Saint Clare of Assisi (born Chiara Offreduccio, July 16, 1194 – August 11, 1253) was an Italian noblewoman, an early and devoted follower of Saint Francis of Assisi, and the founder of the Order of Poor Clares. Celebrated for her radical commitment to apostolic poverty and a life of deep contemplative prayer, she is one of the most influential figures of the medieval Catholic Church. Her feast day is observed annually on August 11.
Early Life and Background
Clare was born into a wealthy, aristocratic family in Assisi, Italy, as the eldest daughter of Favorino Sciffi (Count of Sasso-Rosso) and his pious wife, Ortolana.
- Upbringing: Reared in a deeply spiritual household, Clare learned fine embroidery, music, and social manners, but she quietly dedicated much of her youth to private prayer and assisting the poor outside her family’s estate.
- Encounter with St. Francis: As a young woman, she heard St. Francis of Assisi preaching in the town squares. Captivated by his radical embrace of the Gospel and his joy in “Holy Poverty,” Clare felt a profound calling to abandon worldly privileges and dedicate her life entirely to Christ.
Conversion and Flight from Home
Refusing her family’s wishes for a prestigious marriage, Clare made a decisive break from secular society at the age of 18.
- Palm Sunday 1212: On the evening of Palm Sunday, Clare secretly slipped away from her family home and met St. Francis and his friars at the Portiuncula chapel.
- Consecration: There, she exchanged her elegant gown and jewels for a coarse brown habit and a thick veil, while St. Francis sheared her long hair as a visible sign of her total surrender to God.
- Resisting Relatives: When her furious family tracked her down and attempted to drag her back by force, Clare clung to the sanctuary altar, baring her cropped head to prove her unwavering vow, which ultimately compelled her relatives to leave her in peace.
Founding the Poor Clares & Life at San Damiano
Following a brief period sheltered in Benedictine monasteries, Clare settled permanently at the small church and convent of San Damiano just outside Assisi.
- The “Privilege of Poverty”: Alongside her sisters, Clare instituted a lifestyle of rigorous penance, continuous prayer, manual labor, and strict enclosure. She fought tirelessly to maintain the Privilege of Poverty—a unique monastic rule stipulating that her community could own no property or endowments whatsoever, relying exclusively on daily charity.
- Role as Abbess: Appointed abbess of San Damiano in 1216, Clare led her community for almost forty years, serving as a spiritual pillar and mother figure to her sisters.
- Expansion: Her mother, Ortolana, and her sisters (including Saint Agnes of Assisi) eventually joined the convent, and the movement quickly expanded across Europe under the name of the Poor Clares.
Miracles and Notable Events
Clare was renowned during her lifetime for her deep spiritual authority and miraculous interventions:
- Defense of San Damiano (1240): When an invading force of mercenary soldiers breached the walls of San Damiano, a gravely ill Clare asked to be carried to the convent gates. Holding a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament up to the attackers, she prayed aloud, causing the soldiers to be struck with sudden panic and flee the grounds without harming the nuns.
- The miracle of the multiplication of bread tells the story of how St. Clare provided for her community in a moment of extreme destitution: During a mealtime at the convent of San Damiano, the sisters realized they had only one single loaf of bread available to feed the entire community of nuns and the assisting friars, with no money or means to obtain more.
Trusting completely in divine Providence, St. Clare took the single loaf from the server, made the sign of the cross over it, and began breaking it into portions for each member of the community.
Through divine grace, the small piece of bread multiplied so abundantly that every person present received their portion, ate until they were fully satisfied, and still had leftovers remaining. - The Christmas Vision: Toward the end of her life, when severe illness confined her to bed and prevented her from joining her community for Christmas Midnight Mass, she miraculously experienced and heard the entire liturgy projected onto the wall of her cell as if she were present in the church.
Death, Canonization, and Legacy
Clare spent her final decades bedridden by chronic illness, yet she remained a vital source of counsel and spiritual strength for the broader Franciscan movement.
- Death: She passed away peacefully on August 11, 1253, at the age of 59, surrounded by her weeping sisters and companions. Just two days prior, Pope Innocent IV had officially confirmed her groundbreaking monastic Rule.
- Pilgrimage and Intercession: Following her burial at the church of San Giorgio (later incorporated into the Basilica of Saint Clare), her tomb became a significant site for pilgrims. Historical records indicate that the faithful flocked to her remains seeking intercession for various ailments and spiritual needs, which were later reported to the investigators into the cause for her canonization.
The Papal Decree of Canonization issued by Pope Alexander IV in 1255 explicitly validated these reports, referring to them as evidence of her continued influence and holiness. - Canonization: In recognition of her extraordinary holiness and numerous post-mortem miracles, Pope Alexander IV canonized her on September 26, 1255—a mere two years after her death.
- Patronage: In 1958, Pope Pius XII declared Saint Clare the patron saint of television and telecommunications, inspired by her miraculous vision of the Christmas liturgy. She is also the patron of eye disease, goldsmiths, and laundry.
Sources:
Catholic Encyclopaedia
Wikipedia
Artwork ex Wikimedia Commons