Assisi, Italy — December 2025 — The 2026 calendar from San Francesco patrono d’Italia, titled “San Francesco vive,” was unveiled to the media and public on September 6 during the eleventh edition of Cortile di Francesco, held under the banner of “CreAzione.” The calendar is a collaborative creation between the Friars of the Sacro Convento and renowned photographer Gianluigi Di Napoli, marking the eighth centenary of St. Francis’s passing.
Gianluigi Di Napoli, whose work anchors the calendar, brings a luminous, contemplative approach to Franciscan subjects. His collaboration with the Frati del Sacro Convento underscores a shared commitment to portraying the spiritual vitality of the Franciscan tradition in a way that speaks to current and future generations.
The September 6 event unfolded in the sacred Piazza Inferiore of the Basilica of Saint Francis, featuring two significant moments: a roundtable discussion on “How to Communicate New Creative Energies” with leading figures from the communications world, followed by the calendar’s formal presentation. The intention was to illuminate how Franciscan spirituality and contemporary visual storytelling can resonate with today’s audiences.
“San Francesco vive” is conceived as a tribute to the life and spirit of St. Francis, interpreted through a modern lens. The calendar is produced in the context of the 2026 commemorations surrounding the eight-hundredth anniversary of Francis’s Easter (1226–2026). Rather than mere retrospective homage, the project invites viewers to see Franciscan spirituality as a living, ongoing presence—continuing to inspire through testimony, experiences, and the shared carisma of those who live in its light.
The photographs, unveiled to the public on September 6, are now the centerpiece of an outdoor exhibition in Assisi. Set up in Piazza Inferiore, the display invites pilgrims and visitors to contemplate the visual narrative of Franciscan life and its enduring relevance, with the exhibition running through February 2026.
The 2026 calendar is available for free order at the project’s official page: https://sanfrancescovive.org/calendario-francescano-2026/ (while supplies last). The same channels—San Francesco patrono d’Italia and the Sacro Convento—will disseminate imagery and messages as a sign of sharing and gratitude toward pilgrims, devotees, and visitors.
In Gianluigi Di Napoli’s own words, conveyed through the project’s statements, “For the first time in their history, the Frati del Sacro Convento chose to open their doors to an authorial photographic gaze, to tell the spirituality and essence of Franciscan life through images. It is a gesture of open-hearted courage and sensitivity, and I gratefully accepted it with a sense of responsibility. The calendar arises from an extraordinary access granted at a moment as unique in the history of Saint Francis as it is in our world. I listened, in silence and presence. My aim was to evoke, absorb, and render something of the invisible atmosphere that lingers in these places.”
In presenting “San Francesco vive,” Gianluigi Di Napoli and the Frati del Sacro Convento invite us to see Franciscan spirituality as a living, contemporary force. Through a photographer’s intimate gaze and a collaborative spirit, the calendar and outdoor exhibition in Assisi’s Piazza Inferiore illuminate a timeless truth: the life and example of St. Francis continue to resonate today, inviting reflection, dialogue, and shared creativity among pilgrims, devotees, and visitors alike.
Photo credits: © Gianluigi Di Napoli / Calendario Francesco Vive
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