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Elizabeth (19.11) Elizabeth, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and his wife Gertrude von Andechs, was born in 1207 and was betrothed to the future landgrave Luis IV of Thuringen. She was brought up by his mother who was a firm christian. In 1221 she married Ludwig and had three children to him. She was widowed in 1227 when her husband died during a crusade arranged by Federico II. Following this she was deprived of her goods and banished by her brother-in-law Heinrich Raspe, who, however, later on due to intervention by Elizabeth’s relations and her confessor Konrad of Marburg, reintegrated her of part of her possessions. Elizabeth used these to found a hospital in Marburg where she dedicated herself to the care of the sick and in 1228 she made a vow of poverty according to St. Francis’ spirit. From that moment she lived entirely to help others neglecting her own needs completely. She died on 17th November 1231 and was buried two days later in the Chapel of the hospital she had founded. Later her remains were transferred, enclosed in a precious casket, to the newly built Church of St. Elizabeth. In 1539 the landgrave Philip of Hessen had her reliquiae removed so she could not be venerated. One reliquiae was given to the Convent of Altenburg near Wetziar where her younger daughter Gertrude was brought up. This same reliquiae after the secularisation of the convent, was transferred to the present Parish of Sayn. Other reliquiae were placed in the Cathedral of Halberstadt in 1270 and a smaller reliquiae is in the Cathedral of Udine. Elizabeth’s head is venerated in the Parrochial Church of Vienna which bears her name. She is the patron saint of Thuringen and the city of Hessen, of the religious order „Deutscher Orden“ of the ‘’Caritas“ association, of bakers, widows, orfans, the persecuted, beggars and all needy people.