Elias of Cortona

Elias of Cortona (c. 1180 – 22 April 1253) was a close associate of Saint Francis of Assisi and one of the earliest followers to join the newly founded Order of Friars Minor. A lay brother, he rose to positions of significant leadership within the order, serving as both vicar general and minister general. Saint Francis himself appointed Elias vicar general in 1221.

Early life
According to Salimbene di Adam, a contemporary acquaintance of Elias, his family name was likely Bonusbaro or Bonibarone. Salimbene also reports that Elias's father came from near Bologna, while his mother came from Assisi. Before joining the Franciscan Order, Elias worked in his father's business, which dealt in confectionary and mattresses. He also served as a teacher, instructing children of Assisi in reading the Psalter. Thomas of Eccleston, another chronicler, suggests that Elias later became a scriptor, or notary, in Bologna, where he presumably pursued further studies.

Elias appears to have been among the earliest companions of Saint Francis of Assisi. The exact time and place of his joining the order remain uncertain, though Luke Wadding, a Franciscan historian, proposes Cortona in 1211. It is clear, however, that Elias held a prominent position among the friars from the outset.

Following a brief stay in Tuscany, Elias was appointed head of a missionary group sent to the Near East in 1217. Two years later, he became the first provincial minister of the then-extensive Syrian province. In this capacity, he received Caesarius of Speyer into the order. While the specifics of Elias's work in the East remain unclear, the three years he spent there appear to have had a significant impact on him.

Elias remained a lay brother throughout his life, never taking priestly vows. He instead served as a skilled organizer within the Franciscan Order.

Vicar general
After returning from Acre in 1220, Francis brought Elias back with him. Francis had previously appointed Peter Catani as vicar general to manage the order's day-to-day administration. When Peter died on March 10, 1221, demonstrating his trust in Elias, Francis named him vicar-general. Elias held this office for five years until Francis' death on October 3, 1226. He then oversaw the temporary burial of the saint at the Church of San Giorgio in Assisi, an ancient church later incorporated into and replaced by the Basilica di Santa Chiara.

Pope Gregory IX, a great patron of the Franciscans and their official protector as Cardinal Ugolino, entrusted Brother Elias with the task of building a magnificent church to house the body of Saint Francis. Elias immediately began planning a grand basilica in Assisi to enshrine the remains of the poverello.

To finance the basilica's construction, Elias, with papal authorization, obtained the Collis Inferni, a hill at the town's western extremity. He also implemented various fundraising methods, which alienated some friars zealous about poverty, a core Franciscan principle.

Another point of contention was Elias's status as a lay friar and his encouragement of other lay people to join the order. This move faced opposition from many ordained friars and ministers provincial, who also resisted increased centralization of the order's structure.

This internal opposition led to Elias's rejection at the May 1227 Chapter election for Minister General. Despite his prominence, Elias lost to Giovanni Parenti, the Minister Provincial of Spain, who became the order's new Minister General.

Minister general
Elias's ambition for leadership was realized at the General Chapter of 1232, where he was elected Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, becoming the second to hold this position after the order's founder. However, his succession was met with immediate controversy and caused a rift within the order.

Some of his most vocal critics were early companions of Saint Francis, including the simple Brother Giles, Brother Masseo, and Brother Leo, St. Francis's secretary and confidant. These early followers believed that Elias strayed from Saint Francis's cherished ideal of communal poverty. They cited the grandeur of the new Basilica of Saint Francis and Sacro Convento as examples of this, which Elias oversaw as the final resting place of the holy founder. Despite this criticism, Elias did attempt to uphold the rule of poverty for those closest to Saint Francis, including Saint Clare of Assisi, the founder of the Poor Clares, with whom he had collaborated to establish the female branch of the Franciscan Order.

Elias's administration was marked by a vigorous effort to expand the order. He sent friars to establish new communities in distant lands and authorized the construction of large, monastic-style residences in cities. These residences served as centers of learning and represented a significant departure from the order's earlier tradition of small, scattered hermitages and a more itinerant lifestyle. This development had two key consequences. First, the concentration of friars in large communities led to friction with established clergy in cities. The faithful increasingly sought the spiritual services of the friars, which strained relations with local parish churches. Second, the new lifestyle fostered a growing distinction between friars residing in established communities (who came to be known as Conventuals) and those who, adhering more closely to the original Franciscan ideal, preferred a more austere and mobile existence (these latter friars were referred to as Spirituals).

In 1238, Pope Gregory IX sent Elias of Cortona as an ambassador to the excommunicated Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Elias apparently became a supporter of the Emperor as a result of this mission.

A General Chapter of the Franciscan Order was held in Rome in 1239, where Elias was deposed from the office of Minister General. Friar Thomas of Eccleston's account of the Chapter suggests that Friar Haymo of Faversham was a leading figure in opposing Elias.

Following Elias's deposition, Albert of Pisa, the Minister Provincial of England, was elected Minister General. Elias traveled to Cortona without permission, visiting a house of Poor Clares. Though Albert was willing to absolve him, Elias instead went to the Ghibelline city of Arezzo. This prompted Pope Gregory IX to excommunicate him.

Albert died during his first year as Minister General. Haymo was then elected to the office in 1240.

In 1240, Elias definitively sided with the Emperor in his conflict with the papacy. He joined the Emperor's army, even riding a richly decorated warhorse at the sieges of Faenza and Ravenna. Consequently, Pope Gregory IX excommunicated Elias again and expelled him from the Franciscan Order.

The attribution of certain alchemical manuscripts to Elias is often disputed due to a lack of clear evidence.

Shortly before his death, Elias was reconciled with both the Holy See and the Franciscan Order, with Saint Clare playing a mediating role.

In April 2016, Ave Maria Press published the first popular history about Elias of Cortona titled The Enthusiast: How the Best Friend of Francis of Assisi Almost Destroyed What He Started.

Appraisal
Elias is a complex figure within the Franciscan community, whose legacy continues to be debated. This is reflected in the title of the 2016 book, which highlights a critical perspective on his role. However, in the context of the Conventual movement within the Franciscan order, his reputation was reassessed during the 18th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, in his 1923 commentary, encouraged efforts "to clarify more and more the historical truth surrounding the celebrated companion of St. Francis" through a process of "vindication," which entailed acknowledging both his merits and his shortcomings.