Pietro Bernardone

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Pietro Bernardone is mentioned by Cacciaguida in Canto XI of the Paradiso, in a section devoted to the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. The verse 'per esser fi' di Pietro Bernardone' introduces a passage in which, according to the critical notes on the canto, the moment is recalled when Francis presented himself before the pope accompanied by the small group of his first followers, dressed in humble garments and girded with the Franciscan cord. The notes on the same canto point out that Dante, with the expression referring to Pietro Bernardone, emphasizes how the merchant's son spoke to the pontiff with equal dignity, without lowering his gaze out of a sense of his own humble condition. The only biographical datum that can be drawn from the verses together with the notes provided is therefore the paternity of Francis and the qualification of merchant, which the notes derive from the identification of the personage mentioned in the verse.