Elizabeth of Hungary
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary is patroness of bakers and of charitable workers because of the legend that crowns her life of mercy: forbidden by her household to carry bread to the poor, she was stopped one day by her husband and asked what she hid in her cloak — and when she opened it, the loaves had become roses, blooming out of season as a sign that God blessed her secret almsgiving. A princess who fed and nursed the destitute, founded a hospital, and gave away her wealth, she is the natural patroness of all who labor in charity, and of nurses, widows, and the homeless — the very people she served until her death at twenty-four.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary was a princess who devoted her short life to serving the poor and sick. Born in 1207, she was married at fourteen to Ludwig IV of Thuringia. After her husband’s death on Crusade, she gave away her possessions and devoted herself entirely to charitable works, founding a hospital. She died at just twenty-four years of age.
