St. Elizabeth's Church

The Story

St. Elizabeth's Church (Elisabethkirche) in Marburg, Germany, was built by the Teutonic Order over the tomb of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, beginning in 1235, the very year of her canonization. It is among the earliest purely Gothic churches in Germany and was, for three centuries, one of the great pilgrimage destinations of the German lands. Elizabeth was born in 1207, a Hungarian princess married at fourteen to Ludwig IV, Landgrave of Thuringia. Their happy marriage ended when Ludwig died on crusade in 1227. A widow at twenty, Elizabeth embraced radical poverty in the spirit of St. Francis, whose movement she had joined as a Third Order Franciscan. She used her dowry to build a hospital at Marburg, where she personally nursed the sick and poor until her death in 1231, at just twenty-four. Miracles of healing were reported at her tomb almost immediately, and she was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1235. Her relics were enshrined in a magnificent golden reliquary, and pilgrims streamed to Marburg for generations. At the Reformation, however, her descendant Landgrave Philip of Hesse had her remains removed from the shrine in 1539 to end the pilgrimage; her relics were dispersed, with portions later venerated in Vienna and elsewhere. The church has been a Protestant parish church since the Reformation, but the celebrated golden Shrine of St. Elizabeth is still displayed within it, and visitors of all traditions come to honor the memory of a saint whose brief life remains one of the purest examples of charity in Christian history.

Church Recognition

Elizabeth of Hungary was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1235, and her feast on November 17 is on the General Roman Calendar; the Marburg church built over her tomb has been Protestant since the Reformation, and her relics were removed and dispersed in 1539.

Catholic Teaching

St. Elizabeth's life embodies the Church's teaching that love of the poor and the works of mercy are at the heart of discipleship (CCC 2447), and her story illustrates the communion of saints, whose intercession and example remain alive even where their shrines have passed into other hands (CCC 946-962).

Plan Your Visit

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Practical

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Visitors can see the Gothic church built over St. Elizabeth's original tomb, the celebrated golden shrine reliquary, and artworks recounting her life; the church is open to visitors year-round, and her memory is especially honored around her feast on November 17.

Go Deeper

The church's official website, https://www.elisabethkirche.de, offers history and visiting details, including the golden Shrine of St. Elizabeth; readers may also consult the Catechism on the works of mercy (CCC 2447) and Pope Benedict XVI's catechesis on St. Elizabeth of Hungary (2010).