Paul Sabatier

The Road to Assisi

Paul Sabatier

Originally published in French in 1894, Sabatier’s was the first modern biography of Francis of Assisi. It was a worldwide bestseller, and in 2003 when this new edition was first published, it again sold more than 60,000 copies and was a selection of History Book Club.
This new 120th anniversary edition includes a dozen additional annotations and a new preface by the editor, putting Sabatier’s influential work into its historical context, showing why it is still the most essential life of the saint.

The Road to Assisi

Paul Sabatier

He conversed with both the Pope and the sultan. He transformed a taste for fine things and troubadour poetry into greater loves for poverty and joyful devotion to God. He never intended to found a traditional religious «movement,» but nevertheless, he did. As he died, his brothers had to guard him closely in fear that someone would try to snatch the body of this living saint. Who was Francis of Assisi? Where did he come from and what can we learn from his life?
Paul Sabatier (1858-1928), a French Protestant and the first modern biographer of St. Francis, sought to find the man beneath the layers of myth and legend. Sabatier portrayed a fully human Francis, much like each of us in our awkwardness, insecurities, and fear, but also a gentle mystic and passionate reformer who desired to live as Jesus taught his disciples. The Road to Assisi presents Sabatier´s biography for today´s twenty-first century reader. With helpful explanations and annotations by Jon M. Sweeney, Sabatier´s narrative is supplemented with the insights of many other scholars and writers, from Bonaventure and Dante to G. K. Chesterton and Umberto Eco. Visit Jon Sweeney's blog at www.jonmsweeney.wordpress.com.