author

Candide Chalippe

1684–1757

A French Franciscan writer best known for a rich, devotional life of Saint Francis of Assisi, his work helped carry older Franciscan traditions to later readers. Though little biographical detail survives, his writing has remained in circulation for centuries.

1 Audiobook

The Life and Legends of Saint Francis of Assisi

The Life and Legends of Saint Francis of Assisi

by Candide Chalippe

About the author

Candide Chalippe (1684–1757) was a French Franciscan friar and religious writer. The clearest details consistently confirmed in library and public-domain records are his dates and his authorship of The Life of Saint Francis of Assisi (also published in English as The Life and Legends of Saint Francis of Assisi).

That book was first published in Paris in 1727 and later translated, revised, and reissued in English, which is a good sign of its lasting readership. It presents Saint Francis through a mix of history, devotion, and legend, drawing on older Franciscan sources and reflecting the warm, spiritual style of early modern Catholic biography.

Very little easy-to-verify personal information about Chalippe appears in standard public sources beyond his identity as a Franciscan author. Even so, his reputation rests securely on a work that continued to be printed, cataloged, and read long after his lifetime.