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Saint Clare of Assisi, 700th Anniversary Death Scott 169-170 (1953) The Feast of Saint Clare is celebrated on August 11, the anniversary of her death in 1253. The two-stamp set shown above was issued on the 700th anniversary of her death in 1953. The stamps were designed by Edmondo Pizzi, who draw inspiration from the fresco by Giotto found in the Church of Santa Croce in Florence.  Saint Clare of Assisi Holding a Lily Fresco by Giotto (circa 1325) From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain Born in 1194, Saint Clare was the foundress of the Poor Clares and is also forever linked with St. Francis of Assisi. At age 18, she heard St. Francis preaching, immediately renounced her possessions, and underwent formation at a nearby Benedictine convent. Saint Francis provided a small house next to the Church of San Damiano in Assisi, which he restored as their home. Clare became an abbess in 1216 and a community formed around her, which included some family members and others from the community, including some wealthy women. Historian David Farmer describes convent life: "The way of life was one of extreme poverty and austerity, believed to be harder than that of any other nuns of this time: this was safeguarded as far as communal possessions were concerned by the papal ‘Privilegium paupertatis’ of 1228 for three convents, including San Damiano, to live entirely by alms, renouncing all rents and other common property."Dawn Marie Beutner adds that the Poor Clares slept on the ground, did not eat meat, did not wear shoes or sandals and spoke only when required by necessity or charity. Although the way of life was hard, Clare insisted in maintaining a life of strict poverty. Like the Franciscan friars, Care’s nuns soon spread to other parts of Europe, especially Spain, Bohemia, France, and England, where four convents were founded in the late 13th and 14th centuries. During her later life, Clare never left her convent at Assisi. She was distinguished as one of the great medieval contemplatives, devoted to serving her community in great joy and practicing Franciscan ideals, including Francis’ love for the world of nature. This continued long after his death in 1226. St Clare drew up a rule to be followed by the Poor Clares, which received papal approval two days before she died in 1253. Her tomb is at the Basilica of St. Clare (Chaiara) in Assisi. She was quickly canonized by Pope Alexander IV in 1255. REFERENCES: |
