St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207–1231) was a king’s daughter and a landgravine of Thuringia who spent her short life and her fortune on the poor and the sick. Married at fourteen and widowed at twenty, she gave up court life, became one of the first members of the Third Order of St. Francis in Germany, built a hospital and nursed the sick herself until she died at twenty-four. She is remembered in art holding roses, and her feast is November 17, which in 2026 falls on a Tuesday. Below are her life, the legend of the roses, prayers and her patronage.
Who was St. Elizabeth of Hungary?
- A Hungarian princess. Elizabeth was born in 1207, probably at Pressburg (today Bratislava), the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude of Andechs-Meran. Her aunt was St. Hedwig of Silesia, and St. Elizabeth of Portugal was her great-niece.
- Raised at the Wartburg. At four she was sent to the court of the Landgrave of Thuringia, at the Wartburg castle near Eisenach, to be brought up with the son she was to marry. Even as a child she was drawn to prayer, and her piety drew mockery from part of the court.
- A happy marriage. In 1221, at fourteen, she married Ludwig IV of Thuringia, then twenty-one. It was a devoted marriage. Ludwig protected her works of charity and would hold her hands as she knelt to pray at night beside their bed. They had three children: Hermann, Sophia and Gertrude.
- Mother of the poor. In 1226, while Ludwig was away in Italy, flood, famine and plague struck Thuringia. Elizabeth gave out alms across the territory, even her state robes, built a hospital below the Wartburg and fed hundreds of poor people every day. Ludwig confirmed all she had done when he returned.
- Widowed at twenty. Ludwig left on crusade in 1227 and died of plague at Otranto. When the news reached her, she cried out that the world with all its joys was now dead to her.
- A Franciscan tertiary. On Good Friday 1228 she formally renounced the world and received the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis. At Marburg she built a Franciscan hospital and devoted herself to the sick, above all those with the most repulsive diseases, under the very severe spiritual direction of Master Conrad of Marburg.
- Death and canonization. Worn out by her labors, she died at Marburg on November 17, 1231, at twenty-four. Miracles were soon reported at her tomb, and Pope Gregory IX canonized her at Pentecost 1235, only four years later. The Gothic church of St. Elizabeth was built over her grave in Marburg.
The miracle of the roses
The best-known story about St. Elizabeth, told about other saints as well, says she was carrying bread hidden in her cloak to the poor when she met her husband. When he asked what she carried and opened the cloak, the bread had turned into roses. The 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia treats it as a legend, but it captures what her contemporaries saw in her: charity so generous that God himself seemed to cover it. This is why she is so often painted with roses in her lap or apron.
The prayer of her feast
The Collect for St. Elizabeth in the traditional Roman Missal, where her feast was kept on November 19:
Enlighten the hearts of thy faithful, O God of mercy, and, through the glorious intercession of the blessed Elizabeth, make us look to something higher than the goods of this life and rejoice always in consolation from above. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
A prayer to St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Written for this page:
Saint Elizabeth, daughter of a king,
you saw Christ in the hungry, the sick and the outcast,
and you gave them your bread, your robes and your own hands.
Pray for all who nurse the sick and care for the poor,
for widows, for mothers raising children alone,
and for me, that I may serve others gladly and without counting the cost.
Saint Elizabeth, pray for us. Amen.
What is St. Elizabeth of Hungary the patron saint of?
- The Secular Franciscans (Third Order of St. Francis), as one of its first members in Germany.
- Hospitals, nurses and the sick, for the hospitals she built and served in.
- Bakers and charities, because of the bread she gave away and the legend of the roses.
- Widows, and those who suffer the death of a spouse.
- The homeless and the poor.
See the full list of patron saints and the works of mercy she practiced.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of St. Elizabeth of Hungary?
November 17, the day she died, an obligatory memorial. Before the 1969 calendar reform it was kept on November 19.
How old was St. Elizabeth of Hungary when she died?
Twenty-four. She was born in 1207 and died on November 17, 1231.
Why is St. Elizabeth of Hungary shown with roses?
Because of the legend that the bread she was secretly carrying to the poor turned into roses when her husband asked to see it.
Was St. Elizabeth a nun?
No. She was a married laywoman, then a widow who joined the Third Order of St. Francis, the branch for lay people living in the world.
Who is St. Elizabeth of Portugal?
Her great-niece, Queen Isabel of Portugal (died 1336), also a Franciscan tertiary and a peacemaker. Her feast is July 4.
More saints and prayers
- St. Honoré, patron saint of bakers
- Patron saint of nurses
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Prayer of St. Francis
- Prayer for the sick
- Works of mercy
- Saint of the day
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Collect: The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916 daily missal), November 19, public domain (archive.org). OCR errors corrected.
- Michael Bihl, “St. Elizabeth of Hungary,” Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 5 (1909), Wikisource.