Hedwig of Andechs
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| Saint Hedwig of Andechs |
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|---|---|
 Statue of Saint Hedwig of Andechs in front of the Franciscan monastery in Panewniki, a district of Katowice, Poland |
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| Widow | |
| Born | 1174, Castle Andechs, Bavaria |
| Died | 15 October 1243, Trzebnica (Trebnitz) |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | 1267 |
| Major shrine | Andechs Abbey and St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin |
| Feast | 16 October |
| Patronage | of Andechs Abbey, Brandenburg, Berlin, Kraków, Poland, Silesia[1], its capital Wrocław, Trzebnica, the Diocese of Görlitz, orphaned children |
Saint Hedwig of Andechs (German: Hl. Hedwig von Andechs) or Saint Hedwig of Silesia (Polish: Święta Jadwiga Śląska, Latin: Hedvigis, 1174 – 15 October 1243) was a saint, the daughter of Berthold IV, Duke of Merania and his wife Agnes.[2]
She was born at Castle Andechs, Bavaria. One of her sisters married king Andrew II of Hungary, while another was abbess at the Benedictine convent of Lutzingen in Franconia, where Hedwig received her education.
At age 12, Hedwig married Henry I the Bearded of Silesia. In 1233 Henry also became Duke of Greater Poland. In 1238, upon his death, Henry was buried at the Cistercian convent of Trzebnica which he had founded in 1202 at Hedwig's request. The widow moved into the convent, which was led by one of her daughters. She invited numerous German religious from the Holy Roman Empire into the Silesian lands, as well as German settlers who founded numerous cities, towns and villages, while cultivating barren parts of Silesia for agriculture. On 15 October 1243, Hedwig died and was buried in Trebnitz (Trzebnica), while relics of her are preserved at Andechs Abbey.
Hedwig and Henry had a son, Henry II the Pious who in 1241 was killed by the Mongols in the battle of Wahlstatt.
Hedwig and Henry had lived a very pious life, and Hedwig had great zeal for religion. She always helped the poor, went barefoot even in winter, and donated all her fortune to the Church and the poor. Hedwig died at Trebnitz, Silesia, in 1243. She was canonized in 1267.
In 1773 Frederick the Great built St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin, now the mother church of the Archdiocese of Berlin, for the Catholic immigrants from Silesia.
[edit] References
- ^ Augustin Knoblich: Lebensgeschichte der heiligen Hedwig, Herzogin und Landespatronin von Schlesien. 1174-1243. Schletter, Breslau 1860 (Digitalisat)
- ^ "St. Hedwig". Catholic Encyclopedia. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07189a.htm. Retrieved on 2007-02-18.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hedwig of Andechs |
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Hedwig of Andechs
Born: 1 Died: 1 |
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| Royal titles | ||
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| Preceded by Agafia of Rus |
Queen consort of Poland 1232-1238 |
Succeeded by Anne of Bohemia (1204–1265) |
