Libro delle degnità et excellentie del Ordine della Seraphica Madre delle Povere Donne Sancta Chiara da Asisi.

[The book about the Order of Saint Clare.]
Mariano da Firenze (dies 1523), chronicler and member of “Franciscan Observance” has written a history of the Order of Saint Clare, a remarkable mixture of both chronicle and Christian devotional literature, in which historiographical elements are intermingled with hagiographical aspects. His text is not only an important contribution to Franciscan history, it is also a testimony of the mentality of “Franciscan Observance” in the early 16th century – a time in which monastery reform and the separation of orders led to the importance of an affirmation of its identity and continuity.

Katrin Mair in this book transcribes, compares and for the first time translates the three preserved early modern manuscripts of the Libro delle degnità from Italian/Old Italian, thereby making it accessible to historical and theological research. An extensive apparatus of endnotes puts the text into context.