Saint Hedwig of Silesia (German Hedwig von Andechs, Polish Jadwiga Śląska, born Hedwig of Andechs c. 1174, died 15 October 1243 at Trzebnica) was a duchess of Silesia of the thirteenth century, wife of Henry I the Bearded and mother of seven children. Founder of the Cistercian abbey of Trzebnica, she lived after her widowhood a life of prayer and service of the poor, until retiring there as a simple nun. The Church canonized her in 1267; she is celebrated on 16 October.[1][2]
At the crossroads of Bavaria, Poland and Silesia, Hedwig embodies a holiness of a married woman become servant of the poor: she did not leave the world by monasticism from the start, she crossed it in the charges of duchess, wife and mother, before giving the rest of her life to God and to the destitute.[3]
« Mémoire de sainte Edwige, religieuse. » : Roman Martyrology, 16 October[4]
Beware the homonymy: this Saint Hedwig of Silesia (1174-1243) must not be confused with Saint Hedwig, Queen of Poland (1373-1399), celebrated on 8 February.[5]
Context: Silesia in the thirteenth century
A duchy between Germany and Poland
Silesia is then a Piast duchy, turned toward Poland while being close to the Holy Roman Empire. In 1232, Hedwig's husband, Henry I the Bearded, becomes Duke of Kraków and princeps of all Poland; Hedwig bears the title of Duchess of Poland from 1232 to 1238.[6] The couple thus reigns at the heart of a border region, in full urban and monastic expansion.
The Cistercian momentum
The twelfth century saw the foundation of hundreds of Cistercian abbeys (see the Cistercian order and the birth of the Cistercians). In Silesia as elsewhere, these monasteries are at once foyers of prayer, culture and development of the land. It is in this momentum that Hedwig founds Trzebnica.[7][8]
The Cistercian order, born of the reform of Cîteaux (1098) and carried in the twelfth century by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, privileges liturgical prayer, manual work and the welcome of the poorest. The nuns of Trzebnica will follow this rule.[9]
The house of Andechs and a Bavarian childhood
Birth c. 1174
Hedwig is born around 1174 at Andechs Castle, in Bavaria, in the powerful house of the Counts of Andechs. Her brother Berthold will become Patriarch of Aquileia; her sister Agnes of Merania will marry the King of France Philip Augustus: Hedwig is thus, through her sister, sister-in-law of the King of France.[10][11]
A princess's education
Daughter of a great house, Hedwig receives a careful education, marked by piety. The notices stress very early her taste for prayer and almsgiving, which will never leave her.[12]
Wife and duchess: the marriage with Henry I the Bearded
The marriage c. 1186
Around 1186, when she is about twelve years old, Hedwig marries Henry I the Bearded (Henryk I Brodaty), of the Piast house, Duke of Silesia.[13][14] The union, political as much as personal, seals the alliance between the Andechs and the Silesian dynasty.
