Il 'francescanesimo' di madonna Chiara

The present contribution intends to underline the fundamental role of "madonna Chiara" - as she is called by the sisters in the depositions that have come down to us through the vernacular translation of the acts of the Process of canonisation - in the preservation of the memory of Francis and of the first Minorite community. Clare's long survival of Francis accredited her as an authoritative and perhaps the only recognised (after the deposition of Brother Elias, 1239) witness to the memory of the saint, as a point of reference also for Francis' associates. Therefore, the experience of Clare and the sisters of San Damiano is placed within the sphere of Minoritism, meaning by this term the original bond with Francis and the community that had arisen around him, especially in its lay component, which continued to exist in the Order even after the deposition of Brother Elias and the strong restrictions placed on the acceptance of lay brothers. On the basis of the intitulationes reserved for Clare by the apostolic see or used by herself, the placement of Clare and St. Damian within the ill-defined sphere of the sorores minores, first attested by James of Vitry in the region of Perugia in 1216 and, from 1241 and until at least 1257 decisively fought by the apostolic see, can be deduced. They were considered a danger both for the 'papal' nuns of the Order of St Damian and for the Order of Friars Minor, who were concerned about not having to extend the cura monialium. Finally, the focus is on two terms that are particularly significant in verifying Clare's originality and her position with regard to the apostolic see and the Order of Friars Minor, of which she continued to consider herself a part: a) soror-ancilla and b) paupertas (altissima o sanctissima?). The use of these two terms reveals Clare's desire to fully implement the sequela Francisci.