Among the numerous monuments that have been preserved in the Croatian city of Zadar, the reliquary of the prophet Simeon, related to Polish history, is of particular importance. One of the relief scenes adorning this unique monument depicts its founder, Queen Elisabeth of Bosnia (c. 1340-1387) of Hungary, accompanied by three kneeling girls who are her daughters.

Elisabeth of Bosnia was the daughter of Stefan II Kotromanić, Ban of Bosnia, and Elisabeth of Kujawy, daughter of Casimir III, Duke of Gniew. She grew up at the Hungarian court of Elisabeth Lokietkovna, and in 1353, at the age of 14, she married Louis I, king of Hungary and, from 1370, also of Poland. Her first daughter lived only a few months. In 1370, she gave birth to Catherine, and a year later to Maria, who went down in history as Mary of Anjou, Queen of Hungary and Croatia, and in 1373 to Jadwiga, who, once again and contrary to expectations, was not the male heir to the throne, which was undoubtedly quite a disappointment. Nevertheless, Jadwiga succeeded to the Polish throne in 1384. All three are immortalised on the reliquary. This is the oldest depiction of Hedwig known to us, and at the same time one of only two that have survived to our times that were made during the lifetime of this saintly queen. It is worth noting, however, that this representation does not have portrait features and depicts the future monarch in a conventional way, just like her sisters.

The reliquary itself also has an interesting history. Simeon, whose remains rest in this unusual object, was said to have died in Jerusalem and was later buried in Constantinople. It is not certain when exactly the prophet's relics found their way to Zadar. According to available documents, it may have been around 1200, when Daniel and Anthony of Novgorod saw the tomb of Simeon in Constantinople. According to another theory, the relics may have been transferred to Zadar in 1203 after the first conquest of Constantinople or, more likely, in 1204. It is also thought that the relics may have been taken by the Venetians during the Crusade of 1204, or carried by a Venetian merchant whose ship, forced by a storm to dock, revealed the precious remains stored on it. After a series of unusual events, the relics were buried and then exhumed when their true identity was revealed, and eventually left in Zadar, then under Venetian rule.

The reliquary's foundation also has an interesting history. Legend has it that the queen stole one of Saint Simeon's fingers, believing it would bring forth the desired son. For it was believed that Simeon, as the one whom God had promised would live to see the birth of the Messiah, was to be instrumental in these matters. The day after this daring act, the queen returned the finger and, wishing to make amends, funded a reliquary. She immortalised the story herself - perhaps as part of her penance - in one of the scenes on the reliquary.

The story of the founding of the reliquary, however, also has a second bottom. Zadar came under the rule of the Venetian Republic in 1201 by crusaders preparing for the Fourth Crusade. And it was as a result of this crusade that the reliquary found its way to Zadar. And it was in Zadar that peace was signed with the Republic of Venice in 1358, by virtue of which the latter was forced to give up its possessions in Dalmatia. The foundation, although later, may therefore have been a symbolic emphasis on Hungarian rule in Dalmatia. Particularly as the chest included the scene of Louis I's entry into Zadar. Despite a certain impression of the randomness of the scenes, resulting, for example, from the interweaving of themes from the saint's life with historical and legendary scenes, such a unique work could not have been accidental. The master commissioned to produce it was given very detailed instructions, which he had to follow faithfully. Their direct authors, however, were not the King and Queen, but the Zadar patricians. They included in them not only a symbolic confirmation of their rights to the relic (on the multifaceted iconography of the relic, cf. Nikola Jakšić, bibliography), after all, whoever wanted to take even a fragment of it out of Zadar met with punishment, but also of their position.

The reliquary of Simeon, the patron saint of Zadar (192 x 625 cm) and is made of cedar wood, covered with embossed silver, partly gilded plates, on which, among other things, is engraved a scene depicting St. Hedwig. The creator of this extraordinary work is Francesco da Milano, who ran his workshop in Zadar. Work on the reliquary lasted from 1377 to 1380.

Nikola Jakšić, 'Od hagiografskog obrasca do političkog elaborata - škrinja Sv. Šimuna, zadarska arca d'oro', 'Ars Adriatica' no. 4, 2014, pp. 95-124.