The mapping of the presence of Francis of Assisi in the work and thought of Nikos Kazantzakis reveals that the ties connecting the Cretan thinker with the Western saint transcended the conventionality of the relationship between biographer and subject.

The figure or, rather, the myth of Francis stood for Kazantzakis not only as the most attractive version of Christianity but also as a valuable companion, who continually fed the stations and/or turns of his spiritual journey.

This study aims to document and highlight the Franciscan aspects of Kazantzakis's consciousness. The examination of these aspects allows, on one hand, a critical approach to the demands of heroism and sainthood, which compose the anthropological ideal and dynamically invest the social ideas and/or political visions of Kazantzakis.

On the other hand, the study of these aspects favors the terms of a renewed dialogue between the constants of the Christian faith and the structural materials of the metaphysical universe of the Cretan thinker.

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