St. Agnes of Assisi
Agnes chose the poverty of San Damiano for herself and later led the sisters at Monticelli.
The Life and Witness of Agnes of Assisi.
At San Damiano, Agnes entered the small community her sister Clare had begun. She later left Assisi to help other women live that same Gospel poverty.
Born Caterina in Assisi, she joined Clare soon after Clare's departure from the family home, despite strong family opposition. Franciscan accounts tell the confrontation vividly; their miraculous details belong to the later telling of a real and costly choice.
Agnes lived with the Poor Ladies at San Damiano, then was entrusted with the community at Monticelli near Florence. A surviving letter to Clare gives the separation a human voice. Her work was more than an extension of Clare's vocation: she had to guide women in a new house while remaining faithful to the form of life they had received.
She returned to Assisi during Clare's final illness in 1253 and died later that year. The Basilica of Saint Clare identifies her chapel and burial place. The dates in modern Catholic accounts differ, so the certainty lies in the year and in the place of veneration, not in a precise death day.
Agnes helped give the early Poor Clare life roots beyond Assisi; her grave brings that outward work home.
A life, in years and approximate ages.
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c. 1195–1197BirthBorn as CaterinaAgnes is born into Clare's family in Assisi; the year is approximate.
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1211 or 1212About 15 to 17Joins ClareShe chooses the Poor Ladies' life after her sister's departure from home.
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During the 1220sAbout 30Leads at MonticelliShe is sent to guide the community near Florence; sources differ on the precise year.
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1253About 56 to 58Dies in AssisiShe returns during Clare's last illness and dies later the same year.
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Later centuriesAfter deathCult recognizedPapal recognition of Agnes's longstanding veneration is recorded in Franciscan sources.
Dates are approximate where the surviving record is traditional or incomplete.
2 places where this witness remains visible.
Basilica of Saint Clare
The basilica identifies Agnes's burial in the chapel dedicated to her.
San Damiano
Agnes joined Clare and shared the life of the Poor Ladies at San Damiano.
Follow Saint Agnes of Assisi in place
Pray first at San Damiano, then visit the chapel dedicated to Agnes in the Basilica of Saint Clare.
San Damiano belongs to Agnes's lived vocation; the basilica holds her burial place.
The basilica identifies Agnes's burial in the chapel dedicated to her.
Where the relics are venerated.
The Basilica of Saint Clare identifies Agnes's burial in the chapel dedicated to her, alongside family members. The chapel is a place of veneration, while conflicting modern accounts counsel care with her exact death date.
A principal relic site is named, with other fragments or reliquaries noted separately.
Saints Connected to Agnes of Assisi
Kept on November 16.
The Vatican City State's saint calendar remembers Agnes on November 16. Other Franciscan calendars differ; ask the basilica about its local observance.
Pray first at San Damiano, then visit the chapel dedicated to Agnes in the Basilica of Saint Clare.
Photo credits
- Basilica of Saint Clare. Gunnar Bach Pedersen / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Source. Public domain.
- San Damiano. Laurajsi / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Source. CC BY-SA 3.0.