St. Francis Xavier The Early YearsNavarre, Spain

1506-1525

Presented by Grade 2

In the Spring of 1506 our future saint was born into a well known family in Spain. Francis was the third son born to in the Castle of Xavier. At that time Spain was divided into many kingdoms, and he was born into the kingdom of Navarre.

Xavier Castle

Navarre is in the North Eastern part of what is today know as Spain.

In the same year that Francis was born, in Rome, Pope Julius laid the foundation stone of what we now know as St. Peter's.

Francis Xavier was baptized in the small church of Santa Maria, close to the castle by the cousin of his mother.

Church of Santa Maria

Francis was the 3rd of 5 children born.

He was born to an aristocratic family.

His father had an important job as the president of the king’s council.

Francis was able to continue his education even after his First Communion because of his family’s wealth.

His teacher was the chaplain of the castle.

Francis was often late coming home from classes, and his mother worried a lot.

But she would usually find her son alone in Church, kneeling before the main altar, praying.

When he was not studying, Francis loved to go horseback riding and fish near the castle.

In 1516, when Francis was about 10 years old, war broke out between the king of Navarre and the king of neighboring Castile. King Ferdinand of Castile invaded Navarre. This was the biggest event in his childhood.

Fernando el Catolico, King of Castile

His father was defeated. After his father died, Francis’ two elder brothers, became soldiers and resisted the new king.

The 1516 uprising was crushed and although largely destroyed, the great castle of Navarre became a haven for orphans, refugees and those wounded in the fighting.

Francis’ mother took charge and helped these victims of the war.

But the war did not change Francis. He still wanted to be someone. He always dreamed of making a name for himself in this world.

Francis Xavier

In 1525 Francis, now 19, decided to follow in his father's footsteps, and go abroad to study. He decided to continue his education at the most famous of all Paris universities, the Sorbonne.

Sorbonne Theology School

To Paris as one…from Paris as many- to be continued -