Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), although they were not contemporaries and are born in different countries and both had very different approaches in their responses to God's call. However, each is credited with rebuilding the Church of Christ on a large scale. Saint Francis was born in Italy into a wealthy family of silk merchants almost thirty years after the death of Saint Bernard. Saint Bernard was born into a noble family in Burgundy, France, both men were born into a position of wealth and esteem. Saint Bernard had a great taste for literature and devoted himself for some time to poetry. Saint Francis had also shared a joy for poetry, mainly troubadour song lyrics dealing primarily with themes of chivalry and courtly love. Most were metaphysical, intellectual and stereotypical. They also both shared their love of God and spread knowledge of the Gospels in their writings and sermons. They were known to have a strong evangelizing effect on listeners and attracted large numbers of people to their orders with their ascetic appearance and simple dress. Saint Bernard particularly strove, thanks to his teachings, to effectively chase away numerous heresies that appeared at the beginning of the Middle Ages. The conversion of Saint Francis was the result of a slow but steady path. Showing signs of deep compassion and understanding from a young age when his father criticized him for leaving his wares unattended to stalk a beggar in order to give the poor man the contents of his pockets. St. Francis' life of materialism, worldly concerns and pleasures slowly lost its hold on him and he awakened to God's plan for his life's work. While Saint Bernard had ......middle of paper ......g, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and increase knowledge of the living Word of God guided by the Spirit Saint the keys to nourishing Christian spirituality. The last years of Bernard's life were overshadowed by the failure of the crusaders. He died at the age of 63, in 1830 the title "Doctor of the Church" was conferred on him and although he did not found the Cistercian Order, he is celebrated as much as a founder would be. Although the two saints differed in personality, style, and views on violence and political involvement as well as the subjects on which they preached, they both led lives of courage in their legendary missions of building the Church of Christ on earth. Although they both suffered from chronic illness, they traveled throughout their lives and left a lasting legacy of ascetic poverty practice and apostolic living..