Saint Hedwig, Religious

Hedwig was born about 1174 at Andechs in Bavaria and at twelve was married to Henry the Bearded, later duke of Silesia; they had seven children. Together they founded monasteries and hospitals, among them in 1202 the Cistercian convent for women at Trzebnica, where their daughter Gertrude later became abbess. Hedwig lived very simply, gave generously and, the accounts of her life say, often walked barefoot even in winter. After Henry's death in 1238 she lived at Trzebnica without taking vows. In 1241 her son Henry the Pious was killed fighting the Mongols at Legnica. She died on 15 October 1243 and was canonized in 1267; she is venerated in Poland and Germany alike.