FRANCIS OF PAOLA (or PAULA), ST. (c. 1416-1507), founder of the Minims, one of the Mendicant orders of the Roman Catholic Church, was born of humble parentage at Paola in Calabria. He entered a Franciscan friary, but left it to live as a hermit. Soon disciples joined him, and with the bishop's approval he built a church and monastery. They proposed to go beyond even the strict Franciscans in fasts and bodily austerities, in poverty and in humility; and therefore, as the Franciscans were the Minors (minores, less), the new order took the name of Minims (minimi, least). By 1474 the order was approved by the pope. In 1482 Louis NI. of France, being on his deathbed sent for Francis to attend him. Louis' successor, Charles VIII., held him in such high esteem that he kept him in Paris, and enabled him to found various houses of his order. He died in the monas tery at Plessis-les-Tours, and his f east is celebrated on April 2nd.
The Rule was so strict that it was not finally sanctioned until 1506. It enjoins perpetual abstinence, even from such animal products as eggs, milk, butter, cheese. The strongly ascetical spirit of the Minims manifested itself in the title borne by the superiors—not abbot (father), or prior, or guardian, or minister, or rector, but corrector. At the death of the founder, the order had five provinces—Italy, France, Tours, Germany, Spain.
See Helyot, Hist. des ordres religieux (1714) , vii. ; M. Heimbucher, Orden and Kongregationen (1896) , i. ; Wetzer and Welte, Kirchen lexicon and Herzog, Realencyklopadie.