Clare of Assisi
Chiara Offreduccio (16 July 1194 – 11 August 1253), known as Clare of Assisi (sometimes spelled Clara, Clair or Claire; Italian: Chiara d'Assisi), was an Italian saint who was one of the first followers of Francis of Assisi.
Clare of Assisi OSC | |
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Detail depicting Saint Clare from a fresco (c. 1320) by Simone Martini in the Lower basilica of San Francesco, Assisi | |
| Virgin | |
| Born | Chiara Offreduccio 16 July 1194 Assisi, Duchy of Spoleto, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 11 August 1253 (aged 59) Assisi, Papal States |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church |
| Canonized | 26 September 1255, Rome by Pope Alexander IV |
| Major shrine | Basilica of Saint Clare, Assisi |
| Feast | 11 August (1970–) |
| Attributes | Monstrance, pyx, lamp, habit of the Poor Clares |
| Patronage | Eye disease, goldsmiths, laundry, television, bicycle messengers, good weather, needleworkers, remote viewing, extrasensory perception; Santa Clara, California; Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico; Obando, Bulacan, Philippines |
Inspired by the teachings of St. Francis, she founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition. The Order of Poor Ladies was different from any other order or convent because it followed a rule of strict poverty. Clare wrote their Rule of Life, the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman. Following her death, the order she founded was renamed in her honor as the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to today as the Poor Clares. Her feast day is on 11 August.