Blessed Agnellus of Pisa was a Franciscan friar and founder of the English Franciscan Province. He was born in Pisa c. 1195, of the noble family of the Agnelli.

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There is a tradition that he was received into the fraternity by St Francis of Assisi at Pisa in 1211 and soon became an accomplished model of religious perfection. He knew many of the major figures in the early fraternity, such as Bernard of Quintavalle, Elias of Cortona, John Parenti, Pacificus, Gregory of Naples and St. Anthony of Padua.

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St. Francis sent Agnellus to Paris, where he erected a convent and became custos.[3] After his return to Italy, He was present at the general chapter (a meeting of friars) called ‘the Chapter of Mats’ (because the only dwellings there were made of rush-mats), which was held at Saint Mary of the Portiuncula; there were five thousand friars present.

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Soon after the chapter of Mats, he was sent to England in 1224 and, on 10 Sept., arrived at Dover with eight other friars, four of them English. Shortly afterwards, he established friaries at Canterbury, London, and Oxford.

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In Oxford, the foundations of the English Province were laid, and Oxford became the exemplar for all the provinces of the order. Despite lacking scholarly credentials, Agnellus founded a friars' school in Oxford, which would significantly contribute to the university's development.

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He died in March 1236 at Oxford, where his remains were venerated until the Reformation

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