A marriage reportedly remained chaste
The hagiographic tradition reports that Hedwig obtained from her husband to live in conjugal continence, consecrating their union to God. This practice, known in the early Middle Ages for certain holy couples, is attested by Hedwig's sources; it has sometimes surprised modern readers, but it forms an integral part of the saint's spiritual physiognomy.[15]
Seven children
Despite this continence reported by later sources, the couple had seven children, including:
| Child | Destiny |
|---|---|
| Henry II the Pious | Duke of Silesia, killed at the battle of Legnica (1241) against the Mongols |
| Gertrude | Cistercian abbess of Trzebnica |
| Conrad | Bishop of Wrocław (according to the sources) |
| Other children | Died young or entered religion |
The monastic foundations
With her husband, Hedwig encourages the foundation of monasteries in the kingdom: Cistercians, canons, houses of charity. It is in this movement that she herself founds, in 1202, the Cistercian abbey of Trzebnica (Trebnitz), of which her daughter Gertrude will become the abbess.[17][18]
The foundation of Trzebnica (1202)
A Cistercian abbey for women
In 1202, Hedwig founds at Trzebnica (Silesia, today in Poland) a Cistercian abbey. The abbey will become the heart of Silesian spirituality and the resting place of Hedwig herself.[19]
Gertrude, abbess of Trzebnica
Her daughter Gertrude enters the monastery and becomes its abbess. It is with her that Hedwig will retire after the death of her husband.[20][21]
A duchess servant of the poor
The daily almsgiving
Already in her lifetime, Hedwig is famous for her service of the poor. The notices report that she built hospices for the needy, distributed her fortune to the Church and to the poor, and went herself, barefoot in every season, to help the destitute.[22][23]
The spiritual director Céslas
Her spiritual director is a Polish Dominican named Céslas (Czesław), who accompanies her in her life of prayer and charity.[24]
A simple piety
Hedwig prays at length, fasts, wears simple clothes under her ducal garments. Tradition attributes to her a profound devotion to the Passion of Christ and to the Virgin Mary. This piety is not an ornament of the biography: it is the engine of the daily almsgiving.[25]
The trials of widowhood (1238-1243)
The death of Henry I (1238)
In 1238, Duke Henry I the Bearded dies. Hedwig, now a widow, retires to the abbey of Trzebnica, near her daughter Gertrude. But she does not shut herself in: she continues to serve the poor and to counsel her son Henry II.[26]
The battle of Legnica (1241)
On 9 April 1241, her son Henry II the Pious is killed at the battle of Legnica (Liegnitz) against the Mongol army. According to tradition, Hedwig then founds, on the battlefield itself, with the help of her daughter-in-law Anne of Bohemia, another abbey (Wahlstatt / Legnickie Pole) for the repose of the souls of the combatants.[27]
Death at Trzebnica (15 October 1243)
Hedwig dies at the abbey of Trzebnica on 15 October 1243.[28][29] (The liturgical feast is fixed on 16 October; the dies natalis on 15 October is recalled by the sources.)[30]
Canonization (1267)
The process and the glory
Hedwig's reputation for holiness is immediate. Pope Clement IV canonizes her in 1267, less than a quarter of a century after her death.[31]
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| Birth | c. 1174, Andechs (Bavaria) |
| Marriage to Henry I the Bearded | c. 1186 |
| Foundation of Trzebnica | 1202 |
| Death of Henry I the Bearded | 1238 |
| Death of Henry II the Pious at Legnica | 9 April 1241 |
| Death | 15 October 1243, Trzebnica |
| Canonization | 1267, by Clement IV |
Feast and patronages
16 October
The Church celebrates Saint Hedwig of Silesia on 16 October, as an optional memorial in the Roman calendar.[32] The French Bishops' Conference notes her on this date in the calendar of saints of the day.[33]
Patronages
Saint Hedwig is invoked as patroness of Silesia and of orphans. She is also patroness of the cities of Berlin, Wrocław (Breslau), Trzebnica (Trebnitz) and Kraków, as well as of the dioceses of Görlitz and Andechs.[34]
Iconography
The iconography of Saint Hedwig is rich, thanks in particular to the Hedwig Codex (c. 1353), an illustrated manuscript commissioned by her great-grandson Duke Louis I of Legnica, today preserved at the J. Paul Getty Museum.[35]
| Attribute | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cistercian nun's habit (white veil, light robe) | Her retreat to Trzebnica after widowhood |
| Duchess's crown | Her condition as Duchess of Silesia and of Poland |
| Purse or almsgiving to the poor | Her service of the poor and her hospices |
| Bare feet | The tradition of her walking barefoot to help the needy |
| Model of an abbey (Trzebnica) | Her Cistercian foundation of 1202 |
| Genealogy scene (Hedwig Codex) | Her place in the line of the Piasts of Silesia |
The painting from the workshop of Duke Louis I of Legnica (late 14th century) represents Hedwig with Duke Louis and Duchess Agnes; the cycle of The Life of the Blessed Hedwig illustrates the episodes of her life.[36]
In 1993, the Deutsche Bundespost commemorated the 750th anniversary of her death with a stamp bearing her effigy, proof of the vitality of her cult in Germany as in Poland.[37]
Further reading
- The Cistercian order: the religious family of Hedwig and her daughter Gertrude.
