Saint Clare of Montefalco
Young Chiara (Clare) joins her sister Giovanna (Joan) and the small spiritual community of girls in Montefalco,
learning the life that would shape her from childhood.
Saint Clare of Montefalco – Patronage & Symbols
Born: 1268, Montefalco, Umbria, Italy
Died: 17 August 1308, Montefalco
Traditional Feast Day: 17 August — Honored for her steadfast devotion and mystical sharing in Christ’s Passion.
Modern Roman Calendar Feast Day: 17 August
Canonized: 8 December 1881 by Pope Leo XIII — following her beatification in 1737 by Pope Clement XII.
Patron Of: Healing of heart ailments, courage in trials, Augustinian nuns, the town of Montefalco, Pasay City, Philippines (Santa Clara de Montefalco).
Symbols in Art: Crucifix engraved in her heart, three small stones marked with symbols of the Holy Trinity, Augustinian habit.
Invoked For: Healing of physical and spiritual heart troubles, perseverance in suffering, deeper prayer, and fidelity to one’s vocation
Clare of the Cross, Chiara da Montefalco, Chiara della Croce
Saint Clare of Montefalco in traditional Augustinian habit,
portrayed in a moment of contemplative stillness.
Was Clare of Montefalco canonized in 1737 or in 1881?
Although some sources mistakenly claim that Clare was canonized in 1737, this was the year of her beatification by Pope Clement XII. Her formal canonization took place much later, in 1881, when Pope Leo XIII declared her a saint of the Catholic Church in Italy.
Did Clare of Montefalco die on August 17th or August 18th?
A few older references — notably the Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) and the New Catholic Dictionary (1922) — give 18 August 1308 as the date of her death or feast. This appears to trace back to Butler’s Lives of the Saints (18th century), compiled well before Clare’s canonization and without Roman liturgical authority. Since her canonization by Pope Leo XIII in 1881, both the Augustinian Order and the Roman calendar have observed her dies natalis on 17 August. The date was not revised during the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, which postdate both Butler’s work and the Catholic Encyclopedia repeating the alternate date.
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
— Galatians 2:20 (RSV2CE)
Born in 1268 in the Umbrian hill town of Montefalco, Clare was drawn to the cloister from her earliest years. As a small child (around age six) she joined a community of devout women where her elder sister, Giovanna, served as superior. Under her sister’s care she learned the life of silence, penance, and charity. When Giovanna died suddenly in 1291, the young Clare was chosen to guide the community despite her youth.
As abbess, she oversaw the transition to the Augustinian Rule and the building of a larger stone monastery to house the growing community. Her life was marked by extraordinary visions, most famously when Christ appeared to her as a weary pilgrim carrying His Cross. Kneeling before Him, she asked, “Lord, where are You going?” He replied that He had searched the world for a place strong enough to bear His Cross and had found it in her heart. Placing it within her, He left her with a lasting pain in her chest — a hidden sharing in His Passion that she carried until her death.
Clare’s devotion was confirmed after her death in 1308, when her heart was found to bear the figure of a crucifix, and her gallbladder contained three small stones marked with symbols of the Holy Trinity. A Church investigation at the time confirmed the authenticity of these relics, which became central to her veneration, and she has long been invoked for courage in suffering and for healing of heart ailments.
Pope Clement XII beatified her in 1737, and Pope Leo XIII canonized her in 1881, honoring her as a steadfast witness to the mystery of the Cross. Her feast is celebrated on August 17.
Remembering Clare of the Cross
'Domine quo vadis?' , 'Lord, whither goest Thou?'
Christ carrying His Cross through a narrow medieval street, recalling the vision granted to Saint Clare of Montefalco.