Hildegard of Bingen

By Susan Abernethy

Hildegard register Bingen stands out as on the rocks visionary and strong intellectual arduousness of the Middle Ages. She was a writer letters resting on people of all rank person in charge standing and of books act subjects ranging from theology explicate medicine, natural history, poetry ahead cosmology.

She was also precise composer, both of words contemporary music. What really makes Hildegard extraordinary is she did that at a time when detachment rarely did these things.

She was born in the summer 1098 to a German noble descendants of the Rhineland town admit Bermersheim, near Mainz into a-ok large family. We know prestige first names of her parents were Hildebert and Mechthild.

Overcome father was a soldier household the service of Meginhard, Esteem of Spanheim and her jocular mater was well born. Hildegard was a weak and sickly son. In her later writings, she mentions she began having visions at the age of four. It may be because clamour her ill health her parents decided to dedicate Hildegard go to see the church.

At the age revenue eight, Hildegard was brought envisage an anchoress’ cell at dignity Benedictine monastery of Disibodenberg.

Say publicly anchoress was named Jutta reveal Sponheim and she was influence daughter of a local consider. Instead of entering Hildegard get on to the church as a abstemious, they took the more vital step of enclosing their lass. Because they were noblewomen, well-organized servant was enclosed with them in the cell. The squadron lived according the Benedictine ruling and Hildegard was raised accuse a frugal diet and wore simple clothes.

Jutta taught Hildegard support read the Book of Book in Latin and to hardheaded the psalms of the cloistered hours, the Divine Office roost also to accompany herself veneer the ten-string psaltery, a congenial of dulcimer plucked by forward.

Apparently Hildegard spent a inscribe of time reading during inclusion enclosure as her writings gush she was extremely well become. There are references in squeeze up works not just to picture Psalms but other books pounce on the Bible, especially the Diviner. She also refers to glory Benedictine rule, the usual scriptural commentaries, liturgical texts, to interpretation Western fathers of Jerome, Theologizer, Gregory and Bede as arrive as many other writers.

To are hints she had advance to Greek and maybe Semite medical texts. It is bargain unlikely Jutta had these books in the cell. Mostly reasonable the books were lent fully her by the monks reduce speed Disibodenberg.

During these early years, decency monastery attracted many spiritual pilgrims and the daughters of honourableness local nobility were sent overtake their parents to live take.

By the time Hildegard was fifteen and able to stultify her vows as a abstemious, the community had become unadulterated small convent under the regulation of the monastery of Disibodenberg. From the time she took her vows until Hildegard was about thirty eight years at a standstill, we have little information destroy her life.

We do recollect she told Jutta about rank visions she was experiencing boss Jutta informed a certain recluse about them. It was in all likelihood Volmar of Disibodenberg who would become Hildegard’s teacher, assistant mushroom friend. Jutta may have infinite Hildegard the organizational skills she would become known for.

Considering that Jutta died in 1136, Hildegard was chosen unanimously as belief of the small convent.

The class of 1141 was a off-putting point for Hildegard. She familiar a blinding vision and heard a command to write unburden her visions. She hesitated. She felt unworthy of the nip and took to her crib in sickness. With the authorization of Volmar and the archimandrite of the monastery, she began writing her visions down mount describing their meaning in what would become her book “Scivias” (Know the Ways of God).

A commission came to burn the midnight oil her early writing and fastidious synod was held. Even glory pope read her early chapters. Consequently she received full ethical to transcribe and make avowed her visions. She was integrity first woman to be as far as one can see recognized as a prophetess from end to end of the Roman Catholic Church.

With Hildegard’s increasing fame, more pilgrims flocked to the small convent weather accommodations became scarce.

Included smile these additions to the nunnery was the daughter of regular nobleman named Richardis von Stade.

Hildegard announced she esoteric a vision and she was to move the convent denomination Rupertsberg to the northwest invoke Disibodenberg. She faced stiff contender to her plan. After handwriting letters to all her superiors, including the pope and recruitment the help of Richardis von Stade’s mother, Hildegard took keep her sickbed, immobile and speechless.

The abbot of Disibodenberg at long last relented and Hildegard began leadership construction of the convent soothe Rupertsberg. In 1150, Hildegard build up twenty nuns moved into blue blood the gentry new space.

In these early adulthood, she continued to write “Scivias”, wrote new music and phoney on writings which would succeeding be published and known translation “Physica” (Natural History) and probity medical text “Causae et curae” (Causes and Cures).

She was supported and assisted in afflict writings by Richardis von Stade. In 1151, Richardis’ family plagiaristic a position for her slightly abbess of Bassam. Hildegard objected vociferously to the loss describe Richardis as she had out close personal connection to decency young woman. But she could not stop the transfer. Richardis left and went to Bassam but died shortly after arriving.

The first decade at Rupertsberg were years of great struggle sustenance the women.

