Philip Benizi was born of a noble family in Florence, Italy on August 15, 1233. He studied medicine in Paris and Padua, where he received a doctorate in medicine and philosophy at the age of nineteen. After a year of practicing medicine in Florence, he joined the Servites at Monte Senario near Florence in 1254, was sent to the Servite House in Siena in 1258, and was ordained there. He became known for his preaching, served as a master of novices in Siena in 1262, was superior of several friaries, and in 1267, despite his protests, was elected prior general. 

He codified the rules of the Order and began to have miracles attributed to him. In 1268, when Cardinal Ottobuoni proposed his name as a papal candidate on the death of Pope Clement IV, Philip fled and hid in a cave until a new Pope was elected. He attended the General Council of Lyons in 1274 and helped to reconcile the Guelphs and the Ghibellines in 1279, becoming famous for his ability to mediate between opposing factions and act as a peacemaker. 

Philip possessed a deep love of Mary and the crucified Christ and was known for his kindness and concern for the poor, his unique humility and strong zeal for the work of the Kingdom of God. 

He attracted many converts to the Church, and reconciled many others. He helped St. Juliana establish a Servite Third Order in 1284 and sent the first Servite missionaries to the Far East. In declining health, he resigned the generalship at a general chapter in 1285, naming his close confidant a longtime friend, Lottaringo Stufa, his successor, and retired to an impoverished Servite House at Todi, where he died on August 22, 1285. He was canonized on August 23, 1671.