Agnes of Assisi (1197 or 1198 – 16 November 1253) was a younger sister of

Clare of Assisi Clare of Assisi (born Chiara Offreduccio and sometimes spelled Clara, Clair, Claire, Sinclair; 16 July 1194 – 11 August 1253) was an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Francis of Assisi. She founded the Order of Poor Ladies ...

and one of the first

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Copt ...

es of the

Order of Poor Ladies The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

(now the Poor Clares).

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV ( la, Benedictus XIV; it, Benedetto XIV; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Be ...

canonized her as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

in 1753.

Life

She was a younger daughter of Count Favorino Scifi. Her birth name was probably Caterina; she took the name of Agnes when she became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

. Her mother, Ortolana, who also would join the order founded by her daughters, belonged to the noble family of the Fiumi. Their cousin Rufino Scifi was one of the original "Three Companions" of Francis of Assisi. Agnes spent her childhood between her father's palace in the city and his castle of Sasso Rosso on Mount Subasio.Robinson, Paschal. "St. Agnes of Assisi." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 6 January 2020 On 18 March 1212, her eldest sister Clare, inspired by the example of Francis of Assisi, left their father's home in secret to become a follower of Francis. Sixteen days later, Agnes ran off to the Church of St. Angelo di Panzo where Francis had brought her sister, resolved to share Clare's life of poverty and penance.

Arnald of Sarrant Arnald of Sarrant (french: Arnaud de Sarrant) was a Franciscan friar and author. A native of Sarrant and a master of theology, he served as the minister provincial of Aquitaine from around 1361 until 1383. On 19 August 1373, Pope Gregory XI sent h ...

, ''

Chronicle of the Twenty-Four Generals of the Order of Friars Minor The ''Chronicle of the Twenty-Four Generals of the Order of Friars Minor'' ( la, Chronica XXIV Generalium Ordinis Fratrum Minorum) is a medieval chronicle written in Latin around 1370, possibly by the Franciscan friar Arnaud de Sarrant, though R ...

''
trans. Noel Muscat, OFM
(TAU Franciscan Communications, 2010). Angry at the loss of two of his daughters, their father sent his brother Monaldo and several relatives and armed followers to the monastery to force Agnes, if persuasion failed, to return home. Chegada de Santa Inês de Assis ao Convento (c

Chegada de Santa Inês de Assis ao Convento (c

Monaldo drew his sword to strike his niece, but his arm allegedly dropped to his side, withered and useless. The others dragged Agnes out of the monastery by her hair, striking and kicking her repeatedly. Agnes' body reportedly became so heavy, perhaps due to the help of her sister, that her assailants dropped her in a field nearby. Agnes' relatives, purportedly realizing that something divine protected her, allowed the sisters to remain together. Francis himself cut her hair and gave her the religious habit, in recognition of Agnes' dedication. Francis later established a cloister for Clare and Agnes at the rural chapel of San Damiano, where they were soon joined by other noblewomen of the city, and the

, later known as the Poor Clares, began, with Clare as its

. In 1221, a group of

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

nuns in Monticelli near Florence asked to become Poor Ladies. Agnes was chosen to lead the new community.Foley O.F.M., Leonard. "St. Agnes of Assisi", ''Saint of the Day'', Franciscan Media
/ref> Although life in the Florentine convent was harmonious and without faction, she missed her sister greatly. She later went on to establish other communities of the order, including those of Mantua, Venice, and Padua. Agnes was said to be very virtuous, and as abbess she ruled with a benevolent kindness, knowing how to make the practice of virtue appealing to her sisters. In 1253, Agnes returned to Assisi to nurse her sister Clare during the latter's illness, and shortly thereafter died herself, on 16 November 1253."Agnes of Assisi", Saints Resource, RCL Benziger
/ref> Her remains were interred with those of her sister at the Basilica of St. Clare at Assisi. Agnes' feast day is the anniversary of her death, 16 November. She was canonized in 1753, the year of her 500th anniversary, by

Notes

References

* Bartoli, Marco. ''Chiara d'Assisi''. Rome 1989: Instituto Storico dei Cappucini. {{DEFAULTSORT:Agnes Of Assisi People from Assisi 1190s births 1253 deaths 13th-century Christian saints 13th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Medieval Italian saints Poor Clare abbesses Franciscan saints Italian Roman Catholic abbesses Italian Roman Catholic saints Female saints of medieval Italy Canonizations by Pope Benedict XIV