FRANCIS AND CLARE, THE MERCHANT AND THE LADY

Francis seemed to be surprised when other men asked to join him. But he welcomed those who came, and soon an evangelical fraternity was born. In 1209, when, according to the hagiographers, they had reached the symbolic number of twelve, Francis and his brothers went to Rome to seek papal confirmation of their form of living. Eventually they returned to Assisi, having been blessed by Innocent III. Did Francis consider the possibility of women joining his group? There is clearly no mention of a female presence on the journey to Rome. In the context of the time, it would certainly have created problems for unmarried men and women, especially from different social classes, to travel on the road together. It is quite unlikely that such a group would have been viewed positively in Rome, much less that it would have received the blessing of the pope. And yet some sources – including the Testament of Clare of Assisi herself – mention that before Francis had any brothers, while he was working on the restoration of the little church of San Damiano outside Assisi, he used to call out to people in French, talking about the coming of holy women to that holy place:

The use of the word lady puts the story in the medieval context of chivalry and nobility, the social class that Francis, wealthy but only a merchant, had been longing to become part of.