Fresco of St Clare and sisters

 

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Saint Clare of Assisi with nuns of her order, fresco from the church of San Damiano, in Assisi, Italy.

The Order of the Poor Clares was founded at Assisi in 1212 by St. Clare, under the spiritual guidance of St. Francis. Clare and her sister were lodged by Francis in the church of San Damiano, where they lived a severe life of total poverty. They later became known as the Poor Clares or the Order of St. Clare, one of the three Franciscan orders.

This convent became the home of Saint Clare of Assisi and her followers in 1212. The Sisters stayed until Clare's death in 1253 when it was thought too dangerous to remain and it was exchanged with the Canons of San Rufino for the chapel of San Giorgio. The convent is open free of charge to the public. Downstairs off the cloister is the refectory in its original state. A fresco in the refectory recalls the visit of Pope Gregory IX when he asked Clare to bless the loaves, which is said to have resulted in crosses appearing on the loaves. Upstairs is St. Clare's Oratory where the Blessed Sacrament was kept, and next to this is the dormitory. A cross marks the place where Clare died on 11 August 1253.