- The birth of the Cistercians: the origins of the order of Cîteaux.
- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux: the great Cistercian doctor of the twelfth century, whose spirit marks Trzebnica.
- Saint Clare of Assisi: another figure of female holiness of the thirteenth century.
- Saint Francis of Assisi: her contemporary, whose ideal of poverty crosses the same century.
Notes and References
Nominis (French Bishops' Conference), "Saint Hedwig" (Duchess of Silesia, + 1243): nominis.cef.fr. Liturgical calendar notice: "Duchess of Silesia (+ 1243)"; feast on 16 October (optional memorial); born in Bavaria, daughter of the Count of Bavaria; married at twelve to the Duke of Silesia Henry the Bearded; sister-in-law of the King of France Philip Augustus (through her sister Agnes of Merania); mother of seven children including Gertrude, who became a Cistercian abbess at Trzebnica; she encouraged the foundation of monasteries in the kingdom; built hospices for the poor; after the death of her husband, she led a simple and humble life at the monastery of her daughter, where she died on 15 October 1243; patron saint of orphans; first names celebrated: Hedwige, Edwige, Edvige, Edda, Havoise, Hedda; "Memorial of Saint Edwige, religious" (Roman Martyrology). The notice signals the homonymy with Hedwig, Queen of Poland (+ 1399).
1 3 4 5 10 12 14 17 21 22 25 28 30 32 33Wikipedia (FR), "Edwige de Silésie": fr.wikipedia.org. Cross-check notice: born in 1174 at Andechs in Bavaria (Hedwig of Andechs); wife of Henry I the Bearded (Piast house) c. 1186; Duchess of Poland from 1232 to 1238; seven children including Henry II the Pious (killed at the battle of Legnica in 1241 against the Mongols); founds the Cistercian abbey of Trzebnica in 1202, of which her daughter Gertrude becomes abbess; after the death of her husband in 1238, she retires there; helps the needy "walking barefoot in every season"; distributes her fortune to the Church and to the poor; her spiritual director is the Polish Dominican Céslas; founds an abbey on the battlefield of Legnickie Pole with her daughter-in-law Anne of Bohemia; died on 15 October 1243 at Trzebnica; canonized in 1267 by Pope Clement IV; feast on 16 October; patroness of Berlin, Silesia, Wrocław, Trzebnica, Kraków and the dioceses of Görlitz and Andechs.
2 6 7 11 13 15 16 18 19 20 23 24 26 27 29 31 34Cistercian order, founded at Cîteaux in 1098 by Saint Robert of Molesme, developed by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Rule of Saint Benedict, liturgical prayer, manual work, hospitality. See Ignispedia: ordre-cistercien and la-naissance-des-cisterciens.
8 9J. Paul Getty Museum, Hedwig Codex (MS. LUDWIG XI 7), c. 1353, attributed to Nycolaus Pruzie: getty.edu. Illustrated manuscript commissioned by Duke Louis I of Legnica and Brieg, great-grandson of Hedwig. The folio 9v "Genealogy" (reproduced in the infobox) shows the line of the saint; the cycle of The Life of the Blessed Hedwig illustrates the episodes of her life. See also Wikimedia Commons: MS. LUDWIG XI 7, Hedwig Codex fol. 9v Genealogy and [Saint Hedwig of Silesia with Duke Ludwig of Legnica and Brieg and Duchess Agnes](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Court_workshop_of_Duke_Ludwig_I_of_Liegnitz_and_Brieg_(Polish_-_Saint_Hedwig_of_Silesia_with_Duke_Ludwig_of_Liegnitz_and_Brieg_and_Duchess_Agn%C3%A9s_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) (public domain).
35 36Deutsche Bundespost, stamp "750. Todestag der heiligen Hedwig von Andechs (1174-1243)", 1993, scanned by NobbiP: Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Commemoration of the 750th anniversary of the death of Saint Hedwig.
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