The Order of Friars Minor was founded by St Francis of Assisi in the thirteenth century.
After his conversion and renunciation of his possessions in the presence of Bishop Guido around 1206, St Francis began living as a hermit. He was soon joined by followers drawn to his way of life. Later, St Francis would write in his Testament: “God gave me brothers.” When their number reached twelve, Francis wrote a short rule for them, which Pope Innocent III approved orally in 1209. The Rule received its definitive approval on 29 November 1223 through a special bull of Pope Honorius III. By then, the Order numbered more than five thousand friars.
The Order of Friars Minor grew rapidly. During the founder’s lifetime, Franciscans were already present in various parts of Italy, as well as in the Holy Land, France, Germany and Hungary.
The first Franciscans came to Poland from Bohemia and established their first monastery in Kraków in 1237.
In the same year, the friars arrived in Rus’. Their first monastery was in Przemyśl, and its foundation was linked to the establishment of a bishopric in the city.
The first bishop was a German Franciscan, and the first friars came from his homeland.
A monastery was soon established in Lviv, which became the centre of Franciscan life in Rus’ for centuries. The friars have been continuously present in the city from the early fourteenth century to the present day. From 1625 to 1947, it was the seat of the provincial superior and housed a seminary and novitiate. Even under the communist regime, the Franciscans remained present in Lviv through Fr Rafał Kiernicki, the long-serving parish priest of the Latin Cathedral.