HOME | DD

Description
The sandstone relief from Czech castle Bouzov. On this relief is Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, one of the Patrons of the Order of the German Knights.
Elizabeth is best known for her miracle of the roses which says that whilst she was taking bread to the poor in secret, she met her husband Ludwig on a hunting party, who, in order to quell suspicions of the gentry that she was stealing treasure from the castle, asked her to reveal what was hidden under her cloak. At that moment, the bread turned miraculously into the rose. When he her cloak fell open and a vision of white and red roses could be seen, which proved to Ludwig that God's protecting hand was at work.
In its most characteristic form the legend goes as follows. One day the young but pious Elizabeth, in the company of one or more serving women, descends from Wartburg Castle down to the village of Eisenach, below the castle. She is carrying meat, eggs, and bread under her mantle. Supposedly she has taken items from the family dining table to distribute to the poor in the village, against the wishes of her family, who frown upon such behavior. Halfway down, she unexpectedly meets her husband Ludwig IV of Thuringia, who asks, upon seeing her bulk, what she is carrying. Embarrassed and speechless as she is, she does not know what to say. Ludwig opens her mantle, and to his surprise finds her carrying a bouquet of roses.

Description
The sandstone relief from Czech castle Bouzov. On this relief is Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia, one of the Patrons of the Order of the German Knights.
Elizabeth is best known for her miracle of the roses which says that whilst she was taking bread to the poor in secret, she met her husband Ludwig on a hunting party, who, in order to quell suspicions of the gentry that she was stealing treasure from the castle, asked her to reveal what was hidden under her cloak. At that moment, the bread turned miraculously into the rose. When he her cloak fell open and a vision of white and red roses could be seen, which proved to Ludwig that God's protecting hand was at work.
In its most characteristic form the legend goes as follows. One day the young but pious Elizabeth, in the company of one or more serving women, descends from Wartburg Castle down to the village of Eisenach, below the castle. She is carrying meat, eggs, and bread under her mantle. Supposedly she has taken items from the family dining table to distribute to the poor in the village, against the wishes of her family, who frown upon such behavior. Halfway down, she unexpectedly meets her husband Ludwig IV of Thuringia, who asks, upon seeing her bulk, what she is carrying. Embarrassed and speechless as she is, she does not know what to say. Ludwig opens her mantle, and to his surprise finds her carrying a bouquet of roses.