Elizabeth of Hungary: The Miracle of the Roses

Elizabeth of Hungary: The Miracle of the Roses

Elizabeth of Hungary (canonized 27 May 1235)

https://www.monstrousregimentofwomen.com/2015/05/elizabeth-of-hungary-miracle-of-roses.html 

Born on 7 July 1207, Elizabeth of Hungary became a saint in a family of saints--her maternal aunt was canonized as St. Hedwig of Silesia, her cousin was St. Agnes of Bohemia, her great-niece was St. Isabel of Portugal, & her husband Louis IV of Thuringia was venerated as a saint, although he was never canonized. 

A late fifteenth-century altar illustration
of Elizabeth of Hungary caring
for the poor and sick

The daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary & Gertrude of Merania, Elizabeth was married in 1221, at the age of 14, to Louis IV, landgrave of Thuringia (a landgrave was a title of nobility in Germany).
Although the young woman was already devoted to a life of charity, she was highly influenced by the the ideals of the Franciscans, who arrived in Thuringia in 1223.

In 1226, while her husband was attending the imperial diet of the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II, Elizabeth managed the affairs of state in his absence.
She continued her charitable work, which included the construction of a hospital for the poor near the castle of Wartburg. 

Louis died in Italy in September of 1227, on his way to the Holy Land, as part of the Sixth Crusade (led by Frederick), leaving Elizabeth a widow just months after she turned 20.

After her husband's death, Elizabeth devoted herself to a holy life, probably as a third-order Franciscan, building yet another hospital, this one at Marburg.*

She died in 1231, just 24 years old.

During the brief years of her marriage, Elizabeth gave birth to 3 children: a son, born in 1222, who'd succeed his father as landgrave of Thuringia; a daughter, Sophie, born in 1224, who'd marry the duke of Brabant; & a daughter Gertrude, born in 1227, who became abbess Aldenberg.
Like her father, Gertrude never became a saint, but she was beatified by Pope Clement VI in 1348.

One of the miracles associated with St. Elizabeth of Hungary is the "miracle of the roses."
As the story is told, Elizabeth was taking bread to the poor when she met her husband, who was out hunting, in the forest.

Members of his hunting party suspected that Elizabeth was stealing--but, when she was asked to open her cloak to reveal what she'd concealed, a miracle occurred.
When she revealed what she was hiding, the bread has been transformed into red & white roses.

There are several devotional biographies of Elizabeth of Hungary.

Perhaps the best is Lori Pieper's The Greatest of These Is Love: The Life of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
For a more scholarly account, Kenneth Baxter Wolf's The Life and Afterlife of St. Elizabeth of Hungary: Testimony of Her Canonization Hearings offers primary texts for a view of the politics of becoming a saint & for the testimony of ordinary people who found inspiration in her life.

The Miracle of the Roses,
nineteenth-century stained glass,
St. Peter's Basilica, Ottawa

*A tertiary or third-order Franciscan is someone who, for a variety of reasons, may not take formal vows to join the religious order but who, as a lay person, lives outside the convent according to the ways of life of those who live inside. 

The Legend of the Miracle of the Roses

https://mysticalportugal.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/miracle-of-the-roses

Here is our first text, translated from this Infopédia article.

 

We’ve chosen the legend of Saint Elizabeth & the miracle of the roses because it’s highly representative of Portuguese culture.
We think this text gives succinct information about the myth, & thus it’s a good way to introduce this legend to people who aren’t familiar with it.

***According to the legend, King Denis of Portugal was informed about the charitable work being carried out by his wife Queen Elizabeth of Aragon & the subsequent effect of this charity upon the royal fortune.

One day, the King decided to surprise the Queen along one of her daily strolls to hand out alms & bread to the people in need.

He noticed that she was trying to disguise whatever she was carrying under her clothes.
Denis asked the Queen where she was going, to which she answered that she was headed for the monastery to decorate the altars.

Unsatisfied with her response, the King paid great interest in what she was hiding under her clothes.
After a moment of hesitation Elizabeth said, “They are only roses, my lord!”
Disbelieving, the King accused her of lying because there were no roses in January.
He compelled her to open her cloak in order to reveal what she was hiding there.
Before astonished eyes, Elizabeth revealed the beautiful roses she was carrying.

Miraculously, the bread she was hiding had turned into roses.
The King was speechless & begged the Queen’s forgiveness.
She continued on with her task.
The news of the miracle spread throughout Coimbra & the people declared her as ‘Saint Elizabeth of Portugal’.

***

The translation: Although the text doesn’t have a very complex language, while I was translating I wasn’t sure what was the English equivalent for regaço.
Between the items cloak, mantle & apron, I thought this last term to be preferable because, based on the results of my research, it seemed to be more similar (in purpose).

Nevertheless, I’m not sure if the Queen would be wearing an apron, as it’s not custom of the monarchy. That’s why, in the end, I chose the term clothes instead of apron.
The meaning is preserved & it is also faithful to the historical context.