Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen was a ferocious blazing star of light.
Born in what is now known as Germany in 1098, Hildegard of Bingen began having visions at a very early age. It was perhaps for this reason, or political ones, that she was sent to a Benedictine monastery and enclosed there as an anchoress at the age of eight. Here she was taught reading, writing, and music, including how to play the ten-stringed psaltery.
In 1136 at the age of 38 she was unanimously elected as magistra by her fellow nuns. Prompted by a vision and to gain independence from the dominantly male monastery, she fought and eventually won the right to move her nuns to a new site, and founded St. Ruperstberg in 1150. She later founded a second monastery for her nuns at Eibingen in 1165.
Hildegard was very active during her career. She corresponded with popes, statesmen, emperors, as well as other saints and visionaries. She conducted 4 preaching tours and founded the study of scientific natural history in Germany. She wrote what is arguably the earliest morality play, Ordo Virtutum, and sixty-nine individual musical compositions, each with original poetry. The Riesenkodex or “Giant Codex” is a compilation of the writings of Hildegard of Bingen. It includes a record of her visions, her letters, poems, an invented language, and, of course, musical songs.
Hildegard died in 1179, and her sisters claimed to have seen two streams of light in the sky, crossing over the room where she lay.
Named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, she is still known today for her impressive theological, scientific, dramatic and musical works. A saint, a mystic, a feminist, and a visionary, Hildegard has captured the imagination of audiences, artists, and musicians around the world.
An excellent book to start with is HILDEGARD OF BINGEN The Woman of Her Age by Fiona Maddocks
There is lots more on line
my favorite recording
more here here here
paintings of her visions
Born in what is now known as Germany in 1098, Hildegard of Bingen began having visions at a very early age. It was perhaps for this reason, or political ones, that she was sent to a Benedictine monastery and enclosed there as an anchoress at the age of eight. Here she was taught reading, writing, and music, including how to play the ten-stringed psaltery.
In 1136 at the age of 38 she was unanimously elected as magistra by her fellow nuns. Prompted by a vision and to gain independence from the dominantly male monastery, she fought and eventually won the right to move her nuns to a new site, and founded St. Ruperstberg in 1150. She later founded a second monastery for her nuns at Eibingen in 1165.
Hildegard was very active during her career. She corresponded with popes, statesmen, emperors, as well as other saints and visionaries. She conducted 4 preaching tours and founded the study of scientific natural history in Germany. She wrote what is arguably the earliest morality play, Ordo Virtutum, and sixty-nine individual musical compositions, each with original poetry. The Riesenkodex or “Giant Codex” is a compilation of the writings of Hildegard of Bingen. It includes a record of her visions, her letters, poems, an invented language, and, of course, musical songs.
Hildegard died in 1179, and her sisters claimed to have seen two streams of light in the sky, crossing over the room where she lay.
Named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, she is still known today for her impressive theological, scientific, dramatic and musical works. A saint, a mystic, a feminist, and a visionary, Hildegard has captured the imagination of audiences, artists, and musicians around the world.
An excellent book to start with is HILDEGARD OF BINGEN The Woman of Her Age by Fiona Maddocks
There is lots more on line
my favorite recording
more here here here
paintings of her visions
