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the image the rectangular foundation stone with its dedicatory inscription and four circles
representing medals (fig. 36). Framing the stone are enlarged versions of the medals that allow
the viewer to see easily the images and accompanying inscriptions. Explanatory text also in
French and an elaborate arabesque border composed of crowns and fleurs-de-lis complete the
ensemble.
The enlarged medals on the print bring together the Religious of St. Elizabeth and the
convent’s prestigious founder. Those in the upper half concentrate on the church’s dedication
and patron saint, depicting the Pietà on the left and Elizabeth of Hungary on the right. The
seated Virgin Mary holding the dead Christ on her lap is a reminder of the church’s dedication to
Our Lady of Mercy. Its legend, which states: “She gave him a temple and he gives her several,”
not only recalls Mary’s role as a vessel for Christ but also the naming of numerous churches after
the mother of God. 82 Opposite it is a profile portrait of the order’s patron saint, Elizabeth of
Hungary, dressed in a religious habit and holding a palm with three crowns representing her
states as virgin, queen, and widow. The accompanying text reads: “She had contempt for the
earthly crowns in order to deserve celestial ones, and the queens raise some souls to her,” an
allusion to the saint’s aversion to earthly power. 83
Maria de’ Medici, who likewise experienced life in stages as a virgin, queen, and widow,
found many similarities between her life and that of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231). The
daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary, the saint was married to the landgrave Ludwig IV of
Thuringia to forge political connections between their two states, much as the French queen was
married to Henri IV. 84 The landgrave’s death in 1227 after six years of marriage left Elizabeth a
widow in a foreign land and the mother of the heir to the throne, again prefiguring events in the
life of Maria de’ Medici. Although the future saint never acted as regent for her son, instead
entering in 1228 the Third Order of St. Francis, she was renowned for her charitable acts, leading
to her canonization in 1235, four years after her death. Elizabeth’s devotion to St. Francis of
Assisi, demonstrated through her service as a tertiary in the order, resonated with the French
queen. Maria de’ Medici not only ranked St. Francis of Assisi among her favorite saints, but she
was reported to have the cordon from his habit among her relics. 85
The second medal on the print, shown in the lower half, affirms the implied closeness
between the saint and the queen mother. Its obverse reveals a profile portrait of Maria de’
Medici surrounded by an inscription referring to her as the august queen of France and
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