"St. Elizabeth of Hungary"
Edmund Blair Leighton

A rich and beautiful painting about St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) showing her giving away food to the poor. This is something she got in trouble for. She was a young and very devout queen, having been told about St. Francis of Assisi at an early age and wanting to live like him. Daily she would secretly take bread out of the castle to feed the poor. But some in the castle thought she was stealing. It was a source of conflict between her and her husband, the King. One day he confronted her, and when she went to show him what she carried in her dress, the loaves of bread turned into red roses.

The king was persuaded of her calling from God. He died a little while later while going to fight in the Crusades. She was deeply saddened by his passing and vowed she would never marry again. She was 20. She joined the Third Order of St Francis and gave away most of her possessions and built a Franciscan hospital. There she took care of the sick until her death at age 24. Known and beloved by so many, she was canonized just four years later, becoming one of the great Saints of the Middle Ages.

Edmund Blair Leighton (1852-1922) was one of the most famous painters of his day, usually doing idyllic garden scenes or romantic and historical subjects. Occasionally he strayed into religious themes, and they are gorgeous.

Elizabeth is a Patron Saint of brides, young children, bakers, and many others. Her Feast Day is November 19.

** IMPORTANT ** The image is smaller than the paper! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11, or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. The border gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in frames without using a matt.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - Classic Catholic Art.