Saint Agnes of Assisi
Saint Agnes of Assisi (Italian: Agnese d'Assisi; born c. 1197 in Assisi, Italy; died November 16, 1253 in Assisi) was an Italian Poor Clare nun, the younger sister and first follower of Saint Clare of Assisi. Just sixteen days after Clare had fled her noble family home and joined Saint Francis of Assisi, Agnes—then approximately fifteen years old—followed her sister, defying fierce resistance from their family to embrace the same life of radical poverty and prayer. Agnes became the second member of the Order of Poor Ladies (later the Order of Poor Clares) and remained a faithful companion of Clare throughout her long religious life. Her feast day is celebrated on November 16.
Agnes lived in Clare's shadow during much of her religious life, but she was in her own right a woman of deep holiness and considerable practical gifts. She served for many years as abbess of the monastery of Monticelli in Florence, which she founded at the direction of Saint Francis, before returning to Assisi near the end of her life to accompany her dying sister. Clare died in August 1253, and Agnes survived her by only about three months, dying on November 16, 1253. She was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1828 and is a beloved figure in the Franciscan spiritual tradition.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Agnes Of Assisi
| Saint Agnes of Assisi | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | November 16 |
| Profession | Noblewoman (before religious life); Abbess |
| Rel. Affiliation | Order of Poor Ladies (Poor Clares); Franciscan tradition |
| Attributes | Poor Clare habit; lily; book; palm |
| Birthplace | Assisi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy |
| Death Place | Assisi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes |
| Primary Shrine | Basilica of Santa Chiara, Assisi, Italy |
| Liturgical Class | Not included (universal calendar); observed within the Franciscan and Poor Clare calendars |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Birth
Agnes was born around 1197 in Assisi, in the region of Umbria, Italy. She was the daughter of Favarone di Offreduccio, a Lombard nobleman, and his wife Ortolana, and thus the younger sister of the future Saint Clare. The family was among the Assisi nobility, living in the Palazzo della Famiglia Offreduccio in the older quarter of the city. Agnes received the upbringing customary to a daughter of the Assisian nobility: good Christian formation, education in the domestic arts, and preparation for the role of wife and mother in the aristocratic society of thirteenth-century Umbria.
The religious and cultural context of Agnes's childhood was strongly shaped by the emerging Franciscan movement. Francis of Assisi had begun his radical conversion to a life of poverty and Gospel simplicity around 1205–1206, and by the time Agnes was approaching adolescence, the movement had grown to encompass hundreds of followers and had received formal approval from Pope Innocent III (1210). The preaching of Francis had a profound effect on Clare, Agnes, and their wider family.
Early Life
On the night of Palm Sunday, March 18/19, 1212, Clare slipped away from the family home to join Francis and his brothers at the Portiuncula chapel outside Assisi. Just sixteen days later—on the night of April 2–3, 1212—Agnes, then approximately fifteen years old, followed her sister. The family's reaction was immediate and violent: their relatives and kinsmen pursued Agnes and attempted forcibly to drag her back home. According to hagiographic tradition, Agnes suddenly became so heavy that a dozen men could not move her, and her pursuers eventually gave up and left her in peace.
Agnes was received by Francis, who clothed her in the penitential garb of the Franciscan life, and both she and Clare took up residence initially at Panzo and then at San Damiano, a small chapel outside Assisi that Francis had repaired with his own hands. At San Damiano, Clare and Agnes, joined gradually by other women, formed the first community of what would become the Order of Poor Ladies—later the Order of Poor Clares.
Occupation
Agnes devoted her entire adult life to the contemplative and penitential life of the Poor Clares. For many years, at the direction of Saint Francis, she served as abbess of the monastery of Monticelli near Florence, which she had founded. As abbess, she was responsible for the governance of the community, the maintenance of the observance of the Rule, and the spiritual formation of her sisters. She also corresponded with Clare and maintained the close spiritual bond with her sister that had characterized their entire religious lives.
Vocation
Agnes's vocation was entirely that of the Poor Clare: a life of absolute poverty (sine proprio), enclosure, continuous prayer, and penance, lived in community after the example of the Virgin Mary and the poor Christ. She embraced this life with full conviction and never wavered in her commitment, despite the violence of her family's initial resistance and the long decades of separation from her beloved sister Clare while serving as abbess at Monticelli.
Hagiographic tradition credits Agnes with a deep life of prayer and mystical experience, similar to that of her sister Clare. She corresponded with Clare, and her letters (if they survive) have not been separately identified from the correspondence of the Clarissian tradition. She was known for her humility, her exact observance of the Rule, and her personal holiness, which inspired the community at Monticelli just as Clare inspired the community at San Damiano.
Death
In the final years of her life, Agnes was recalled from Florence to Assisi to be near her dying sister. She was present at the death of Clare on August 11, 1253. The loss of her sister—the companion of her entire religious life, with whom she had shared the founding vision and the daily observance of the Poor Clare life—was profound. Agnes survived Clare by only three months, dying peacefully on November 16, 1253.
Saint Agnes of Assisi met her end peacefully on November 16, 1253, in Assisi, where she had been born and where, with her sister Clare, she had founded the Order of Poor Ladies. She died as a holy abbess and consecrated virgin, having given her entire life to Christ in the spirit of poverty and prayer inspired by Saint Francis.
Significant events
- Born c. 1197 in Assisi to the noble Offreduccio family; younger sister of Saint Clare.
- Followed her sister Clare to join Saint Francis approximately sixteen days after Clare had fled the family home (April 2–3, 1212).
- Forcibly resisted by family members attempting to drag her back; hagiographic tradition holds she became miraculously immovable.
