Why the patron saint of television is a 13th-century cloistered nun

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: St. Clare of Assisi, who founded a strict order of contemplative nuns in 1212, is the unlikely patron saint of television. Pope Pius XII bestowed this title in 1958, citing a miraculous vision Clare experienced before her death, where she saw and heard a distant mass from her convent.

Born into a noble family in 1194, Clare of Assisi rejected a traditional marriage to follow the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi. In 1212, she took her vows at the Porziuncola Chapel, marking the beginning of the Second Order of St. Francis. By 1216, she became the abbess of the convent of San Damiano, where she led a community dedicated to a life of extreme poverty and contemplative prayer.

Clare’s defining struggle was the pursuit of a rule that embodied the spirit of Francis. She resisted the Benedictine-based rule adapted by Cardinal Ugolino, which permitted communal property ownership. Instead, she fought for the 'privilege of perfect poverty,' which forbade the community from owning any property. Her persistence paid off; just two days before her death on August 11, 1253, Pope Innocent IV approved her definitive, stricter rule.

The Poor Clares were viewed as a vital spiritual force, credited by the citizens of Assisi with saving their city from destruction twice. In one instance, Clare elevated the Eucharist at a window, causing the Moorish allies of Emperor Frederick II to retreat. Her legacy as a protector extended into the modern era when, in February 1958, Pope Pius XII named her the patron of television. He viewed the technology as a 'wondrous instrument' that required spiritual protection, using Clare’s miraculous vision of a distant mass as evidence of her suitability to guard against the misuse of screens in the home.

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