Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen was born around 1098 in the Rhineland of Germany, into a noble family, and was sickly from childhood. From her earliest years she received vivid visions, which she understood as a gift of God’s “living light.” As a young girl she was entrusted to the Benedictine community at Disibodenberg, where she grew in prayer, learning, music, and service to the sick. After the death of her mentor Jutta, the sisters elected Hildegard magistra in 1136. Guided by her visions and a desire for greater freedom for her community, she founded a new monastery at Rupertsberg in 1150, and later a second at Eibingen in 1165. Hildegard became renowned as an abbess and teacher, composing sacred chant and writing works of theology, medicine, and the natural world, including her visionary Scivias and the liturgical drama Ordo Virtutum. Honored for her holiness and wisdom, she is venerated throughout the Church and was later named a Doctor of the Church. Her feast day is September 17.