Italy will recover, after half a century, the civil holiday of October 4 in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, the country’s patron saint. The Senate definitively approved the bill that makes the date a national holiday, although it will not take effect this year, but in 2026, coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. The measure, supported almost unanimously, was celebrated enthusiastically by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Meloni celebrates unity around Saint Francis
“We welcome with joy and satisfaction the definitive approval of this law that returns October 4 to the national calendar, the day we celebrate Saint Francis, patron of Italy,” Meloni stated in an official declaration. The leader emphasized that the bipartisan support for the project demonstrates that Saint Francis is a figure of national unity and a reference shared by all Italians.
A holiday with an interrupted history
October 4 had already been established as a national holiday in 1958, but it was abolished in 1977 as part of austerity measures that eliminated several dates from the civil calendar. With this law, Italy restores a day of strong religious and cultural symbolism, rooted in the Catholic tradition and the spiritual identity of the country.
The saint of peace and evangelical poverty
Francis of Assisi, born in 1182, renounced his family’s wealth to live in radical poverty, dedicated to Christ and the most needy. Founder of the Franciscan Order, he is also known for his preaching of peace and love for creation. Assisi, his birthplace, has become one of the main pilgrimage destinations in Italy and has been visited by numerous popes, including John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis.
A celebration that reinforces Italian identity
The reintroduction of this national holiday will serve to commemorate Saint Francis of Assisi each year as Italy’s patron, strengthening the common memory and the nation’s bond with its Christian heritage. It will be, in Meloni’s words, an opportunity to “remember who we are and what unites us most deeply”.