But with his innate melancholy temperament, he found no permanent place in cultural radicalism and materialism, where Eros and connoisseur, summarized in pantheism's worship of nature was prevalent.

As an editor of the magazine Taarnet (The Tower in English) in the years 1893–94, he had an outlet for expressing his ideas about symbolism, and his opposition to naturalism.

[5] Symbolists quickly came across the prevailing literary circles, in particular, the brothers Georg and Edvard Brandes, who did not spare the young rebels.

Johannes Jørgensen then met a young Jewish silversmith, Mogens Ballin, who had converted to Catholicism.

It was the beginning of what would come to fill most of his future life as both man and writer – namely the love of the Holy St. Francis, Assisi's famous son who was born here and worked here until he died in 1226.

The close friendship with Mogens Ballin and visiting the Basilica of St. Francis led to his conversion to Catholicism in 1896, a crucial turning point in his writing.

Things escalated to a point where the Germans demanded legal action be brought against Jørgensen and the daily newspaper Politiken, which had published a positive review of the book.

[7] In 1907 Jørgensen finished his biography of St. Francis, a book which would make him famous and an honorary citizen both in Assisi and later also in his native town of Svendborg.

In 1915, settled in Assisi, only interrupted by the war years 1943–1945 when he traveled to Vadstena, Sweden to live and begin his great work on St. Birgitta.

In 1952 he moved back to Svendborg, where the city offered him free honorary residence in his childhood home of Lady Alley.

Following the murder of Kaj Munk on 4 January 1944, the Danish resistance newspaper De frie Danske brought condemning reactions from influential Scandinavians, including Jørgensen.

[8] Among his works are: In the 18th edition of the Danish Folk High School Songbook, there are three poems by John Jørgensen: Francis of Assisi Solsang "Almighty and dear God", "Now lit foliage in forests" and "Lay down your head, you blossom".