Which saint founded the Order of Poor Ladies (Poor Clares)?

Saint Clare founded the Order of Poor Ladies, later known as the Poor Clares. She established it within the Franciscan tradition for women committed to prayer, enclosure, service, and radical poverty.

Born Chiara Offreduccio in Assisi around 1194, Clare was inspired by the preaching and example of Francis of Assisi. In 1212, she left her family home and joined Francis at the Portiuncula. Her community first lived at San Damiano, the monastery that became the order’s spiritual center.

The order was originally called the Order of Poor Ladies of San Damiano. Clare insisted that the sisters should not individually or collectively own property, a demanding principle that became known as the Privilege of Poverty. She later wrote the Rule of Saint Clare, approved by Pope Innocent IV in 1253—the first monastic rule known to have been written by a woman.

A common mix-up is crediting Francis alone. Francis helped organize and guide the community, but Clare was its founder, leader, and principal author of its rule. After her death, the order became widely known as the Order of Saint Clare, or Poor Clares.