Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Curing the Sick facts for kids
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Curing the Sick is a famous painting by the Spanish artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. He painted it in 1672. This artwork shows Elizabeth of Hungary, a saint known for her kindness, helping a child who has a skin condition called tinea capitis (which is like ringworm on the head).
The painting was made for a special place in Seville, Spain: the church of San Jorge, which is part of the Hospital de la Hermandad de la Caridad. It was ordered by Miguel de Mañara, and it still hangs in its original spot today. This painting is one of several works by Murillo in the church that show acts of kindness and charity.
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A Painting's Journey
This important painting stayed in its first home for many years. But then, it began a long journey!
Moving to the Palace
Around 1800, Charles IV of Spain, who was the king at the time, decided to move the painting. He took it to the Alcázar de Sevilla, a royal palace. His plan was to have an artist named José María Cortés make a copy of it. The king wanted to send the original painting to a big museum in Madrid, called the Real Museo, and put the copy back in the hospital.
Taken to Paris
However, things changed in 1812. A French general named Marshal Soult took the original painting. He was part of an army that was taking artworks from Spain. Soult sent the painting to Paris, France, where it was shown in the Musee Napoleon.
Back to Spain
Just three years later, in 1815, the painting was returned to Spain. This happened after the Bourbon Restoration in France, when the old royal family came back to power in France. The director of the Louvre museum in Paris, Vivant Denon, tried to keep the painting, but he couldn't.
When it first came back to Spain, the painting was hung in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes San Fernando in Madrid. But soon after, the king ordered it to be moved again, this time to the famous Prado Museum.
Finally Home
The Hospital de la Caridad, where the painting originally belonged, kept asking for it back. Other important groups in Seville, like the Real Academia Sevillana de Buenas Letras, also sent letters to the government. They all wanted the painting to return to its true home. Finally, in 1939, after many years and many requests, the painting was returned to the Hospital de la Caridad in Seville. It has been there ever since, in the same spot where Murillo first placed it.
See also
In Spanish: Santa Isabel de Hungría curando a los tiñosos para niños
