Interpreting Francis and Clare of Assisi: From the Middle Ages to the Present

Francis of Assisi (1181–1226) and Clare of Assisi (1194–1253) were two close friends who, through the intensity of their devotion, inspired generations of men and women to rediscover the meaning of the Gospel.The editors demonstrate how the original vision of Francis and Clare has been understood, whether by their disciples in medieval and early modern Europe, or by their admirers in the modern world, such as the Australian artist Arthur Boyd (1929–99), and show how we learn about the enduring character of their message and example. FROM THE INTRODUCTION’Alter Christus’, another Christ. This was the phrase frequently used of Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) by his many admirers in the medieval period, and still invoked today. Few figures have captured the popular imagination as much as Francis, through the radical character of his Christian commitment. Living at a time when the medieval church had become a top-heavy institution, known more for its inflexible hierachy and political ambition than for communicating the message of Christ, Francis believed that its mission needed to be reinvigorated by a radical commitment to Lady Poverty, the personification of the principle that he saw as the driving force behind the Gospel. Yet Francis did not pursue this commitment alone. In 1209, not only did he establish a community of male followers at the Portiuncula in Assisi, near the leper colony, but he attracted the attention of Clare (1194-1253), scion of the well-born Offreduccio family of Assisi. A few years later, Clare took religious vows as a nun, taking charge of a small community in a house attached to the church of San Damiano in Assisi. By virtue of living for almost another thirty years after Francis’s premature death at the age of forty-five, Clare helped establish a way of life, committed to poverty, which would enjoy significant support from the very highest levels of society. Together, Francis and Clare inspired a movement that would undergo not only great expansion but continuing attempts to reform that movement in order to keep faith with its original inspiration, in the spirit of the Gospel. Constant Mews and Claire RenkenCONSTANT J MEWS gained his doctorate at Oxford University and also studied in Paris. He is the director of the Centre for Studies in Religion and Theology and a professor of the school of philosophy, historical and international studies at Monash University. CLAIRE RENKEN earned her PhD in art history from Rutgers. During the 1990s she lectured in art history at the University of Massachusetts. Since 2001, Claire has lecture in art history and spirituality at Yarra Theological Union, which is a part of the Melbourne College of Divinity.