Colette of Corbie
A 15th-century mystic who, after a dramatic spiritual awakening, revived the Franciscan ideal of radical poverty for women across Europe.
1381–1447 (age 66)·Franciscan foundress, abbess and saint·Birthday: January 13
Biography
Colette of Corbie began life as a quiet, pious daughter of a carpenter, but her path took an extraordinary turn after the death of her parents. Seeking a life of severe asceticism, she became a hermit, walled into a small cell beside her local church. Her reputation for holiness grew, but her visions pushed her toward a more daunting task: reforming the Franciscan Poor Clares, whose practice of strict poverty had lapsed. Armed with nothing but fierce determination and the support of a sympathetic pope, she set out to restore the order's original rigor. Facing skepticism and outright hostility from established convents, Colette traveled tirelessly, founding new monasteries and reforming existing ones across France, Savoy, and beyond. Her reform, known as the Colettines, emphasized barefoot poverty, perpetual fasting, and enclosure. A practical mystic, she was also known for her deep compassion for the sick and for mothers, and her leadership provided a powerful, female-led spiritual anchor during the turbulent era of the Hundred Years' War and the Western Schism.
#1 When Colette Was Born
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Colette's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1381Born
1386Started school
1394Became a teenager
1397Could drive
1399Could vote
1402Turned 21
1411Turned 30
1421Turned 40
1431Turned 50
1441Turned 60
1447Died at 66
Key Achievements
- Founded and successfully spread the Colettine reform branch of the Poor Clares, which restored the order's original commitment to extreme poverty.
- Personally established 17 new monasteries and reformed several others across Western Europe during her lifetime.
- Was canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church in 1807.
- Her reforms provided a stable and influential model of female monastic life that endured for centuries.
Did You Know?
For three years, she lived as an anchoress, literally walled into a small room adjacent to a church.
She is the patron saint of women hoping to conceive, expectant mothers, and sick children.
Colette experienced mystical visions from a young age, which directed her life's work.
Despite being a reformer, she maintained a lifelong devotion to the Franciscan friars who supported her mission.
“I will reform the Poor Clares and return them to the strict rule.”
