ELISABETTA, Queen of PORTUGAL, saint — Daughter of Peter III of Aragon and Constance, niece of Emperor Frederick II, related to St. Elizabeth of Hungary, in 1271, at the age of twelve was sought in marriage by the heirs of England and Naples, but King Denis of Portugal was chosen instead. She distinguished herself by great charity toward the poor and the sick, sometimes rewarded by God with extraordinary miracles. After King Denis died in 1325, she retired into private life, wearing the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis. She died after a long and arduous journey to Estremoz, undertaken to reconcile her son Alfonso IV with her grandson Alfonso XI of Castile. Canonized by Urban VIII in 1625, her feast is celebrated on July 8.
Bibl.: D. Alfonso, Vita e villagros de S. Isabel, reina de Portugal, Coimbra 1560; Acta SS. Iulii, II, Paris 1721, pp. 119 ff.; L. da Clary, Aureola serafica, III, Quaracchi 1898, pp. 23-24; N. d'Elia, S. E. d'Aragona regina di Portogallo, Rome 1916; V. McNabb, St. E. of Portugal, London 1937. Alberto Ghinato