Hildegard von Bingen part 5: The Later Years

In 1171 Hildegard completed her last preaching tour when she was 73 years old and two years later her long-time secretary died. However, she continued to write despite all of her monastery work. Unfortunately, Hildegard was briefly in trouble with her church during her last year for providing a Christian burial for a man who was excommunicated. However, she stated that the man repented on his deathbed and received sacraments. She also protested eloquently when her convent was subject for indictment. This indictment was later revoked. Hildegard von Bingen died on September 17, 1179 at the age of 81.

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Hildegard von Bingen part 4: Preachings and Writings

Hildegard lead a very active life of preaching and writing as well as being a nurse-physician in the infirmary at Mount St. Dusubide. Often prolific in her writing, she would often write about the duty of seeing to it that every person has the opportunity to use the talents that God has given them and to realize their God-given potential. She would also write about social justice and freeing the downtrodden as well as writing several medical texts. She also wrote more than 72 songs, including a morality play set to music. Being one of the largest repertoires of the medieval composers, 80 of Hidegard's works have survived. Among her best known works is the Ordo Virtutum ("Order of the Virtues" or "Play of the Virtues"), a type of early oratorio for women's voices, with one male part, that of the Devil.

Unlike so many women of her time, Hildegard von Bingen was often asked by abbots and abbesses for prayers and opinions on various matters as well as traveling widely during her four preaching tours, the only woman to have done so during the Middle Ages. She also communicated with various Popes which included Anastasius IV and Eugene III as well as various emperors and statesmen. Hildegard traveled and preached throughout southern Germany, Switzerland and even Paris. Deeply moved by her sermons, people asked her to provide written copies of them for their own readings. Her use of metaphor, as well as non verbal means in communication and visual imagery helped reach out to those that were hard of hearing or totally deaf.

Hildegard von Bingen part 3: Hildegard's Visions and Writings

Hidegard was 38 years old when Jutta died, leaving her as head of the convent while living within the cramped walls of the anchorage. She later moved the community to a new monastery on the Rupertsberg at Bingen on the Rhine. Five years after her election as magistra in 1141, Hildegard received a prophetic call from God telling her to write down everything she would  observe in her visions. This vision gave her instant understanding of the meaning of the religious texts.

"And it came to pass ... when I was 42 years and 7 months old, that the heavens were opened and a blinding light of exceptional brilliance flowed through my entire brain. And so it kindled my whole heart and breast like a flame, not burning but warming... and suddenly I understood of the meaning of expositions of the book"

However, feeling of inadequacy overwhelmed her as well:

"But although I heard and saw these things,because of doubt and low opinion of myself and because of diverse sayings of men, I refused for a long time a call to write, not out of stubbornness but out of humility, until weighed down by a scourge of  God, I fell onto a bed of sickness."

Hildegard von Bingen part 2: The Early Years

Hildegard von Bingen was born at Rheinhesse in Germany on September 16, 1098 to Hildebert and Mechthild von Bermersheim. They were a family of nobles in the service of the counts of Sponheim; close relatives of the Hohenstaufen emperors. Hildegard was also the youngest daughter of 10 children and was dedicated to the church at birth.  

She started to see visions of luminous objects at a very early age and continued to have these visions throughout her life; however, she kept those visions to herself with the exception of telling a couple of her instructors. At the age of 8, Hildegard was sent to a monastery in Germany called Disibodenberg to receive religious training from instructors Jutta and Volmar who found out about her visions. Jutta, the sister of Count Meinhard of Sponheim, also served as an anchoress. An anchor or anchoress was a monk or a nun who spent their lives in complete solitude devoting their lives to God through prayer,contemplation, or hand working activities.  Volmar was a St. Disibod monk who acted as prior and father confessor for the nuns

at Disibodenberg.

Artist Title Song Soundtrack Label