- Received the Franciscan penitential habit from Saint Francis alongside Clare.
- Joined Clare at San Damiano, becoming one of the founding members of the Order of Poor Ladies.
- Founded and governed the Monticelli monastery near Florence at the direction of Saint Francis.
- Recalled to Assisi in the final period of Clare's life; present at Clare's death on August 11, 1253.
- Died November 16, 1253 in Assisi, just three months after her sister.
- Beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1828.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Assisi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy
Death location: Assisi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy
Notable location: First monastery of the Poor Clares; where Agnes and Clare lived together (San Damiano Monastery, Via San Damiano 25, Assisi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy)
Notable location: Monastery founded by Agnes at the direction of Saint Francis; she served as abbess there for decades (Monticelli Monastery, Florence, Tuscany, Italy)
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Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Agnes of Assisi have been added to the database yet.
Media
| Media | Length | AuthorCreator |
|---|---|---|
| 20231119 Saint Agnes of Assisi | 5–15 minutes | Breski1 |
| November 19 Saint Agnes of Assisi | Under 5 minutes | Breski1 |
| St. Agnes of Assisi | 5–15 minutes | Daily Lives of Franciscan Saints |
| Nov 19 - St. Agnes of Assisi - Franciscan Saint of the Day | 5–15 minutes | Franciscan Media |
| St. Agnes of Assisi | 5–15 minutes | Radio Immaculata |
| The Family Tried to Drag Her Out… | Saint Agnes of Assisi | #saints | Under 5 minutes | Saints and Angels TV |
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
List of shrines
Basilica of Santa Chiara, Assisi, Italy
- The Basilica of Santa Chiara (Saint Clare) in Assisi houses the relics of Saint Clare and is the principal site of pilgrimage for the entire Poor Clare tradition. Agnes is venerated in close association with this basilica as the first follower and lifelong companion of Clare. The basilica was built over the original church of San Giorgio in Assisi, where Clare and Agnes were initially interred together.
- Pilgrimage details: Piazza Santa Chiara, Assisi, Perugia, Umbria, Italy. Open year-round. Diocese: Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino.
- Facts: Agnes's bones were discovered alongside those of Clare during excavations in 1260; they were later distributed as relics. The church of Santa Chiara received papal designation as a basilica.
Monastery of San Damiano, Assisi, Italy
- The monastery of San Damiano, the chapel repaired by Saint Francis and the first permanent home of Clare and Agnes, is a major site of Franciscan pilgrimage. It was here that Clare and Agnes lived together and formed the first community of the Order of Poor Ladies. The chapel retains its medieval character and is maintained by the Franciscan friars.
- Pilgrimage details: Via San Damiano 25, Assisi, Perugia, Umbria 06081, Italy. Open to pilgrims. Diocese: Diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino.
- Facts: At San Damiano, Clare and Agnes lived the life of extreme poverty and enclosure that defined the Poor Clare vocation; it was here that Clare composed her Rule for the order.
Convent of Monticelli, Florence, Italy
- The Convent of Monticelli, founded by Agnes at the direction of Saint Francis near Florence, was the site of her long service as abbess. It represented the first expansion of the Poor Clare tradition beyond Assisi and served as a center of the Clarissian life in Tuscany.
- Pilgrimage details: Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Diocese: Archdiocese of Florence.
- Facts: Agnes governed Monticelli for many years, maintaining the spirit of radical poverty and prayer that she had learned at San Damiano, and forming a community in the spirit of Saint Clare.
Canonization
Servant of God
The formal cause of Agnes of Assisi was introduced in preparation for her beatification. The process examined her life of heroic virtue as a Poor Clare and the founding member of the order.
Venerable
Agnes was declared Venerable as part of the beatification process that preceded her formal beatification.
Beatification
Agnes of Assisi was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1828. She had long been venerated as a saint within the Franciscan and Poor Clare traditions.
Canonization
Agnes of Assisi is listed in the missing saints database as "Saint," reflecting the long-standing tradition of venerating her as a canonized saint within the Franciscan Order, even though the formal modern canonization process concluded at the stage of beatification by Pius IX. Her cult has been confirmed by the Church through centuries of veneration.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
The specific miracle formally approved for her beatification by Pope Pius IX is not detailed in the sources readily available; however, the beatification process would have required the authentication of at least one miracle through the Congregation of Rites.
Miracle for canonization
No formal second miracle for canonical procedures beyond beatification has been documented.
Other notable miracles
- According to hagiographic tradition, when Agnes was dragged by her relatives after fleeing to join Clare, she miraculously became so heavy that a dozen men could not move her.
- Reports of miraculous cures through the intercession of Agnes were made following her death, contributing to the development of her cult.
Patronage
No specific patronage has been formally assigned to Saint Agnes of Assisi beyond her role as a patron of the Poor Clare tradition and the Franciscan family.
Feast day
November 16
Veneration
Saint Agnes of Assisi is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Franciscan Order with a feast day on November 16. Her cult is centered in Assisi and in the wider Poor Clare tradition. She is commemorated as the first follower of Saint Clare, sharing in the founding charism of the Order of Poor Ladies. She has been depicted in ecclesiastical art wearing the Poor Clare habit and holding a palm branch or a lily, often shown alongside her sister Clare.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
Books
Written about the saint
- Marco Bartoli, Clare of Assisi (1993) — contains extensive treatment of Agnes as Clare's companion and first follower.
- Books about Saint Agnes of Assisi and the Poor Clare tradition
Written by the saint
- No independent writings by Saint Agnes of Assisi are known to survive.