The Franciscans

Did you know the almond tree was brought to California from Spain by Franciscan padres, in the mid 1700s?

The Franciscans were a group of related Christian orders, primarily within the Catholic Church, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. He created three different orders; The Order of Friars Minor (for men), the Order of Saint Clare (for women), and the Third Order of Saint Francis (open to male and female members).

Friars, while similar to monks, live and work among the regular people in society, as opposed to a secluded monastery, and the friars would often travel round towns. The word itself comes from 13th century Old French ‘frere’, meaning brother.