Clare of Montefalco
Encyclopedia
Saint Clare of Montefalco (Italian:Chiara da Montefalco) (c. 1268 – August 18, 1308), also called Saint Clare of the Cross, was an Augustinian nun and abbess
. Before becoming a nun
, St. Clare was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis (Secular)
. She was canonized by Pope Leo XIII
on December 8, 1881.
, in Umbria
, likely in the year 1268. Clare was born into a well-to-do family, the daughter of Damiano and Iacopa Vengente. Clare's father, Damiano, had built a hermitage
within the town where Clare's older sister, Joan (Giovanna in Italian), and her friend, Andreola, lived as Franciscan
tertiaries
as part of the Secular Third Order of St. Francis
. In 1274, when Clare was six years of age, the Bishop of Spoleto permitted Joan to receive more sisters, and it was at this time that Clare joined the Third Order of St. Francis (Secular)
, moving into the hermitage and adopting the Franciscan
habit
. In 1278, the community had grown sufficiently large that they had to build a larger hermitage farther from town.
In 1290, Clare, her sister Joan, and their companions sought to enter the monastic life in a more strict sense, and they made application to the Bishop of Spoleto. As the Third Order of St. Francis (Regular) was not yet established, the bishop established their monastery
in Montefalco
according to the Rule of St. Augustine
. Clare made her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and became an Augustinian nun. Her sister Joan was elected as the first abbess
, and their small hermitage was dedicated as a monastery. On November 22, 1291, Joan died, after which Clare was elected abbess. Clare was initially reluctant to accept her position. After the intervention of the Bishop of Spoleto, Clare finally accepted her position as abbess out of obedience to the bishop.
1294 was a decisive year in Clare's spiritual life. In the celebration of the Epiphany, after making a general confession in front of all her fellow nuns, she fell into ecstasy
and remained in that state for several weeks. Unable to eat, the nuns maintained Clare's life by giving her sugar water. During this time, Clare reported having a vision in which she saw herself being judged in front of God.
Clare also reported having a vision of Jesus
dressed as a poor traveler. She described his countenance as being overwhelmed by the weight of the cross
and his body as showing the signs of a hard way loading the cross. During the vision, Clare kneeled in front of him trying to stop him and asked him, "My Lord, where are thy going?" Jesus answered her: ”I have looked all over the world for a strong place where to plant this Cross firmly, and I have not found any". After she reached for the cross, making known her desire to help Jesus carry it, He said to her: "Clare, I have found a place for my cross here. I have finally found someone to whom I can trust my cross", and it was implanted in her heart
. The intense pain that she felt in all her being when receiving the Cross of Jesus in her heart remained with her. The rest of her years were spent in pain and suffering, and yet she continued to serve her nun
s joyfully as their abbess
.
In the year 1303 Clare was able to build a church in Montefalco
which would not only serve as a chapel for the nun
s, but also as a church for the town's community. The first stone was blessed on June 24, 1303, by the Bishop of Spoleto and that day the church was dedicated to the Holy Cross (Santa Croce in Italian
).
Clare served as abbess
, teacher, mother, and spiritual director of her nun
s. While Clare's reputation for holiness and wisdom attracted visitors to the Monastery of the Holy Cross, she continued to governed her monastery
wisely, careful not to disrupt the communal harmony nor the necessary day-to-day management of the monastery's domestic affairs.
Clare had served as abbess for sixteen years, but by August of 1308, she had become so ill that she was bedridden. On August 15, she asked to receive Extreme Unction, and on the next day, she sent for her brother to come to the monastery. Clare made her last confession
on August 17. Clare died at the convent in Montefalco
on August 18, 1308.
and a scourge
, were found within her heart. Upon hearing this news, the vicar of the Bishop of Spoleto
traveled to Montefalco "burning with indignation" suspecting that the nuns of the convent had planted the symbols. A commission consisting of physicians, jurists, and theologians was assembled to conduct an investigation, which subsequently "ruled out the possibility of fabrication or artifice". The vicar of the Bishop of Spoleto, who came to Montefalco as an inquisitor eager to punish those responsible for fraud, came to be convinced of the authenticity of the findings after personally verifying that the signs were not the result of trickery. However, doubts as to the veracity of the findings persisted even at the canonization proceedings, which were fraught with conflicts including a challenge from the Franciscans that Clare should not be canonized as a saint of the Order of Saint Augustine
because she had been a Franciscan tertiary
. During the proceedings Tommaso Boni, a Franciscan from Foligno
and formerly chaplain to Clare’s community, stated that he suspected that the "symbols in her heart were planted by a nun from Foligno"; furthermore that John Pulicinus, who had been chaplain at the time of Clare’s death, had opposed the veneration of the symbols found in her heart.
