Hedwig of Andechs

Infobox Saint
name=Saint Hedwig of Andechs
birth_date=1174
death_date=death date|1243|10|15|df=y
feast_day=16 October
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church

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imagesize=200px
caption=Statue of Saint Hedwig of Andechs in front of the Franciscan monastery in Panewniki, a district of Katowice, Poland
birth_place=Castle Andechs, Bavaria
death_place=Trzebnica (Trebnitz)
titles=Widow
beatified_date=
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beatified_by=
canonized_date=1267
canonized_place=
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patronage=of Andechs Abbey, Brandenburg, Berlin, Kraków, Silesia [Augustin Knoblich: "Lebensgeschichte der heiligen Hedwig, Herzogin und Landespatronin von Schlesien. 1174-1243". Schletter, Breslau 1860 ( [http://books.google.de/books?id=DT8BAAAAQAAJ Digitalisat] )] , its capital Breslau/Wrocław, Trebnitz/Trzebnica, the Diocese of Görlitz, orphaned children
major_shrine=Andechs Abbey and St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin
suppressed_date=
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Saint Hedwig of Andechs ( _de. Hl. Hedwig von Andechs _pl. Święta Jadwiga Śląska, 1174 at Castle Andechs, Bavaria – 15 October 1243 at Trzebnica (Trebnitz), Silesia) was the daughter of Berthold III, Count of Tyrol and Duke of Carinthia and Istria (Andechs-Meran), and his wife Agnes. [cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07189a.htm|title=St. Hedwig|work=Catholic Encyclopedia |accessdate=2007-02-18] She is known in Polish as "Jadwiga", in English and German as "Hedwig", in Spanish as "Eduviges", and in Latin as "Hedvigis".

One of Hedwig's sisters married king Andrew II of Hungary. Their daughter was Saint Elisabeth of Hungary, also known as Elizabeth of Thuringia. Another of Hedwig's sisters 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 on the request of Hedwig. The widow moved into the convent which was led by one of her daughters. On 15 October 1243, she died and was buried there, 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 Legnica.

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 was canonized in 1267.

In 1773 Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, built the St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin, now the mother church of the Archdiocese of Berlin, for the Roman Catholic immigrants from Silesia.

Hedwig is also the patron saint of Brandenburg, of Berlin, of Andechs Abbey, of Kraków, of Trzebnica, of Silesia and its capital Breslau (Wrocław), and the Diocese of Görlitz (being cut from Archdiocese of Wrocław after 1945 when German population of Silesia was expelled from their homes after World War II. German expellees still regard Hedwig as their patron saint, convening during the Cold War era at the Andechs Abbey in Bavaria were her relics are kept. In addition, the former miners from Upper Silesia also venerate the miners' patron, Saint Barbara [http://schlesien-lm.de/html/Interessantes/Sankt%20Barbara.html] .

St. Hedwig of Andechs is also revered as the patron saint of orphans. The pet snowy owl and companion of the orphaned "Harry Potter" was named Hedwig by J.K. Rowling.

References

Further reading

*Augustin Knoblich: "Lebensgeschichte der heiligen Hedwig, Herzogin und Landespatronin von Schlesien. 1174-1243". Schletter, Breslau 1860 ( [http://books.google.de/books?id=DT8BAAAAQAAJ Digitalisat] )
*Walter Nigg: "Hedwig von Schlesien". 2. Auflage. Echter, Würzburg 1993, ISBN 3-429-01372-0
*Johannes Derksen: "Sie liebte die Liebe. Ein Lebensbild der heiligen Hedwig"; St. Benno Verlag Leipzig 1975

External links

* [http://www.sankthedwig.de/sh/index.php?rubric=KirPatr St. Hedwig church in Stuttgart, dedicated in 1953 to the "Vertriebenen von Schlesien"]
* [http://www.schlesien-lm.de/ Landsmannschaft Schlesien homepage with her picture]