Clare was born into a noble family in Assisi in 1194 and, deeply moved by hearing Francis of Assisi preach, secretly left home at eighteen to join his newly forming movement, cutting off her hair as a sign of her vows despite her family's furious attempts to bring her back. Francis placed her in a Benedictine convent for safety before helping her establish her own community.
She founded the Order of Poor Ladies (later called the Poor Clares) at San Damiano, insisting on an unusually strict rule of poverty even by the standards of the time, refusing donated income or property for the community and living instead entirely on daily alms — a practice she defended for decades against pressure from Church authorities to soften it. She led the community for over 40 years until her death in 1253, and was canonized within two years, an exceptionally rapid process.
Saint Clare of Assisi
Founder of the Poor Clares
An Italian noblewoman who left her family's wealth to follow Francis of Assisi, founding the Order of Poor Ladies devoted to radical poverty and prayer.
- Born
- 1194
- Died
- 1253
- Birthplace
- Assisi, Italy
- Died in
- Assisi, Italy
- Country
- Italy
- Canonised
- 1255-08-15
- Century
- 13th century
Why People Pray to Saint Clare of Assisi
Saint Clare is invoked by those seeking simplicity and detachment from possessions, and is a popularly recognized patroness of television, after a legend that she once saw a Mass projected on her cell wall while too ill to attend in person.
