A letter from Innocent IV (08/10/1253)

Translated letter:

Innocent, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his beloved daughters in Christ, Clara, abbess, and the other sisters of the monastery of St. Damian of Assisi, greetings and apostolic blessing. 1. The apostolic see is accustomed to grant benevolent favor to pious vows and honorable prayers of those asking. We were humbly entreated on your part, that since our venerable brother the bishop of Ostia and Velletri thought the formula of life, according to which you ought to live together in unity of spirit and the vow of highest poverty, given to you by St. Francis and freely received by you, should be approved, according to what was fully contained in the letters composed by that bishop, we should take care to enforce it with apostolic corroboration. 2. Inclined therefore by the prayers of your devotion, and approving what was done on this by that bishop, we confirm it with apostolic authority and corroborate it by the protection of the present writing, having the wording of those letters inserted word for word in the presents, which is: 3. Raynald, by divine mercy bishop of Ostia and Velletri, to his dearest mother and daughter in Christ, lady Clara, abbess of St. Damian of Assisi, and her sisters, present as well as future, greetings and paternal blessing. Since you, beloved daughters in Christ, scorned the pomp and delights of the world and chose to live following the footsteps of that Christ and his most holy mother enclosed in body and the highest poverty to serve the lord, that you might be able to serve the lord with free mind, we, commending your holy proposal in the lord, willingly wish to grant benevolent favor with paternal affection to your vows and holy desires. 4. For that reason, inclined to your pious prayers,the form of life and mode of holy unity and highest poverty which your blessed father St. Francis gave you in word and writing to be observed, as annotated in the presents, we confirm with the authority of the lord pope and our own to you and all those succeeding you in your monastery in perpetuity, and corroborate it with the protection of the present writing. Which is: [The Rule in 12 chapters follows.]

Original letter:

Innocentius, episcopus, servus servorum Dei, dilectis in Christo filiabus, Clarae abbatissae aliisque sororibus monasterii Sancti Damiani Assisinatis, salutem et apostolicam benedictionem. 1. Solet annuere Sedes Apostolica piis votis, & honestis petentium precibus favorem benevolum impartiri. Ex parte siquidem vestra nobis extitit humiliter supplicatum, ut cum vitae formulam, juxta quam communiter in spirituum unitate, ac voto altissimae paupertatis vivere debetis, vobis a Beato Francisco traditam, & a vobis sponte susceptam, Venerabilis Frater Noster Ostiensis et Velletrensis Episcopus duxerit approbandam, secundum quod in ipsius Episcopi litteris plenius continetur, nos curaremus Apostolico munimine roborare. 2. Devotionis igitur vestrae precibus inclinati, quod ab eodem Episcopo super hoc factum est, & ratum habentes, & gratum, illud auctoritate Apostolica confirmamus, & praesentis scripti patrocinio communimus; tenorem litterarum ipsarum de verbo ad verbum praesentibus inseri facientes; qui talis est. 3. Raynaldus, Miseratione Divina Ostiensis, & Velletrensis episcopus charissimae sibi in Christo Matri, & filiae Dominae Clarae Abbatissae S.Damiani Assisinatis, ejusque Sororibus, tam praesentibus, quam futuris, Salutem, & Benedictionem Paternam. Quia vos, dilectae in Christo filiae, Mundi pompas, & delicias contempsistis & ipsius Christi, ejusque Sanctissimae Matris sequentes vestigia elegistis habitare inclusae corpore, & in paupertate summa Domino deservire, ut mente libera possitis Domino famulari; Nos vestrum sanctum propositum in Domino commendantes, votis vestris, & sanctis desideriis libenter volumus affectu paterno favorem benevolum impartiri. 4. Eapropter vestris piis precibus inclinati, formam vivende, ac modum sanctae unitatis, ac altissimae paupertatis, quam vobis B.P.Franciscus verbo, & scripto tradidit observandam, praesentibus annotatam authoritate Domini Papae, & Nostra vobis, & omnibus in vestro Monasterio succedentibus in perpetuum confirmamus, & praesentis scripti patrocinio communimus, quae talis est.

Historical context:

The pope, who visited her twice during her last illness, finally approved her rule just before her death. Grau, in his edition of the letter and the Rule, notes that the Rule is said to have been given to Clare by Francis but that the text is in fact hers.

Printed source:

Bullarium Franciscanum Romanorum Pontificum, ed. J. H. Sbaralea, 1 (Rome: Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fide, 1759, repr. Santa Maria degli Angeli: Proziuncola, 1983), 671; Rule 671-78. also Leben und Schriften der Heiligen Klara, ed. Engelbert Grau (Werl: Dietrich-Coelde, 1997), 246-49, Rule, 250-99.

Date:

08/10/1253