Concerning Elisabeth of Hungary and Conrad;
I do not recall any recent full-length study of Conrad's role
as Elisabeth's confessor. His written contibution to her
cult can however be studied through an early 20th c
editio:
- A. Huyskens, Quellenstudien zur Geschichte der hl.
Elisabeth Landgraefin von Thubingen. Marburgo 1908, 110-140.
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Elisabeth is an illuminating source to a early reality of
mendicant penitents: she bore a penitental habit of Franciscans
/was guided by a Dominican; she wanted to devote herself
totally to neighborly love / her actions were directed to a more
moderate paths (often by Conrad). Conrad was rather
enthusiastic about her piety as long as it remained in the
more traditional almsgiving & prayer, he grew troubled when
she interpretated the call to poverty and neighborly love ad
litteram.
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It is quite interesting to note that when the Dominicans(like
Domenico Cavalca and Jacobus de Voragine) would in
the 13th century compile their legendaries, Saint Elisabeth
was the only "new" female saint among the women saints. All the other
female saints would go back to the early years of
christianity. One could think that Cavalca's and Jacob's choice
for a only recent example in the pantheon of female saints was a
radical one since Elisabet was a penitent, not a "vowed member" of either Dominican or
Franciscan order. Even more, as a bearer of penitent's habit,
she was actually a rather radical example since her
involvement in secular community was so direct that such being
with the poor & sick would have given gray hair also to more
liberal confessors than Conrad.
It would be very interesting to learn if someone is doing a
study on Elisabeth / Conrad relation, and it would be also very
interested to hear, if someone has worked with late medieval tradition of Elisabeth of Hungary.
With all the best, from the brisk Sunday evening of Boston,
Maiju Lehmijoki, Boston College
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