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800th Anniversary of the Birth of St. Elisabeth of Hungary
Saint Elisabeth of Hungary was born on November 19, 1207 to King Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude of Merania. She was the third of five children, and her older brother later became King Bela IV. She was engaged to the eldest son of Hermann I, landgrave of Thuringia, and thus she moved first to Eisenach and then to the Wartburg castle. Her fiancé died in 1216, and Hermann’s second son, Louis, became heir to his father’s title and was married to Elisabeth in 1221. Their marriage was a happy with three children. She was “most generous to the poor, always full of goodness and divine love”. During a famine in 1225, for example, she emptied the stores of the castle, distributing all of the food to the needy. After the death of Louis on a Crusade in 1227, she joined the Third Order of St. Francis, took vows of poverty and dedicated the rest of her life to religion. She initially served in Eisenach and then built a Franciscan hospital in Marburg. She died on November 16, 1231, at the age of 24, and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX four years later. A church dedicated to her was built over her grave in Marburg and King Bela IV of Hungary had one dedicated to her built in Kápolna.
The obverse of the coin was inspired by the motif ‘Elisabeth feeds the hungry’ from a 13th century reliquary, while the reverse depicts Elisabeth dressed as a queen, holding roses and bread rolls in her lap, evoking the famous ‘miracle of the roses’. The proof version of this coin is sold out. Face Value: 5,000 Ft. Quality: Proof Metal: .925 silver Weight: 31.46 g Diameter: 38.61mm Quality: Brilliant Uncirculated Mintage: 4,000 |