The crucifix
reportedly found within Clare's heart is about the size of a thumb. Christ's head leans slightly towards the right arm of the crucifix, and his body is white, except for the "tiny aperture in the right side which is a livid reddish color." The scourge
and crown of thorns
are apparently formed by whitish nerve fibers, and the three nails are formed of a dark fibrous tissue.
The body of Saint Clare remains incorrupt although the skin of her hands has darkened over time. Saint Clare's heart is displayed for veneration
at the Church of Saint Clare in Montefalco where her body, dressed in her Augustinian habit, rests under the high altar.
process was initiated in 1328, but it was not until April 13, 1737, that Clare was beatified by Pope Clement XII
. On December 8, 1881, the feast of the Immaculate Conception
, Pope Leo XIII
canonized Clare as Saint Clare of Montefalco at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome
. She was recognized as an Augustinian rather than a Franciscan
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
. Before becoming a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, St. Clare was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis (Secular)
Secular Franciscan Order
thumb|rigth|Lapel pin of Secular Franciscan Order.The Secular Franciscan Order is a community of Catholic men and women, of any of the Rites in communion with Rome , in the world who seek to pattern their lives after Christ in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Secular Franciscans are...
. She was canonized by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
on December 8, 1881.
Life
She was born at MontefalcoMontefalco
Montefalco is a town and comune in the central part of the Italian province of Perugia, on an outcrop of the Colli Martani above the flood plain of the Clitunno river, 7 km SE of Bevagna, 11 km SW of Foligno, and 9 km NW of Trevi.-History:The town has been actively settled since...
, in Umbria
Umbria
Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
, likely in the year 1268. Clare was born into a well-to-do family, the daughter of Damiano and Iacopa Vengente. Clare's father, Damiano, had built a hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
within the town where Clare's older sister, Joan (Giovanna in Italian), and her friend, Andreola, lived as Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
tertiaries
Tertiaries
Tertiaries may mean either:* associations of lay Christians connected with the mendicant and other religious Orders, i.e. Third orders* a bird's hand i.e. remiges....
as part of the Secular Third Order of St. Francis
Secular Franciscan Order
thumb|rigth|Lapel pin of Secular Franciscan Order.The Secular Franciscan Order is a community of Catholic men and women, of any of the Rites in communion with Rome , in the world who seek to pattern their lives after Christ in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Secular Franciscans are...
. In 1274, when Clare was six years of age, the Bishop of Spoleto permitted Joan to receive more sisters, and it was at this time that Clare joined the Third Order of St. Francis (Secular)
Secular Franciscan Order
thumb|rigth|Lapel pin of Secular Franciscan Order.The Secular Franciscan Order is a community of Catholic men and women, of any of the Rites in communion with Rome , in the world who seek to pattern their lives after Christ in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Secular Franciscans are...
, moving into the hermitage and adopting the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
. In 1278, the community had grown sufficiently large that they had to build a larger hermitage farther from town.
In 1290, Clare, her sister Joan, and their companions sought to enter the monastic life in a more strict sense, and they made application to the Bishop of Spoleto. As the Third Order of St. Francis (Regular) was not yet established, the bishop established their monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Montefalco
Montefalco
Montefalco is a town and comune in the central part of the Italian province of Perugia, on an outcrop of the Colli Martani above the flood plain of the Clitunno river, 7 km SE of Bevagna, 11 km SW of Foligno, and 9 km NW of Trevi.-History:The town has been actively settled since...
according to the Rule of St. Augustine
Rule of St. Augustine
The Rule of St. Augustine is a religious rule employed by a large number of orders, including the Dominicans, Servites, Mercederians, and Augustinians.-Overview:...
. Clare made her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and became an Augustinian nun. Her sister Joan was elected as the first abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
, and their small hermitage was dedicated as a monastery. On November 22, 1291, Joan died, after which Clare was elected abbess. Clare was initially reluctant to accept her position. After the intervention of the Bishop of Spoleto, Clare finally accepted her position as abbess out of obedience to the bishop.
1294 was a decisive year in Clare's spiritual life. In the celebration of the Epiphany, after making a general confession in front of all her fellow nuns, she fell into ecstasy
Religious ecstasy
Religious ecstasy is an altered state of consciousness characterized by greatly reduced external awareness and expanded interior mental and spiritual awareness which is frequently accompanied by visions and emotional/intuitive euphoria...
and remained in that state for several weeks. Unable to eat, the nuns maintained Clare's life by giving her sugar water. During this time, Clare reported having a vision in which she saw herself being judged in front of God.
Clare also reported having a vision of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
dressed as a poor traveler. She described his countenance as being overwhelmed by the weight of the cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
and his body as showing the signs of a hard way loading the cross. During the vision, Clare kneeled in front of him trying to stop him and asked him, "My Lord, where are thy going?" Jesus answered her: ”I have looked all over the world for a strong place where to plant this Cross firmly, and I have not found any". After she reached for the cross, making known her desire to help Jesus carry it, He said to her: "Clare, I have found a place for my cross here. I have finally found someone to whom I can trust my cross", and it was implanted in her heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
. The intense pain that she felt in all her being when receiving the Cross of Jesus in her heart remained with her. The rest of her years were spent in pain and suffering, and yet she continued to serve her nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s joyfully as their abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
.
