Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/198

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184 B. CLARA faneral oration, and when he Bacceeded to the pontificate as Alexander IV., he canonized her in due form two years after her death. She was first buried at St. Damian's, but in 1260 was translated to St. George's, within the walls of Assisi, where the Pope had bnilt a new convent for her nuns. In 1265 a new chnrch was built there; her body lies under the high altar, which was consecrated in her name by Clement V. She is regarded as the founder of more than twelve monasteries of her order in Italy, and of many built during her life in Germany and other countries. Many princesses became Poor Clares. St. Agnes, daughter of the King of Bohemia, consulted her about a nunnery of the order, which she built at Prague, and where she took the veil. For extracts from Clara's letters, see AoNEs OF Bohemia. Branches of her order are The Urban- ists, or Mitigated Clares, so called in distinction from the Poor Clares, Capu- chinesses, Annunciades, Conceptionists, Cordeliers, or grey sisters. Recollects, and the austere reformation in Paris called the Ave Maria. There are eighty-five canonized saints of the three orders of Franciscans, besides St. Francis himself; of these, five are Clarisses — St. Clara, St. Agnes of Assisi, St Catherine of Bologna, St. Colette, St. Veronica. The commemoration of all saints of the Order of St. Francis is on the 29th of November. B.M. Butler, Lives, Baillet, Vies. Mrs. Jameson, Sacred and Legendary Art, and Legends of the Monastic Orders. Montalembert, Moines d* Occident. Vil- legas. Vogt, Franciskus. Ma^liano, Franciscan Order. Wadding, Annales. Adam Eiug. Mrs. Oliphant, Francis of Assisi. Little Flowers of St. Francis, edited by Cardinal Manning. The family of the Counts of Fiumi of Assisi still exist, and are proud of their relationship to St. Clara. B. Clara (3) Ubaldini, Feb. 27, called in the world Madonna Avveo- NENTE. j- 1 264. Abbess of Monticelli. Daughter of Azzo degli Ubaldini. This ancient and literary family were lords of the greater part of the province of Mugello, and gave twelve Saints, Blesseds, and Venerables to the Church. Clara married the Count Gallura dei Visconti, of Pisa, brother of Ubaldo, the archbishop who founded the Campo Santo at Pisa, in 1200. She had several children, one was Nino, mentioned by Dante. On the death of her husband, she loft her children to some relations, who promised to take care of them. She took the veil at Florence, in the convent of Sta. Maria di Monticelli, then ruled by St. Agnes SciFFO. Clara had given the land od which this convent was built, in 1211^, in the village of St. Vito. Many noble ladies, following her example, retired from the world, among the rest her two nieces, BB. Jane and Lugt Ubaldini. Avvegnente took the name of Clara, and succeeded Agnes as abbess when, in 1253, she was recalled to Assisi to help her sister Claba (2), who was ill. St. Francis spent a whole Lent in a cell not far from this convent, and left his old gown to the nuns, as they made him a- new one. St. Clara (2) left them her veil at her death. Both were kept with gpreat veneration. The country was in a state of war,, and the sisters found themselves too far from town to get alms or protection, so it was resolved to build them a better house nearer the city. It was built near Porta Eomana alle Fonti. Fifty nuns were taken there in procession, with tho mantle of St. Francis, the veil of St. Clara, and the stole in which St. Francis^ as deacon, had read the Gospel. Bella rang of themselves, and continued ring- ing, until the bones of the nuns from the old cemetery had been deposited in tho new one. One day there were no pro- visions. The cellarer came in distress- to Clara, and by her advice knelt before the cross and said, "Lord, for love of yon I took these keys, having denied my own will to follow yours, trusting that you would always give me what was necessary. Now I have nothing. . . . Do you provide for us." While she was yet speaking, a knock was heard at the door, and twenty-five pounds of silver were presented by an unknown person^