Amata of Assisi

Amata of Assisi (died 1254 or 1255) was a saint, a Poor Clare nun, and one of Saint Clare of Assisi's original followers. Amata was born into a noble family in Assisi, Italy; her father was Martino di Carano and her mother Donna Penenda, Clare's oldest sister. Her name means "beloved" in Latin and is a common religious name among the Poor Clares. Amata grew up "vivacious and pleasure-seeking".

Amata suffered from chronic illness; she came down with dropsy and a bad cough for a year, combined with severe abdominal pain, a fever, and flu symptoms for thirteen months. As she reported in 1253, during her testimony of Clare's Process of Canonization shortly after Clare's death, Amata's stomach was so bloated, she was unable to bend forward. Clare laid hands on her and made the sign of the cross over her, and she was permanently healed by the next day. Amata cared for her aunt as she died and they experienced mystical visions together during that time.

Amata was one of those who was interviewed and testified during Clare's Process of Canonization, since she, along with four other members of the community, lived the longest with her at San Damiano. Amata testified to many of Clare's miracles and visions, and about her personality and religious practices. Joan Mueller, who wrote a book about Clare's life, writings, and spirituality, states, "As a result of these critical sources, Clare is one of the few women of the thirteenth century who life can be confidently reconstructed not on the basis of clerical witnesses, but in a truly feminine voice".

Amata died and was buried in the Monastery of San Damiano in Assisi; she was buried with her sister, Saint Balbina, who was also one of Clare's first followers. Amata's feast day is 20 February.