Order of Poor Ladies
The
Order of Poor Ladies, also known as the
Poor Clares, the
Poor Clare Nuns, the
Clarisse, the
Minoresses, or the
Second Order of St. Francis, is an order of
nuns in the
Roman Catholic Church. It was the second
Franciscan order to be established, founded by Saints
Clare of Assisi and
Francis of Assisi in
1212. The Poor Ladies were organized after the
Order of Friars Minor (the
first order), and before the
Secular Franciscans or
Tertiaries (the
third order). As of 2004 there are over 20,000 Poor Clare Sisters in over 20 congregations and federations living in over 76 countries throughout the world [
1].
In Medieval England their religious house was located outside
Aldgate and the order gave its name to the still extant street known as the Minories in the
City of London.
In June and July 2006
BBC Two broadcast a television series called
The Convent [
2], in which four women were admitted to the convent for a period of six weeks.
*
The Catholic Encyclopedia: The Poor Clares*
The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Bautzen/GermanyThe Convent television series
