St. Elizabeth of Portugal

Their story

Elizabeth was born in 1271, a princess of Aragon in Spain, and was named after her great-aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary. At twelve she was married to King Denis of Portugal. She was a devout young queen who went to Mass every day, prayed the Divine Office and gave generously to the poor, caring for the sick, pilgrims and orphans. Her marriage was a source of great suffering. King Denis was a capable ruler but an unfaithful husband who had several children with other women. Elizabeth responded with patience and prayer, and she even cared for and educated his children born outside their marriage. Over time the king's heart softened, and he repented before his death. Elizabeth was above all a peacemaker. When her son Afonso rebelled against his father and civil war broke out, she rode out between the two armies on the battlefield and brought them to make peace. After her husband died, she gave away much of her wealth, became a Franciscan tertiary and lived simply near a convent of Poor Clares she had founded. In 1336, though elderly and ill, she traveled to stop a war between her son and her grandson, the king of Castile. She succeeded, but died soon after, on July 4, 1336. She was canonized in 1625.