Chiara Maria of the Passion was born in Orsogna (Chieti - Italy) on 11 April 1610 to Filippo Colonna, Duke of Paliano, and Lucrezia Tomacelli. The name given to her in baptism was Giovanna Vittoria.
On January 7, 1623, she was entrusted to the Augustinian nuns of the monastery of St Joseph of the Ruffi, in Naples, and after three years, on October 21, 1626, she was overcome by grace with a complete and intimate conversion, illuminated by the first of her visions of Christ and corroborated the following year by her making a vow of virginity. God had shown her a vision of a monastery of Discalced Carmelites, making her understand that he wanted her among the daughters of St Teresa: her confessor, however, urged her to join the Augustinian nuns of the Ruffi, from whom she received the habit with the promise to make her profession.
Brought back to the family in Genazzano in 1627 and then to Rome, she resisted her father and Ludovico Guglielmo, prince of Paterno, who wanted to marry her. By chance, she came to know the convent of St Egidio in Trastevere, which she recognized as the small Teresian house shown to her in the vision. With the authorization of Pope Urban VIII, on October 4, 1628 she put on the Carmelite habit there, where, on October 4 of the following year, she made her profession of vows, taking the name of Chiara Maria of the Passion.
In 1643 she was elected prioress, an office in which she was again confirmed; in 1654 she was sent to found the new monastery of Regina Coeli, erected by her sister Anna Colonna-Barberini and, after three years as vicar, in 1657 she was elected prioress (which happened three more times). She guided the monastery with wisdom and prudence, maintaining in everything a rare balance, full of faith and charity.
She died on 22nd of June 1675.
On August 22nd, 1762, the decree on her heroic virtue was promulgated.
