The Life of Saint Clare
Anonymous; ascribed to Thomas of Celano1255–1261
The life of Clare of Assisi written for Pope Alexander IV, who canonized her in 1255, by a Franciscan who had spoken with her companions.
The Life is addressed to the pope who canonized Clare, so it was written between her canonization, which Robinson dates to 11 August 1255, and the death of Alexander IV in May 1261. The author does not give his name. Robinson, with most scholars of his day, assigns it to Thomas of Celano, and notes that this cannot be said with absolute certainty.
It was written within eight years of Clare’s death, for her cult, and it follows the pattern of a saint’s life. It is the main narrative source for her leaving home, her forty-two years at San Damiano and her death.