Order of Elizabeth - Significance of Saint Elizabeth

Significance of Saint Elizabeth

Saint Elisabeth (1207–1231) was a Hungarian princess, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. Married at age thirteen to Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia (ca. 1220), she spent her life giving alms to the poor and sick. After her husband's death, she gave away the vast majority of his estate to build hospitals and to aid in the relief of her starving subjects. After dying of natural causes in 1231, she was canonized by Pope Gregory IX, in 1235. She is considered the patron saint of bakers, beggars, and charities. Given her status as Hungarian royalty, her patronage of charities, and the fact that the Holy Relics attributed to her resided in Vienna, Saint Elizabeth made for a perfect choice for the award's name.

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