Here is another Hungarian Saint I wish to share with all of you,
Prince Saint Imre (1007 - 1031)
He was the son of King St. Stephen I of Hungary and Giselle of
Bavaria. He is assumed to be the second son of Stephen; he was
named after his uncle, St. Henry II, and was the only of Stephen's sons who reached
adulthood. Imre was educated in a strict and ascetic spirit by the bishop of Csanád, St.
Gerhard (St. Gellért) from the age of 15 to 23. He was intended to be the next monarch
of Hungary. He married in the year 1022. The identity of his wife is disputed. Some say it
was Irene, a relative of Byzantine emperor Constantine IX Monomachos, or a female
member of the Argyros family to which Byzantine emperor Romanos III Argyros
belonged. Other says it was Patricissa of Croatia. Another possible person may have
been Adelaide/Rixa of Poland or one of her unnamed sisters.
On September 2 1031, at age 24, Imre was killed by a boar while hunting. It is assumed
that this happened in Hegyközszentimre (presently Sintimreu). He was buried in the
church of Székesfehérvár. Several wondrous healings and conversions happened at his
grave, so on 5th November 1083 King Ladislaus I unearthed Imre's bones in a big
ceremony, and Imre was canonised for his pious life and purity along with his father and
Bishop Gerhard by Pope Gregory VII.
No comments:
Post a Comment