In the year 1303 Clare was able to build a church in Montefalco
Montefalco
Montefalco is a town and comune in the central part of the Italian province of Perugia, on an outcrop of the Colli Martani above the flood plain of the Clitunno river, 7 km SE of Bevagna, 11 km SW of Foligno, and 9 km NW of Trevi.-History:The town has been actively settled since...
which would not only serve as a chapel for the nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s, but also as a church for the town's community. The first stone was blessed on June 24, 1303, by the Bishop of Spoleto and that day the church was dedicated to the Holy Cross (Santa Croce in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
).
Clare served as abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
, teacher, mother, and spiritual director of her nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s. While Clare's reputation for holiness and wisdom attracted visitors to the Monastery of the Holy Cross, she continued to governed her monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
wisely, careful not to disrupt the communal harmony nor the necessary day-to-day management of the monastery's domestic affairs.
Clare had served as abbess for sixteen years, but by August of 1308, she had become so ill that she was bedridden. On August 15, she asked to receive Extreme Unction, and on the next day, she sent for her brother to come to the monastery. Clare made her last confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
on August 17. Clare died at the convent in Montefalco
Montefalco
Montefalco is a town and comune in the central part of the Italian province of Perugia, on an outcrop of the Colli Martani above the flood plain of the Clitunno river, 7 km SE of Bevagna, 11 km SW of Foligno, and 9 km NW of Trevi.-History:The town has been actively settled since...
on August 18, 1308.
Relics
Immediately following Clare's death her heart was removed from her body, and upon inspection it was reported that symbols of Christ's passion, a crucifixCrucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
and a scourge
Scourge
A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification on the back.-Description:...
, were found within her heart. Upon hearing this news, the vicar of the Bishop of Spoleto
Spoleto
Spoleto is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome.-History:...
traveled to Montefalco "burning with indignation" suspecting that the nuns of the convent had planted the symbols. A commission consisting of physicians, jurists, and theologians was assembled to conduct an investigation, which subsequently "ruled out the possibility of fabrication or artifice". The vicar of the Bishop of Spoleto, who came to Montefalco as an inquisitor eager to punish those responsible for fraud, came to be convinced of the authenticity of the findings after personally verifying that the signs were not the result of trickery. However, doubts as to the veracity of the findings persisted even at the canonization proceedings, which were fraught with conflicts including a challenge from the Franciscans that Clare should not be canonized as a saint of the Order of Saint Augustine
Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
because she had been a Franciscan tertiary
Secular Franciscan Order
thumb|rigth|Lapel pin of Secular Franciscan Order.The Secular Franciscan Order is a community of Catholic men and women, of any of the Rites in communion with Rome , in the world who seek to pattern their lives after Christ in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. Secular Franciscans are...
. During the proceedings Tommaso Boni, a Franciscan from Foligno
Foligno
Foligno is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clitunno river system...
and formerly chaplain to Clare’s community, stated that he suspected that the "symbols in her heart were planted by a nun from Foligno"; furthermore that John Pulicinus, who had been chaplain at the time of Clare’s death, had opposed the veneration of the symbols found in her heart.
The crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
reportedly found within Clare's heart is about the size of a thumb. Christ's head leans slightly towards the right arm of the crucifix, and his body is white, except for the "tiny aperture in the right side which is a livid reddish color." The scourge
Scourge
A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification on the back.-Description:...
and crown of thorns
Crown of Thorns
In Christianity, the Crown of Thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ before his crucifixion...
are apparently formed by whitish nerve fibers, and the three nails are formed of a dark fibrous tissue.
The body of Saint Clare remains incorrupt although the skin of her hands has darkened over time. Saint Clare's heart is displayed for veneration
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
at the Church of Saint Clare in Montefalco where her body, dressed in her Augustinian habit, rests under the high altar.
Canonization
The canonizationCanonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
process was initiated in 1328, but it was not until April 13, 1737, that Clare was beatified by Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII , born Lorenzo Corsini, was Pope from 12 July 1730 to 6 February 1740.Born in Florence, the son of Bartolomeo Corsini, Marquis of Casigliano and his wife Isabella Strozzi, sister of the Duke of Bagnuolo, Corsini had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding...
. On December 8, 1881, the feast of the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
, Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
canonized Clare as Saint Clare of Montefalco at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. She was recognized as an Augustinian rather than a Franciscan
External links
- Clare of Montefalco at Order of Saint Augustine
- Life of Clare of Montefalco (Augustinians of the Midwest)