatholic Encyclopedia states he could also address tribes of different tongues in one language yet be understood by them all.[1] Being a musician as well, Solano also played the violin frequently for the natives. He is often depicted playing this instrument.
After that came Solano's appointment asguardian of the Franciscan friary inLima, Peru. Further, he filled the same office for the Franciscan friaries in Tucuman and Paraguay.
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Around 1601 he was called to Lima, Peru, where he tried to recall the Spanish colonists to their baptismal integrity.[4] In 1610, while preaching atTrujillo he foretold the calamities that were to befall that city, which was destroyed by an earthquake eight years later.[1] He died at Lima in 1610.
Solanus wasbeatified byPope Clement X in 1675, andcanonized byPope Benedict XIII in 1726.[4] His feast is on 24 July.
Francis Solanus is the patron saint of Montilla. The Parish Church of San Francisco Solano is built on the site of the former house where he was born.[5] He is also patron of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru.[3]
Mission San Francisco Solano, the northernmost mission alongCalifornia'sEl Camino Real, was named in 1823 for Francisco Solano.[6]
InHumahuaca, every day at noon, on the city hall belltower, heavy copper doors slowly open and a life-sized animated wooden statue of San Francisco Solano appears for about two minutes and seems to bless the silent crowd amassed on the village plaza.[7]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Donovan, Stephen (1909). "St. Francis Solanus".Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6.
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