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IN THE SUMMARY...
A Nun’s Life |
At the crossroads of the spiritual, artistic, and scientific worlds, Hildegard of Bingen, a Benedictine nun, left a mark on the history of health and well-being through her visions, musical compositions, and revolutionary writings. Her impact is so strong that she is considered the founder of modern naturopathy, and her works are still consulted today. Portrait.
A Nun’s Life
Childhood and First Visions
Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098 in the small village of Bermersheim, in the Rhenish Hesse region, at the heart of the Holy Roman Empire. The youngest daughter of a noble family, she was consecrated to God from birth, following a common tradition among aristocratic families of the time. From a very young age, Hildegard showed unusual gifts. At only three years old, she began having mystical visions that she would later describe as "lights of God." Although these experiences were misunderstood by those around her, they became the foundation of her spiritual existence and shaped her perception of the world.
Entering Religious Life and Spiritual Formation
Source: My Catholic Life
At the age of eight, her parents made a decision that would forever change the course of her life. True to their vow, they entrusted their young daughter to the Benedictine monastery of Disibodenberg, where she was placed under the care of Jutta von Sponheim, a woman of great learning and piety. This choice to remove Hildegard from the secular world marked her entry into a life of prayer and meditation. Under Jutta’s guidance, she discovered the Scriptures and monastic practices, while continuing her own reflections on her visions, which she still largely kept to herself at this stage.
The Rise: From Nun to Abbess
Over time, Hildegard fully integrated into the Disibodenberg community and took her perpetual vows. In 1136, upon Jutta’s death, she was elected abbess by her fellow nuns, becoming responsible for all the nuns.
A small note: the Disibodenberg Abbey has the rare distinction of having dual authority—an abbot (for the monks) and an abbess (for the nuns, the female equivalent of monks).
This election confirmed her place within the monastery and marked a new stage in her journey. With her charisma and intelligence, Hildegard began to emerge as a major figure in the monastic and religious world. She established herself not only as a spiritual guide but also as a woman of vision, determined to express the messages she received from the divine.
Her Monastic Foundations
In 1150, after gaining the Church’s support, she decided to found a new independent monastery at Rupertsberg, near Bingen, a place she carefully chose for its serenity and isolation. This foundation was a bold undertaking, requiring significant financial resources and unwavering determination.
Source: Romantischer Rhein
The monastery quickly became a center of spiritual and cultural influence, as well as an example of success in the religious sphere. It was said to be a place of perfect harmony and benefited from rigorous management.
A few years later, buoyed by this success and faced with increasing demand, Hildegard founded a second monastery in 1165 at Eibingen, further strengthening her influence and offering other women the opportunity to commit to monastic life under her guidance.
Her Remarkable Works
Theological Writings and Mystical Visions
One of the most remarkable aspects of Hildegard of Bingen, which shaped her reputation, lies in her theological writings, born from her mystical visions that she considered divine revelations. Between 1141 and 1151, she wrote her major work, the Scivias ("Know the Ways"), a treatise in which she precisely describes her 26 visionary experiences and interprets them in the light of Christian theology. This text, accompanied by detailed illustrations, explores themes such as creation, redemption, and the struggle between good and evil, offering a profound and symbolic perspective on faith.
Other works followed, including the Liber Vitae Meritorum (Book of the Merits of Life), which deals with human morality, vices, and virtues, and the Liber Divinorum Operum (Book of Divine Works), a theological reflection on the universe and humanity’s place in creation.
Contributions to Music
Hildegard is also recognized for her exceptional musical talent. She composed numerous liturgical chants, collected in the Symphonia armoniae celestium revelationum ("Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations"). Her compositions, distinguished by their melodic originality and exalted lyricism, are considered masterpieces of medieval sacred music.
Among her most famous musical works is the Ordo Virtutum, a dramatic piece that can be seen as one of the earliest examples of liturgical drama. This musical play depicts a symbolic struggle between virtues and the forces of evil, embodied by Latin chants of striking intensity. Through her music, Hildegard expresses a vibrant spirituality and a cosmic vision of the divine.
Work in Medicine and Natural Sciences
Hildegard of Bingen’s medical works demonstrate her advanced knowledge of plants, minerals, animals, and their therapeutic properties. They also reflect her holistic vision of health, where body, mind, and soul are intrinsically linked. Among her major contributions are two fundamental treatises: the Physica and the Causae et Curae.
The Physica, also called The Book of the Subtleties of Divine Creatures, is a vast encyclopedia of natural resources and their medicinal uses. Structured into nine books, this work explores the healing properties of plants, animals, and stones, while integrating a spiritual perspective. Hildegard describes each element as a divine creation with a specific function in the natural balance.
The Causae et Curae focuses more on the causes of diseases and their treatments. In this work, Hildegard adopts an innovative approach by combining medical knowledge inherited from Antiquity with her own observations. She proposes a vision where bodily imbalances reflect spiritual or emotional disorders. She describes practical treatments such as specific diets, baths, or the use of plant-based preparations. She also incorporates concepts related to humorism, an ancient medical theory that considers health dependent on the balance of the body’s four humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm (the origin of bloodletting as a treatment).
The Lingua Ignota: The Unknown Language
Among the most intriguing aspects of Hildegard’s work is the invention of a constructed language, which she called the Lingua Ignota ("Unknown Language"). Composed of new words and an original alphabet, this language is described in some of her manuscripts. While the exact purpose of this creation remains debated, it may have served to express mystical concepts or to offer a unique intellectual escape.
The Woman of Hops?
A rather unusual legend attributes the many beer productions of monasteries to Hildegard. In fact, she did mention hops as a remedy for certain ailments. Her writings having had great resonance, this might explain why so many monasteries today have hop fields and thus beer production.
At the time, these were actually ingredients for medicinal mixtures only, which have since evolved into this other production, likely to find a new resource to keep these places alive.
A Woman of Influence
Hildegard of Bingen undertook several journeys across western Germany, motivated by what she perceived as divine commands received during her visions.
Source: Le Pèlerin
These journeys, made between the ages of 60 and 72, took her to cities such as Cologne, Trier, Metz, Mainz, Würzburg, and Bamberg, as well as various monasteries and abbeys.
During these travels, Hildegard preached publicly, addressing both clergy and laity, to remind them of God’s ways and to fight against heretical movements like Catharism (dissident Christians).
She corresponded extensively with prominent figures in the Church and politics, even addressing the pope and emperor directly. Her authority extended far beyond the walls of her establishments, and she was recognized as a true prophetess of her time. These foundations and her active life testify to her visionary genius and unwavering dedication to her spiritual mission.
The Legacy of Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen left a lasting mark on her era and the centuries that followed through the breadth of her influence, both spiritual and intellectual. Even during her lifetime, she enjoyed recognition that went beyond the limits of her monastery. These exchanges reveal a bold woman, advising the great figures of her world on spiritual, moral, and even political matters, with an authority rarely granted to a woman in the medieval context. She was seen as a prophetess, and her visions were widely regarded as divine messages. This public and official recognition allowed her to preach publicly, an exceptional practice for a woman at that time.
Source: Abbey of Saint Hildegard
After her death in 1179, Hildegard’s influence continued to grow, although her official canonization was delayed. For centuries, she was venerated locally as a saint, but it was only in 2012 that Pope Benedict XVI carried out an equivalent canonization, officially recognizing her status throughout the Catholic Church. That same year, she was proclaimed Doctor of the Church, a prestigious title recognizing the depth and universality of her spiritual teaching. She thus became one of the few women to receive this distinction, joining figures such as Teresa of Ávila and Catherine of Siena.
