Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
Hungarian princess and duchess of Thuringia who founded a hospital and died at twenty-four
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Royalty, Layperson
- Life
- 1207 – 1231
- Era
- 13th century
- Feast
- 17 November
- Countries
- Hungary, Germany
Life story
Elizabeth was born in 1207, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary; her exact birthplace is uncertain, possibly Sárospatak or Pozsony. At the age of four she was taken to the Thuringian court in Germany to grow up beside her future husband, Landgrave Ludwig IV. They married in 1221 and had three children.
At the Wartburg castle Elizabeth became known for helping the poor and sick, often from her own means. She was influenced by the Franciscan friars who had recently reached Germany and chose Conrad of Marburg as her spiritual director. In 1227 Ludwig died in Italy on his way to join a crusade, when Elizabeth was only twenty.
After her husband's death she left the Wartburg in difficult circumstances; the surviving accounts suggest a quarrel with her husband's family, though the details are unclear. She moved to Marburg, used her dowry to build a hospital and nursed the sick herself, living in the manner of a Franciscan tertiary.
Elizabeth died at Marburg on 17 November 1231, aged twenty-four. Her tomb quickly drew pilgrims, and Pope Gregory IX canonised her in 1235. A church in her honour was built at Marburg and is still a celebrated Gothic building in Germany. Her short life, her widowhood and her work with the sick made her one of the most widely honoured women of the thirteenth century, and she became a model for later charitable foundations in Germany and Hungary.
Works and witness
- Married Ludwig IV of Thuringia in 1221
- Helped the poor and sick at the Wartburg castle
- Built a hospital at Marburg and nursed patients herself
- Lived in the manner of a Franciscan tertiary
- Canonised by Gregory IX in 1235
Patron of
Secular Franciscan Order
Saints from the same country
References
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Libellus de dictis quatuor ancillarum S. Elisabeth
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.