Amata of Assisi

Amata of Assisi was a saint, a Poor Clare nun, and one of Saint Clare of Assisi's original followers. Amata was born into a noble family in Assisi, Italy; her father was Martino di Carano and her mother Donna Penenda, Clare's oldest sister. Her name means "beloved" in Latin and is a common religious name among the Poor Clares. Amata grew up "vivacious and pleasure-seeking". Her parents wanted Amata to marry and as her hagiographer Agnes Dunbar states, she was "pleased with dress and worldly vanity". Dunbar also reports that her aunt "grieved for the peril in which she saw her, and prayed that she might strive to please God rather than men". Amata was close to Clare while growing up, but Clare's piety left little impression on her, until she visited Clare at her monastery to get her advice about her engagement and chose to remain with Clare instead of marriage, despite the "desperate and violent pleas" of her friends and fiancé.