Emeric of Hungary, St.

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EMERIC OF HUNGARY, ST.

Prince (Imre in Hungarian); b. 1007; d. Sept. 2, 1031. He was the son of stephen i, king of hungary, and Gisela. Very little is known about this young prince beyond the fact that he was educated by gerard of csanÁd, made a vow of chastity but was married c. 1026 for reasons of state to some foreign princess, and died in a hunting accident. In some sources he appears under the name Henry. Popular in Hungary and Poland, Emeric was canonized in 1083. In the 20th century his cult was revived, particularly in the interwar years when he was honored as the patron saint of Hungarian youth. His legend was written early in the 12th century and his relics are preserved in Székesfehérvár and in Esztergom. Usually he is represented holding a lily.

Feast: Nov. 4.

Bibliography: Sources. Legenda sancti Emerici ducis, in Scriptores rerum Hungaricarum, ed. i. szentpÉtery, v. 2 (Budapest 1938) 441460. Acta Sanctorum Nov. 2.1:477491. Literature. l. harsÁnyi, Az elragadott herceg: Szent Imre herceg életregénye (Budapest 1990). s. tÓth, Magyar és lengyel Imrelegendák (Acta Universitatis Szegediensis, Acta Historica 11; Szeged 1962). Szent István Emlékkönyv, 3 v. (Budapest 1938) 1:412418, 557570; 2:570573. d. vargha, Szent Imre problémák (Budapest 1931). j. szalay, Catholicisme 4:44.

[d. sinor]

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Emeric of Hungary, St.

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