Queen-Saints In History
Queen-Saints. They were once queens who turned to be Saints! Here are six of them:
- St. Helena – a daughter of a household keeper, born 250 in Bithynia – now known as the Black Sea coast of Turkey. She was once a pagan but upon marrying Constantius Chlorus, a military officer and a politician.
St. Helena suffered painfully under the pagan community but embraced Christianity. She went to Palestine around 324 in search of the True Cross.
She and her son became a patron of the Catholic Church. Several Churches were successfully constructed because of them.
St. Helena’s palace in Rome is now the Church of Santa Croce in Jerusalem and those relics she found are now placed on it. She is famous for her charitable works for the poor.
St. Clotilde – she was the king’s daughter, of the Burgundians, born 475. She was raised as Catholic. However, she’s married to Clovis I, king of the Franks, and a powerful pagan. Clovis was a punishable and a rude man.
Despite his background as a person, Clotilde managed to convince him to let their first-born son to be baptized in 494.
Sadly, their child passed away soon after. Clovis returned immediately to the Battle of Tolbiac, praying to God that he will convert to Christianity if he wins.
Victory was his destiny, he was finally baptized in 496, Christmas day, by St. Remigius, Bishop of Reims.
Clovis died in 511, leaving Clotilde still faithful as she was. She remained a peacemaker to the whole society. She d1ed 545.
St. Adelaide – Rudolph II’s daughter, becoming the husband of Lothair II, Hugh of Provence’s son – King of Italy, in 947.
Lothair di3d in 950, believed to be poisoned by Berengar of Ivrea, who had been the real ruler of Italy.
St. Adelaide was forced to marry Berengar’s son, but she refused. Imprisoned by Berengar, Otto I,”the Great” King of Germany, rescued her.
Christmas of 951, St. Adelaide and Otto I married. In 962, Pope John XII crowned Otto I as the Holy Roman Emperor.
St. Adelaide d1ed in 999.
St. Elizabeth of Portugal – born in 1271 – King Peter III of Aragon’s eldest daughter. She was named Elizabeth after her great aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
Married to King Denis of Portugal, but not really a man of morals – neglecting his wife.
Despite this, Elizabeth remained supportive and caring of him, and took care of him during his final breath. He repented just before his d3ath.
St. Elizabeth di3d on July 4 1336.
St. Jadwiga of Poland – she was only 10 when she was crowned rex, king of Krakow, Poland. Of all his suitors, she got the attention of Jagiello, Grand Duke of Lithuania.
Though Lithuanians remained pagan during the late 14th century, the proposed marriage from the Grad Duke vowed to convert to Catholicism as a requirement before the union to take place.
In 1386, the wedding took place after Jagiello’s baptism, with the new name Wladyslaw.
St. Jadwiga is known for her charity. She gave birth to a daughter in 1399, but di3d soon after.
It was Pope St. John Paull II who canonized her in 1997.
Blessed Maria Cristina of Savoy – Victor Emmanuel I’s youngest daughter, was born 1812. She was a shy, beautiful girl, who was uncomfortable with the environment.
She was married in 1812, to Ferdinand II, King of the Two Sicilies, ruling Southern Italy and Sicily.
She’s known for her works of charity to the sick and poor. In 1836, she gave birth to a son, Francis, but di3ed shortly after giving birth.
Queen Maria Cristina was beatified last January 2014, approved by Pope Francis.
Queen-saints were also ordinary individuals who made their life extraordinary in the eyes of God. Let them be your inspiration.
Queen-saints are every woman’s inspiration in having modest, and pure marriage life.