Saint Agnes of Assisi, O.S.C., was the younger sister of Saint Clare of Assisi and one of the first abbesses of the Order of Poor Ladies.
Background
She was a younger daughter of Count Favorino Scifi. Her mother, Ortolana, who also would join the Order founded by her daughters, belonged to the noble family of the Fiumi. Agnes" childhood was passed between her father"s palace in the city and his castle of Sasso Rosso on Mount Subasio.
Career
Her birth name was probably Caterina. She took the name of Agnes when she became a nun. The others dragged Agnes out of the monastery by her hair, striking her and kicking her repeatedly.
Agnes" relatives, purportedly realizing that something divine protected her, allowed the sisters to remain together.
Saint Francis himself cut her hair and gave her the religious habit, in recognition of Agnes" dedication. She later went on to establish other communities of the Order, including those of Mantua, Venice, and Padua.
Agnes" feast day is the anniversary of her death, 16 November.