St. Philip Benizi was born in 1233 to a wealthy family in Florence, Italy. He had his education in Paris and Padua, where he obtained his doctorate in both philosophy and medicine. He briefly practiced medicine before resigning to join the Servite Order in Florence in 1253. Before being told to become ordained by his superiors in 1259, he served as a lay brother. As soon as he took on the position of novice master at Siena in 1262, Philip quickly established himself as one of the most prominent preachers of his time. Against his own preferences, in 1267, he was also named prior general of the Servites and later superior of various friaries.

He was mentioned as a potential pope candidate by the powerful Cardinal Ottobuoni right before the vote to elect Pope Clement IV's successor because of his zealous and persistent efforts to reform the order. Philip was so terrified of this possibility that he hid in a cave until the election was finally over.

He participated in the Lyons Council, which led to a brief reconciliation with the Orthodox, sought to mediate a settlement between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines in 1279, helped St. Juliana form the third order of Servites, and sent the first Servite missionaries to the Far East in 1284. On August 22, 1285, he died at a modest Servite residence in Todi. In 1671, he was canonized. His feast day is on August 23. He is the patron of the Minor Basilica of Monte Senario (Fiesole) in the Diocese of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, as well as Zamboanga del Norte in the Philippines.

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