Feast Day: November 19
Patroness of: Widows, the poor, the sick, hospitals, bakers, and Catholic charities
“The Queen Who Became a Servant”
Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, also known as Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, was born in the year 1207, a princess of the House of Árpád, the royal family of Hungary. She was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Queen Gertrude of Merania. Though destined for the high courts of Europe, God had marked her soul for nobility of a far greater kind — the nobility of sanctity.
From her earliest years, Elisabeth showed a rare piety and love of prayer. She was given in marriage at the age of 14 to Ludwig IV of Thuringia, a German landgrave (duke), whom she loved deeply and by whom she was equally cherished. Their marriage, far from distracting her from the things of God, became a model of Christian spousal love, imbued with charity and devotion.
Despite her royal status, Elisabeth lived a life of humility and penance. She clothed herself simply, fasted frequently, and spent much of her time in prayer and service to the poor. With her husband’s support, she built a hospital near their castle in Wartburg and tended to the sick with her own hands, treating even the most loathsome diseases with joy and reverence, as though ministering to Christ Himself.
Miracle of the Roses
One of the most famous stories of Saint Elisabeth is the Miracle of the Roses. While secretly carrying bread in her cloak to give to the poor, she was stopped by her husband or a courtier who questioned her errand. Upon opening her cloak, instead of loaves, there appeared a profusion of fragrant roses — in the middle of winter. This miracle was a sign of divine approval of her boundless charity.
Widowhood and Greater Sanctity
In 1227, Ludwig died of illness while en route to join a Crusade. Elisabeth, now a widow at just 20 years old, was grief-stricken but surrendered herself wholly to God’s providence. Stripped of power and possessions by court intrigue, she was driven from the castle with her children and sought refuge with Franciscan friars.
Under the spiritual direction of Conrad of Marburg, she took the Rule of the Third Order of Saint Francis — one of the first great nobles to do so — and embraced a life of radical poverty, humility, and total dedication to the sick and destitute. She founded a hospital in Marburg, where she lived out her days in tireless service.
Death and Canonization
Saint Elisabeth died in 1231 at the age of 24, worn out by her sacrifices and bodily mortifications. Her sanctity was so evident that miracles occurred at her tomb almost immediately, leading to her canonization just four years later in 1235 by Pope Gregory IX.
Her relics were enshrined in the Elisabethkirche (St. Elizabeth Church) in Marburg, which became a place of pilgrimage. Though her tomb was desecrated during the Protestant Reformation, devotion to her has never ceased in the Catholic Church.
Legacy and Spiritual Significance
Saint Elisabeth of Hungary stands among the Church’s great examples of active charity joined with contemplative piety. She is a shining model of:
- Holy womanhood: living her vocation as wife, mother, and then religious in complete fidelity to God’s will.
- Christian charity: pouring herself out in service to the poor and afflicted.
- Detachment from worldly wealth and honor, choosing Christ above all.
She is especially dear to those who seek to live out the Gospel in works of mercy while remaining rooted in prayer and penance — a true embodiment of the Corporal Works of Mercy.
✠ Prayer to Saint Elisabeth of Hungary
O glorious Saint Elisabeth,
who in the midst of wealth and power
didst cherish humility and love the poor,
obtain for us the grace to love God above all things,
to serve Him in our neighbor,
and to persevere in good works
even in times of trial and sorrow.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.