Basilica di Santa Chiara, Assisi 
View of Santa Chiara and the valley below from the Rocca Maggiore.
See many more photos in our Basilica di Santa Chiara Photo Gallery.
Facade of the Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi.
Detail of wagon-wheel rose window on the west facade.
Oratorio del Crocifisso, with 12th-century miraculous crucifix.
The crypt, looking towards the tomb of St. Clare.
The body of Saint Clare on display in the crypt.
Chapel of Relics in the crypt, with clothes and other items used by St.
Clare and St. Francis.
Some of the relics on display in the crypt.
Santa Chiara by night.
The Basilica di Santa Chiara (Basilica of St. Clare) in Assisi is a 13th-century church that houses the relics of St. Clare, friend and protege of St. Francis of Assisi, as well as the miraculous crucifix that spoke to Francis.
History
Born to a count and countess in Assisi in 1193, Chiara (Clare to English-speakers) was a friend of Francesco (Francis) and followed his example against her parents' wishes. At the age of 18 (1211), she left her stately home and ran off to meet Francis.
Francis clothed Clare in sackcloth after his own fashion and hacked off her hair, signaling her renunciation of earthly goods and the beginning of her quest for spiritual enlightenment. She took the veil of the religious life from Francis at the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi.
Clare pursued her new path unwaveringly, adopting the rule of St. Benedict tempered with Francis's preaching of poverty. She soon gathered a large female following at San Damiano and Francis urged her to set up a convent there. She did so, and became abbess of the new community known as the Poor Clares. Clare's mother and sisters later joined the order, and there are still thousands of members today.
Clare is described as humble, merciful, charming, optimistic and chivalrous. It is said she would get up late at night to tuck in her sisters who had kicked off their covers. Like Francis, Clare was known for her many miracles. She was especially adept at using the consecrated Host (the communion wafer) to ward off invaders from the Saracens (1240) to local thug Vitale d'Aversa (1241).
Bed-ridden on Christmas Eve 1252, Clare was upset that her illness was keeping her from the Franciscans' singing of Mass in the new Basilica of St. Francis in town. Suddenly, she was blessed with a vision of the Mass, both hearing and seeing it miraculously from several miles away.
Clare died in Assisi on August 11, 1253. Like Francis, she was canonized quickly — on September 26, 1255, by Pope Alexander IV.
The church of Santa Chiara was built in 1260, in the early Gothic style, to house her tomb. The interior was decorated with frescoes by an unknown student of Giotto (who also painted at the Basilica of St. Francis).
In 1958, the pope recalled the audiovisual aspect of her miraculous vision of the Mass and granted Clare the rather dubious honor of becoming the patron saint of television. She is also patron of sore eyes.
What to See
The Basilica of St. Clare is fronted by a terracelike piazza with views over the valley and some shade trees. The church is early Gothic. The facade, done in strong bands of Assisian pink and white, is set with a giant wagon wheel rose window and stabilized by two cumbersome flying buttresses.
The vast interior is dark and perennially crowded with people filing down into the neo-Gothic crypt to see the tomb of St. Clare. The saint's preserved body is on display at the east end of the crypt, her face protected by a layer of wax. Against the back wall of the crypt are some holy relics, including tunics worn by Francis and Clare, a shirt she embroidered, and some locks of hair Francis sheared from her head.
Off the right wall of the church built to house Claire's tomb is the Oratorio del Crocifisso, preserving the venerated 12th-century crucifix that spoke to St. Francis at San Damiano and set him on his holy path.
Divided from the Oratorion by glass walls is the Cappella del Sacramento, with frescoes by Pace di Bartolo and a triptych of the Madonna and Saints by Puccio Capanna. Of the frescoes that covered the interior of the church until the 17th century, only some colorfully intense 13th-century ones by an anonymous follower of Giotto remain, up in the transept.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Santa Chiara; Chiesa di Santa Chiara; Basilica di Santa Chiara; Basilica of St. Claire |
| Type of site: | Catholic shrine |
| Dates: | 1257-60 |
| Architecture: | Gothic |
| Location: | Piazza Santa Chiara, Assisi, Italy |
| Contact: | 075-812-282 |
| Hours: | Daily 7am-noon and 2pm-sunset |
| Cost: | Free |
| Photography: | Prohibited inside. |
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of the Basilica di Santa Chiara. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Assisi Map or get our free Google Earth download.
Travel Resources
- Assisi Hostels - search and book budget lodgings
- Assisi Hotels - browse by location, price and other features
- Assisi Hotel Reviews - unbiased reviews from fellow travelers
- Assisi Travel Forum - tips, advice and answers from experienced travelers
- Car Rentals in Italy - explore Umbria on your own timetable
- Italy Rail Passes and Tickets - save on multiple journeys in Italy
Article Sources
- Personal visits (April 21-24, 2008)
- Frommer's Florence, Tuscany & Umbria, 5th edition
- Clare of Assisi - Patron Saints Index
More Information
- St. Clare of Assisi - Catholic Encyclopedia
- Clare of Assisi - Patron Saints Index
- St. Clare - Catholic Online: Saints & Angels
- Website of the Poor Clares
