Poor Clares
The Second Order of St. Francis, the Order of Poor Clares (also called the Seraphic Order, Latin Ordo Sanctae Clarae, religious symbol OSC), was founded by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi ( 1193-1253 ). Under the influence of St. Francis Klara decided by Favarone to a life of following Christ in evangelical poverty.
History
After Klara in the night of Palm Sunday ( 18th/19th. March ) 1212 in the Portiunculakapelle of Francis 's hair cut and had had from him was clothed " with a poor garment ," Francis took them for a short time in two convents of Benedictine among. Later she found in the restored Chapel of St. Francis San Damiano just outside Assisi accommodation. In the meantime, her other women, including her younger sister Agnes had connected. The sister community, was known as " Damianitinnen ", " poor women at San Damiano " quickly. Only after the death of Clare in 1253 they were called the Poor Clares.
Francis wrote for the community, whose abbess was Klara since 1215, a short rule (formula vitae ), demanded the strict enclosure and perfect poverty with virtually no possessions and income. Klara wanted, like Francis, to adhere to this requirement evangelical poverty. Surprising was the example of Damianitinnen imitation and thus led to new monastic foundations of the Friars Minor and the Poor Clares, later establishing a Third Order.
Cardinal Ugolino saw in these convents a model for the reform of other convents, took care of their own and wrote a rule that is based on the Rule of St. Benedict and the Damianitinnen filed in the traditional monasticism. In most monasteries that had arisen following the example of San Damiano, the rule of Cardinal Ugolino was introduced after 1218. Since Clare abandoned Franciscan poverty of Ugolino and endangers the immediate assignment to the Friars saw it himself remained with a few monasteries ( including, founded by Blessed Agnes of Bohemia in Prague) at the Formula vitae of Francis. 1228 granted Ugolino (now Pope Gregory IX. ) Klara poverty privilege ( privilege paupertatis ).
1247 received the Sisters of Innocent IV, a new rule, which adhered to the rule of St. Francis of 1223 and the Damianitinnen thus clearly then assigned to the Franciscans, which was in the spirit of Clare. However, they protested against the fact that Innocent IV conceded the monasteries fixed income and common property, because then the privilege of poverty was off. Three years later, the rule of the Pope was then withdrawn, as well as the Franciscans had fought against, because they saw too great a load in the pastoral care and management of the sister community.
Clare then began a separate rule to write and put in their " Testament" haunting their own journey of conversion and their Franciscan follow Christ dar. 1253 the rule of Clare by Pope Innocent IV was confirming bull Solet confirmed annuere. Two days later, on August 11, Klara died. This rule applied only to the monastery of San Damiano, and so remained in the other Franciscan convents uncertainty and diversity. In order to finally eliminate this drawback and to achieve a uniform order, Pope Urban IV, published in 1283 a new rule; widely accepted that the rule of Pope Innocent IV again and allowed the monasteries again jointly owned and stable resources for livelihood. This meant that the monasteries did not reach the desired unity, since they are now divided into two groups: one followed the rule of Clare, the other of Urban IV ( urbanists ).
Generally, however, they found themselves in a time of lively religious women's movement, in which many a time women joined forces to form religious communities, and so did the Order of Clare had spread rapidly in spite of the inner uncertainty. As St. Clare died, there were already 111 monasteries: 68 in Italy, 21 in Spain, 14 in France, 8 in the Holy Roman Empire; towards the end of the 14th century there were over 400 monasteries in Europe. Today, worldwide, there are about 1,000 Klarissenklöster. In Germany there are about 20 different Klarissenklöster observance.