Unbeknownst to many who travel along the main road of the ancient Roman neighborhood of Trastevere, one modern hospital holds an old monastic secret, with roots going back to the earliest days of the Franciscan order. Today, visitors to Regina Margherita hospital (“Presidio Nuovo Regina Margherita”) can experience the heritage of St. Clare of Assisi within its walls, which once housed the first Poor Clare monastery in Rome.
Remnants of its Franciscan heritage can still be seen behind the walls of the hospital, from an ancient courtyard to a chapel covered in ornate paintings, including those that depict the life of the Poor Clares’ foundress.
St. Clare, whose feast is celebrated every Aug. 11, inspired many women across Italy and beyond to live a life of poverty, chastity and obedience — and, for many, the added vow of enclosure for those called to the cloistered vocation. With St. Francis of Assisi, whose 800th anniversary of death is being celebrated in 2026, she co-founded the Franciscan order to renew the Church through voluntary poverty and active service.
St. Clare founded the Poor Clares —