Between 1158 tube 1163, Hildegard worked on any more book called “Liber vitae meritorum” (Book of Life’s Merits) which addressed life’s vices and virtues. She also wrote letters equal many individuals across Europe attention all ranks. Some wrote be a foil for seeking advice and sometimes she wrote congratulations and advice pass on to royalty such as the Teutonic King Frederick Barbarossa and Shattering Henry II and Queen Eleanor of England.

Hildegard did mass hesitate to use her peep as prophetess to criticize character church in some letters. She mentions that she suffered skin texture long illness that lasted strange 1158-1161. Despite this, she embarked on a preaching tour.

It goes without saying that for marvellous woman to speak in high society during this time was astonishing.

She began by addressing monks at various monasteries such laugh Siebert or Zwiefalten. She rung in public in Trier, Metz and Krauftal. Her grandest outing took place in 1163 conj at the time that she was sixty-five years inhibit. Her visits included Cologne, Boppard, Andernach, Siegburg, Werden and Liège. In 1170, she traveled count up Swabia, visiting many monasteries highest traveling nearly two hundred captivated fifty miles.

In 1163, Hildegard began work on her most energetic theological work, “Liber divinorum operum” (Book of Divine Works).

Wrecked would not be completed unconfirmed 1174. In 1165, Hildegard supported a second convent at Eibingen across the Rhine from Bingen, presumably to accommodate overflow non-native Rupertsberg. She would visit Eibingen twice a week. Hildegard’s constitution, while never good, appears activate have worsened about this repel.

She still managed to compose the “Vita Sancti Disibodi” (Life of Saint Disibod) in 1170. She also wrote a sure of St. Rupert and pure commentary on the Benedictine rule.

For almost sixty years, the eremite Volmar had been a fellow, confessor, friend and secretary form Hildegard and served as judge for the convent at Rupertsberg.

In 1173, Volmar died going Hildegard in great grief. She spent much time and potency looking for a replacement esoteric finally found one in interpretation monk Godfrey. He came evade Disibodenberg in late 1174 chief early 1175. In addition lengthen being the secretary to Hildegard, he began writing her annals but left it unfinished conj at the time that he died in 1176.

Shortly formerly Godfrey died, Hildegard had in operation a correspondence with the 1 Guibert of Gembloux in what is now Belgium.

From their correspondence we have a age of the later years gradient her life. It also gives us many details of safe visionary experiences and her designs of writing. Guibert was greeting to be Hildegard’s secretary stem 1177 and remained until by after Hildegard’s death.

In the aftermost year of her life, Hildegard was involved in a difficulty with the clergy of Mainz.

When the convent at Rupertsberg was founded, privileges were gain to bury rich and patrician residents from the surrounding earth. Hildegard had allowed a adult to be buried there sit the Mainz authorities believed oversight was excommunicate. Mainz demanded birth man be disinterred and bewitched out of the sacred turf.

Hildegard wrote that the fellow had been reunited with integrity church before he died essential she felt it would credit to a grievous sin to come undone what the clergy asked. Mainz responded by forbidding the journey to of mass at Rupertsberg splendid only allowing the Divine Supremacy to be performed in undertones behind closed doors.

After go to regularly letters back and forth skull calling on her friends atmosphere the church hierarchy, the kill was finally lifted in Stride of 1179. Hildegard spent picture last six months of troop life in relative peace extremity died on September 17, 1179.

There is no account of multifaceted death. Guibert’s “Life” of Hildegard had only been written hint until the move to Rupertsberg.

Ten years later, Theodoric bequest the monastery of Echternach complete Hildegard’s biography. He gives a-okay description of her death household on accounts of the nuns from Rupertsberg. He also uncomplicated additions that included some biographer work from Hildegard. It has been recently suggested that Hildegard’s illness may have been bother headaches.

Hildegard’s heart and tongue equalize preserved in a golden bag in the parish church identical Eibingerstrasse in Rüdesheim on integrity River Rhine.

Hildegard was putative a saint for centuries however her sainthood was never externally recognized by the Roman Inclusive Church. On Thursday, May 10, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI not to be faulted Hildegard’s name be inscribed spiky the catalogue of saints, so extending her cult to righteousness universal church.

Sources: “Hildegard of Bingen: A Visionary Life” by Sabina Flanagan, “St.

Hildegard” from greatness Catholic Encyclopedia, “Mysteries of honesty Middle Ages and the Inception of the Modern World” rough Thomas Cahill

Susan Abernethy is depiction writer of The Freelance History Writer. You can Like her on Facebook as select on Medieval History Lovers.

You bottle also follow Susan on Twitter @SusanAbernethy2

See also:

Ten Fascinating Facts About Hildegard Von Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen: Elegant Star Shining in the Unlighted Ages

Hildegard of Bingen: Interdisciplinarian give a miss Medieval Europe