Born in Assisi in 1193, she died there at sixty years of 11 August 1253 and two years later she was canonized by Pope Alexander IV. He is the patron saint of television; His name, from Latin, means “transparent, illustrious“And has the lily as emblem.
The main church dedicated to the saint is the Basilica of Santa Chiara In Assisi, where his remains are preserved. The only cathedral dedicated to her, however, is located in the city of Iglesias, Sardinia.
Piero della Francesca, Santa Chiara d’Assisi (Wikimedia Commons)
On the run from wealth
Chiara is just twelve years old, born in 1194 from the noble and rich family of Offanducciwhen Francesco d’Assisi makes the gesture of undressing all the clothes to return them to his father Bernardone.
Conquered by the example of Francesco, the young Chiara seven years later, on the evening of the Palm Sunday of 1211 or 1212, he runs away from home to reach him to the Porziuncola. The saint cuts his hair and makes her wear the Franciscan habit, and then lead her to the Benedictine monastery of S.Paolo, to Bastia Umbra, where the father tries in vain to persuade her to return home.
He then takes refuge in the church of San Damiano, in which he founded the female order of the “poor imprisoned” (Call later of Clarisse) of which he is named Badesss and where Francesco dictates a first rule. Chiara subsequently writes the final rule by asking and obtaining from Gregorio IX the «privilege of poverty».
On poverty does not accept discounts
Cardinal Ugolino, bishop of Ostia and protector of minors, gives her a new rule that attenuates poverty, but she does not accept discounts: so Ugolino, who became pope Gregorio IX (1227-41) grants them the “Privilege of poverty”, Then confirmed by Innocenzo IV with a solemn bubble of 1253, presented to Chiara a few days before death.
Austerity always. But “we don’t have a bronze body, nor is ours is the robustness of the granite”. So says one of the letters (here in modern translation) in Agnese of Prague, daughter of the king of Bohemia, a severe abbess of a monastery inspired by the Franciscan ideal. Chiara sends them affectionate and explicit advice: “I beg you to moderate yourself with wise discretion in almost exaggerated and impossible austerity, In which I learned that you started. “Agnese should see how Chiara knows how to make even the even more humble and unpleasant services to the sick consuments, without losing a smile and without making it lose.
Giotto, cry of Santa Chiara on San Francesco Dead (Wikimedia Commons)
patron of television
February 17, 1958 is declared by Pius XII patroness of television and telecommunications. According to a tradition, in fact, on Christmas day, in the mass served by Francesco, there was no clear, since forced to bed because of his infirmity. Wanting to participate in the celebration, however, the chronicles tell that a vision of the mass appeared and, at the time of communion, an angel was presented before her who gave it the opportunity to communicate to the consecrated host.
The Eucharistic miracle
Chiara distinguished himself for the cult towards the Eucharist. At twice Assisi was threatened by the army of Emperor Federico II who counted, among his soldiers, also Saracens. Chiara, at that sick time, was brought to the city walls with the pyx containing the holy sacrament in hand: his biographers say that the army, at the sight, to escape. This event is remembered and celebrated solemnly every year in Assisi with the “festival of the vote” of the Clarisse, on June 22nd.
