Clare of Assisi

Chiara Offreduccio was born in Assisi on 16 July 1194 and became one of Francis of Assisi's first followers. Inspired by his teachings, she founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic order for women that broke from every other convent of its time by insisting on strict poverty as its central principle. Clare wrote their Rule of Life — the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been authored by a woman. After her death on 11 August 1253, the order was renamed the Order of Saint Clare, known today as the Poor Clares. Her feast day falls on the anniversary of her death.