The Basics: Born in 1362 in Italy; died April 17, 1420, in Italy; beatified March 3, 1830, by Pius VII; feast day, April 17. Wife, woman religious.
The Story: It’s not uncommon for the lives of the saints to intersect, and so it was with Chiara Gambacorta.
The child, then known as Victoria, was born into a prominent Italian political family, and was married at thirteen. There was some form of correspondence with Catherine of Siena, who encouraged the girl to devote herself to God and her marriage. But after just three years,
Victoria found herself a widow when her husband died in a plague.
Following that tragedy, she had contact again with Catherine of Siena, who encouraged her not to remarry. However, that proved more difficult than one might think. Victoria went to a nearby Poor Clares convent, and was given the name Chiara (Clare). Her family strongly objected. She was brought home by force and in essence was imprisoned for five months during which she refused to reconsider life as anything but a woman religious. (One of the reasons her family relented was a meeting with a priest who had been the spiritual director for both Catherine of Siena and St. Brigid of Sweden, another woman Chiara grew to admire greatly.)
Inspired by Catherine of Siena, who was a lay Dominican, Chiara decided she was more suited to that spiritual practice–but as a cloistered nun. With the help of her stepmother, Chiara founded a Dominican convent that opened in 1385.
Just eight years later, still more tragedy struck. Chiara’s father was killed near the convent in a politically charged dispute. One of her brothers also was killed; another, severely injured, begged to be allowed inside the convent… and Chiara refused to break cloister. The brother then was dragged away and killed as well. It was only Chiara’s intervention that kept a third brother, who was a hermit, from leaving his community to avenge the deaths.
Some time later, when she was very ill, Chiara asked for food from the table of her father’s murderer in a sign of forgiveness. When that man was killed himself, she took into the convent his wife and daughter.
When Chiara died, people who lived in the area were so intent upon coming to her funeral that the sisters agreed provide a small opening into the cloister so they could view the rite. After her death, Chiara was succeeded as prioress by her friend Maria Mancini–who also has been beatified.
What We Can Learn from Chiara: We walk among saints in the making every day. Are you listening to them?
To Learn More About Chiara: Take a look at her biography on the Dominican Priests and Brothers of the Holy Face of Jesus site.
To Learn More About Other Women Saints and Blesseds: Come back next week, or consider buying my book, Sisterhood of Saints: Daily Guidance and Inspiration.
