The successors of Saint Francis of Assisi include not only the current Bishop of Rome and the universal Church, who was the first pope ever to take the name of the universally respected Saint Francis (1181/82 to 1226), but also several branches of the large Franciscan order: the Franciscans, the Friars Minor, and the Capuchins; as well as the Franciscan nuns and the Poor Clares.
In his youth, as the son of wealthy parents, Francis was rather a bon vivant, but later he turned to Christ. One day, while praying in the half-ruined church of San Damiano, situated on a hillside outside the city walls of Assisi, he heard the voice of Christ coming down from the cross, calling him to "rebuild his Church." At first, he took this request literally and restored the church building; later, he came to realize that this was primarily about the Church as the community of believers.