San Francesco del Deserto Historical Timeline

Origins

The island was a Roman and then early medieval site before the Franciscans, and its second name -- del Deserto -- records long periods when malaria and isolation emptied it entirely.

Turning points

The founding tradition places St Francis here in 1220, returning from the Fifth Crusade's Egyptian campaign. The island was given to the order shortly afterwards, and a friary was established.

Influential people

The community has been dispersed and restored several times -- by plague, by malaria, and by the Napoleonic suppression of religious houses in 1806, after which the island was used as a military store.

Cultural evolution

The Franciscans returned in 1856, and a small community has lived there since.

Present-day significance

It remains a working friary rather than a monument. Visits are conducted by the friars themselves, and the island has deliberately never been developed for tourism.