About this person
Francis of Paola was an Italian friar and founder of the Order of Minims. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.
He was born on 27 March 1416 in Paola, Calabria. In his youth, he lived as a hermit and gained a reputation as an ascetic spiritual figure.
He founded the Order of Minims, whose members took a vow of perpetual Lenten abstinence. The order spread from Italy to France and other countries.
He died on 2 April 1507 in Plessis-lès-Tours, France. His dietary practice is described in the religious context of the period as perpetual fasting, rather than by the modern term vegan.