saint elizabeth portugal by jose gil
Depiction of Saint Isabel of Portugal, by Jose Gil Castro, in the Colonial Museum of St. Francis (1820).
Saint Elizabeth was born in Aragon, Spain in 1271, as the daughter of King Peter III of that kingdom and granddaughter of King James the Conqueror, great-granddaughter of Emperor Frederick II of Germany. They named her Elizabeth in honor of her great-aunt, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.
Her training was formidable and from a very young age she had remarkable piety. She was married when she was 12 years old to King Dionysus of Portugal. This was Elizabeth's greatest cross, since he was a man of poor morals, being violent and unfaithful. But she knew how to endure this test heroically. She prayed and offered her sacrifices for him. Continue reading after advertisement
Because of the great love that Saint Elizabeth had for the Eucharist, she dedicated herself to studying the lives of the saints most notable for their love of the Eucharist, especially Saint Clare. After becoming a widow, Saint Elizabeth stripped herself of all her wealth. He undertook a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, where he gave the crown to the Archbishop to receive the habit of the Poor Clares as a tertiary.
She lived her last years in the convent, dedicated to Eucharistic adoration.
Her portrait is located in the Chapter House of the Museum of Colonial Art in San Francisco. It was made by Jose Gil de Castro, known as “Mulato Gil”, who was born in Lima, Peru, on September 1, 1785 and died in the same city in 1837.
Between the years 1810 and 1825, approximately, the artist developed part of his work in Chile, earning himself the title of “painter of liberators.” He is considered by some to be the precursor of Chilean painting.
During his career, José Gil de Castro maintained a close bond with the Franciscans, who commissioned several works from him.
The artist represented Saint Elizabeth's full body, in a vertical format, holding a crucifix in her right hand. She wears the habit of the Poor Clares, which she collects and uses in part to hold a bouquet of roses, flowers that symbolize a passage in her story: When before being discovered by the king giving coins to the poor, they turned into roses, thereby avoiding the anger and scolding of her husband.
At his feet, to the left, is the scepter and the crown as a symbol of rejection of the throne, while to the right, at the same height and with the same purpose, appears the heraldic shield with the arms of the kingdom of Portugal, with yellow stripes. and red from the government of Aragon.
Santa Isabel is located on a mountainous terrain, with small houses, similar to the landscape of Santiago.
At the bottom of the canvas an inscription says: “St. Isabel Reyna of Portugal Patroness of the V.O.T of Penance of N.P.S Francisco de Santiago de Chile.”
In the background, at the top of the painting, you can see stormy clouds that the saint dissipates with golden light emanating from her body, similar to a burst of glory.
A curious fact is that it was not until 1976 that Gil de Castro's authorship of this work was discovered by chance, when a Franciscan religious observed and related the signature that appears discreetly on the canvas with the outstanding artist who portrayed the patriots.
Regarding the history of the saint, Isabel of Portugal was born in 1274 and died in 1336. In 1325 she was widowed and traveled to Santiago de Compostela, where she left her crown and joined the order of the Poor Clares as a tertiary sister.
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