Clare: the Birth of the Second Order
When Francis, in 1206, stripped off his garments in the public square, Clare was a girl of thirteen. She belonged to the noble Scifi family of the city, and lived surrounded by affection and the comforts of her privileged condition. Yet Francis’s gesture profoundly moved her. Within her grew a spark of interest in those men who, having renounced everything, lived by alms and charity, tending to lepers near the Porziuncola. Five years later, on Palm Sunday in 1211 or 1212, Clare found the courage to leave her home and join Francis. She was about eighteen and fully aware of what she desired. Opposed by her father, who did everything in his power to force her return, she remained steadfast. She was soon followed in her decision to take the veil by her sisters Agnes and Beatrice, and finally by her widowed mother, Ortolana. The Poor Ladies (or Poor Clares), as Francis called them, settled in a building adjoining the church of San Damiano. Their numbers grew rapidly, reaching around fifty. As G. K. Chesterton wrote: “We may at least suppose that no sympathiser with what is called the emancipation of women would disapprove of the rebellion of Saint Clare. She truly lived her own life, the life she had chosen to live, different from that which would have been forced upon her by parental authority and social convention. She became the founder of a great feminine movement which still has its influence upon the world.” In 1228 Clare obtained from Pope Gregory IX the Privilege of Poverty, and on 9 August 1253 – just two days before her death – she received from Pope Innocent IV the approval of the Rule (Form of Life) of the Order of the Poor Sisters of San Damiano: the rule she had written for herself and her sisters.
Basilica of Saint Clare: The Interior
The remains of the Saint rest beneath the high altar, in the crypt of the church dedicated to Saint Clare. The basilica stands on the eastern side of Assisi, opposite the Basilica di San Francesco. The facades of the two churches share a similar design, inspired by the simple forms of Romanesque cathedrals: a triangular pediment crowned by an oculus and a rose window above the main portal. In this way, the two buildings seem to gaze at one another across the town, as if symbolising the embrace of Clare and Francis extended to all who walk today through the streets and squares of Assisi.
The Crucifix of Saint Damian
Before the Basilica di Santa Chiara was built, the church of San Giorgio stood on the same site. It was later incorporated into the complex and now forms a side chapel (the Chapel of Saint George), adorned with frescoes by Puccio Capanna, including a beautiful Maestà with saints behind the altar. The importance of this chapel lies in the fact that it houses the Crucifix of San Damiano, the wooden cross that spoke to Francis, calling him to enlist in another kind of army: one of poverty, obedience and mercy. The Poor Ladies, or Poor Clares as they came to be known, prayed before this image, guarded it after Francis’s death, and brought it with them when, in 1260, they moved to the new convent adjacent to the basilica of their foundress.
Christus Triumphans and Christus Patiens
The Crucifix of San Damiano, probably dating from the 11th century and by an unknown artist, depicts Christ alive, upright and firm upon His feet, with open eyes and a serene, luminous complexion. This follows the iconographic type known as Christus Triumphans, the Saviour triumphant over death. In the same basilica, above the high altar, hangs another crucifix, painted between 1255 and 1260 and attributed to the Master of Saint Clare. The work was commissioned by Abbess Benedetta, who had herself portrayed in adoration of Christ alongside Clare and Francis. This second crucifix is profoundly different from the first: it represents the Christus Patiens: Jesus is now lifeless, His face and body marked by the suffering He has endured. The torso and legs are arched and slack, slumped under the weight of His final agony. Just a few metres apart, these two important painted crosses offer a moving visual dialogue, two distinct interpretations of the Crucified Christ that bear witness to the vitality and diversity of medieval artistic language.
The High Altar
The high altar is enclosed within a medieval pergola with an iron grille, supported by twelve polygonal columns from the 14th century, as many as the apostles. In the ribbed vaults above the altar, in full Gothic style, are frescoes attributed to the Expressionist Master of Saint Clare. The theme depicted, similar to that of the vaults in the Lower Basilica of Saint Francis, celebrates the heavenly glory of several female saints, represented in pairs:
- The Virgin and Child with Saint Clare
- Saint Agnes the Virgin and Saint Agnes of Assisi, Clare’s sister
- Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret
- Saint Cecilia and Saint Lucy
The Transept
In the left transept stands a remarkable wooden panel, attributed to the Master of Saint Clare and dated 1283. It is an iconic image of the saint, depicted standing at the centre of the composition, almost three metres tall. She points to a red cross on her mantle, while along the sides eight smaller scenes recount the principal episodes of her life. In the lower left scene, the bishop descends from the altar to present the palm to the young girl who, in humility, had remained at her place during the Palm Sunday service, an event that led to her radical change in life later that very night That very night, joining Francis and the small community gathered at the Porziuncola. Continuing anticlockwise, the panels narrate her family’s opposition to the vocation of Clare and her sister Agnes, a series of miracles that occurred during her years at San Damiano, and finally the saint’s funeral, celebrated by Pope Innocent IV together with the cardinals of the Curia, surrounded by the people of Assisi.
The Basilica di Santa Chiara: The Exterior
The facade, built of alternating bands of white and pink Subasio stone, is traversed by two cornices that highlight the portal below, the rose window in the centre, and the pediment with its oculus above. Simple yet perfectly balanced, the façade is a true jewel of 13th-century architecture. In 1351, the flying buttresses visible on the left side of the building were added to help support the structure without weighing down its forms, creating instead a beautiful interplay of solids and voids. The complex of the church and convent forms a harmonious whole with the square in front, one of the most welcoming and panoramic in Assisi. From here, visitors can enjoy a sweeping view over the Valle Umbra, stretching from Montefalco to Perugia on clear days. In this place, history and landscape meet the lives of extraordinary men and women and those of the countless pilgrims who, for centuries, have come to Assisi to honour them.