Agnes of Assisi was one of the founding members of the Order of Poor Ladies . Agnes eventually established the convent of Monticelli near Florence, then went on to establish orders in Verona, Padua, Venice, and Mantua. As one of the first women to be a Poor Clare and an abbess in several communities, she helped to shape the order and provided both an example and a space for the many women that would follow in her footsteps.