CESARIO da SPIRA. - Francesco, a disciple of s. Francesco d'Assisi, born at Spira (Germany) in the second half of the 12th century, died at Assisi (?) under the generalate of fra' Elia (1232-39). He studied theology in Paris and was a subdeacon and preacher when, with the Crusaders, he went to Syria, where frate Elia, the first provincial minister of that province (1217-20), received him into the Order. When s. Francesco also came there, he returned with him to Italy (1220), where at the Saint's command
he embellished the second rule with passages from Holy Scripture. In 1221 the Saint placed him at the head of the Franciscan mission in Germany, of which he was the first provincial minister. He returned to Assisi in 1223 and witnessed the death of the Saint (1226). Under the generalate of frate Elia, Angelo Clareno (v.) relates, writing about 1323, C., zealous for the purity of the rule, was allegedly imprisoned and died from the mistreatment inflicted by a lay brother who was his jailer. But since the source is late and suspect, no full reliance can be placed upon II.