Clare of Assisi

📷 Wikimedia Commons — domaine public — Simone Martini — 1322

1194 — 1253

SpiritualityPhilosophyMystiqueMiddle AgesHigh Middle Ages, a period of spiritual renewal and the rise of mendicant orders (12th–13th century)

Clare of Assisi (1194–1253) was an Italian Catholic saint and founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, known as the Poor Clares. Inspired by Francis of Assisi, she chose monastic life and absolute poverty. She was the first woman to write a religious rule approved by the papacy.

Famous Quotes

« Our form of life is to observe the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. »

« Among all the gifts and graces we have received from our generous Benefactor, the Father of mercies, and for which we owe him boundless thanksgiving, the gift of our vocation is one of the greatest. »

Key Facts

1194: born in Assisi into a noble family
1212: fled her family home to join Francis of Assisi at the Portiuncula
1215: settled at San Damiano, the nucleus of the future Order of Poor Clares
1253: her written rule approved by Pope Innocent IV, two days before her death
1255: canonized by Pope Alexander IV

Works & Achievements

Rule of Saint Clare (Regula Bullata) (1253)

The first monastic rule written by a woman and approved by a pope. It codifies the life of the Poor Clares around absolute poverty, communal life, and prayer.

Testament of Saint Clare (1253)

Written shortly before her death, this spiritual text retraces her journey and urges her sisters to remain faithful to the ideal of evangelical poverty championed by Francis of Assisi.

Letters to Agnes of Bohemia (1234–1253)

Four letters addressed to Princess Agnes of Bohemia, who had renounced the throne to found a Poor Clares monastery in Prague. They offer a precious insight into Clare's spirituality.

Letter to Ermentrude of Bruges (c. 1250)

A brief letter of encouragement addressed to a Flemish nun, reflecting Clare's international influence and her spiritual guidance beyond the borders of Italy.

Foundation of the Order of Poor Clares (1212)

By settling at San Damiano with her first companions, Clare founded what would become the Order of Poor Ladies, renamed the Order of Saint Clare after her death, and still active today.

Anecdotes

At the age of 18, Clare secretly fled her family home on the night of March 18–19, 1212, to join Francis of Assisi at the Portiuncula. Her brothers tried to drag her back by force, but she clung to the church altar and refused to leave — showing remarkable determination for a young woman of her social standing.

Pope Gregory IX himself tried to persuade her to renounce her vow of absolute poverty, considering the rule too harsh for women. Clare stood firm, replying that she needed to be absolved of her sins, not of her poverty. It is one of the rare instances in the Middle Ages where a woman openly defied the highest authority of the Church.

In 1240, Saracen mercenary soldiers in the service of Emperor Frederick II attacked Assisi and scaled the walls of the convent of San Damiano. According to tradition, Clare, gravely ill, had herself carried to the walls holding a monstrance to face the attackers. The soldiers fled in terror. This episode is why she is traditionally depicted holding a monstrance in religious art.

Though bedridden by illness for the last twenty-eight years of her life, Clare never stopped working: she embroidered corporals (altar cloths) which she sent to poor churches throughout the Assisi region. Her spiritual and artisanal productivity, despite her physical suffering, earned the deep admiration of her contemporaries.

Clare was canonized in 1255, just two years after her death, by Pope Alexander IV — an extraordinarily short interval for the time. At her canonization, it was recalled that she had obtained the bull Privilegium Paupertatis (1228), a unique document guaranteeing her sisters the right to own no property whatsoever, even collectively.

Primary Sources

Rule of Saint Clare (Regula Bullata) (1253)

I, Sister Clare, servant of the poor ladies of the monastery of San Damiano of Assisi... promise obedience and reverence to the lord Pope Innocent and to his canonically elected successors, and to the Roman Church.

Testament of Saint Clare (1253)

The Son of God made himself our way, and our blessed father Francis showed us this way by his word and by his example.

Letters to Agnes of Bohemia (first letter) (c. 1234)

To the illustrious virgin Agnes, daughter of the most excellent and illustrious king of Bohemia... Clare, the most humble servant of Christ.

Privilegium paupertatis (bull of Pope Innocent III) (1216)

As you have renounced the desires of the world, we confirm by our apostolic authority your resolve of the highest poverty.

Legenda Sanctae Clarae (Thomas of Celano) (c. 1255)

She despised the world when it was in bloom; she fled riches when they smiled upon her; she trampled pleasures when they offered her their charms.

Key Places

Assisi, Umbria (Italy)

Clare's hometown and the birthplace of the Franciscan movement. It was in Assisi that she grew up in a noble family before leaving everything behind to embrace monastic life.

Convent of San Damiano, Assisi

A former oratory restored by Francis of Assisi, it became the home of the community of Poor Ladies founded by Clare in 1212. She lived and died there in 1253.

Basilica of Saint Clare, Assisi

Built after her canonization (1257–1265), it houses the relics of Clare as well as the San Damiano crucifix which, according to tradition, spoke to Francis of Assisi.

Porziuncola (Santa Maria degli Angeli), Assisi

A small chapel where Francis of Assisi received Clare on the night of March 18–19, 1212, and cut her hair — a symbolic act marking her entry into religious life.

Monastery of Sant'Angelo in Panzo, Assisi

Clare's first place of refuge after fleeing her family, before her permanent settlement at San Damiano. Her sisters Agnes and Beatrix later joined her there.