Hildegard of Bingen – Saint, Church Doctor, Universal Scholar, Role Model

Hildegard von Bingen (1098 – 1179) is one of the most important women of the German Middle Ages. It is assumed that Hildegard was born at her family’s ancestral home in what is now Niederhosenbach. She is still known worldwide today, and her knowledge remains relevant and important to us. The nun founded a monastery in Bingen around 1150 and wrote medical, scientific, and theological books, was a composer, prophetess, member of the Benedictines, and a universal scholar. She wrote numerous works, such as Know the Ways - LIBER SCIVIAS. She is considered Germany’s first literary female doctor. For us, her extensive herbal teachings and what today would be called holistic medical-scientific knowledge are especially interesting: In the “Book of Compound Remedies on Causes, Signs, and Cures of Diseases,” Hildegard von Bingen deals with human diseases from head to toe and gives instructions on healthy living.

The “Book of Simple Remedies Ordered According to the Creation Story” includes Hildegard’s teachings on remedies. It was revolutionary for its time. In the work, Hildegard primarily describes native medicinal and useful plants and their properties. In total, about 300 species are included. Among them are more than 20 foreign plants and spices such as pepper, camphor, clove, date, and nutmeg, which Hildegard could not have known as living plants.

Hildegard von Bingen was a strong woman

The abbess Hildegard of Bingen inspires with her extensive herbal knowledge and her holistic teachings about body and soul. She had visions and convictions, was a strong woman, and was not deterred from her path by anything.

Although or perhaps precisely because she herself suffered from health problems, she set out to explore nature, humans, and their interconnections. Today, we can learn a lot from her insights to regain balance in our lives.

The holistic teachings of Hildegard of Bingen

Overall, Hildegard of Bingen's healing art is less about repairing and therapeutically correcting diseases and more about turning toward a moderate, meaningful, and healthy lifestyle; in other words, a very modern, holistic way of thinking. The powers of medicinal plants support this approach.

A special focus of Hildegard of Bingen's herbal knowledge is on bitter substances. We at Bitterkraft want to help preserve this ancient knowledge of Hildegard of Bingen and pass on her insights and recipes as a means of self-help. On this basis, we developed the BitterKraft! series. But who was the person Hildegard of Bingen? Learn more here about the life, work, and impact of this impressive woman.

Who was Hildegard of Bingen, actually?

In 1098, Hildegard was born as the youngest of ten siblings. Her exact birth date is unknown. She experienced her famous visions already as a child.

She is also said to have had a frail constitution. At the age of eight, she became an oblate in a hermitage on the Disibodenberg. The hermitage was under the protection of Benedictine monks. Under the supervision of Jutta of Sponheim, Hildegard grew closer to God there and learned a great deal that later helped her.

At that time, Benedictine monasteries were true centers of science, art, and education, from which Hildegard greatly benefited. She received a broad education that introduced her not only to theology but also to the "Artes Liberales," including grammar, rhetoric, dialectic, as well as arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music.

Hildegard's rise as a Benedictine

At the age of 15, Hildegard took her vow and was officially admitted to the Benedictine order. The small hermitage grew into a monastery, and Jutta led it for some time. When Jutta died in 1136, Hildegard, at 38 years old, was unanimously elected as the new magistra (mother of the women's community). Due to her health issues, she accepted the election only reluctantly.

Her relaxation of Jutta's rather strict rules was not met with approval by the Benedictine monks, especially Abbot Kuno of Disibodenberg. However, the future saint was very popular, which benefited the monastery on the Disibodenberg. But Hildegard had other plans: she wanted to found her own community.

From Hildegard of Bermersheim near Alzey to Hildegard of Bingen

During a synod in Trier in 1147, Hildegard received permission from Pope Eugene III to publish her visions. Between 1148 and 1150, she put her plan into action. Hildegard, together with 18 sisters, founded the Rupertsberg monastery, which was located above the grave of Rupert of Bingen. This is how she earned the name we now associate with natural healing and visions: Hildegard of Bingen, a visionary and saint.

Unfortunately, the monastery site was destroyed in 1632 during the Thirty Years' War and has not been rebuilt since. During Hildegard of Bingen's lifetime, the monastery and community prospered. The priory was so popular that the abbess soon founded a daughter monastery in Eibingen. This still exists today as the Abbey of St. Hildegard and can be visited.

Tracking divine visions

Even before her move to the Rupertsberg monastery, Hildegard began to attract public attention. She remained weakened by illness but continued to have divine visions. From 1141 onwards, the divine visions she had experienced since childhood became so intense that she began to write them down.

At first, she was unsure whether the inspirations were truly divine in nature and whether she should share them, but in 1147 she received permission personally from Pope Eugene III. The copies of her visions were published, and Hildegard of Bingen's popularity grew. It is said that during her lifetime she was reverently called the "Table Companion of God".

The creation of Scivias and new monastic knowledge

Her main work Scivias, which translates to "Know the Ways," was created over a period of about six years between 1141 and 1147. Hildegard of Bingen's political influence increased further with its publication. Subsequent books about her visions include Liber vitae meritorum ("Book of the Merits of Life") and Liber divinorum operum ("World and Man"). These books could be described as visionary ethics.

Gradually, she began to explore the connection between nature and humans as well as body and soul, laying the foundation for a holistic natural science and nutrition. Her innovative ideas and fresh perspectives on the world and its inhabitants grew into enormous monastic knowledge, whose success proved her right. Many people made pilgrimages to Hildegard of Bingen and the Rupertsberg monastery to seek advice there.

The Strength of Hildegard von Bingen

Hildegard von Bingen was highly respected by her followers, and her charismatic, confident presence eventually brought her great fame beyond the borders of her community. In the Roman Catholic Church, she was already venerated as a saint at that time and stood as the symbol of a strong woman, which was very unusual in the Middle Ages. The first request for her canonization was made as early as 1228. On May 10, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI extended her veneration to the universal Church. Hildegard von Bingen impressively proved, contrary to the common opinion of the time, that women can discover new knowledge on their own – whether theological or scientific.

On September 17, 1179, Hildegard von Bingen passed away at the remarkable age of 81 years at the Rupertsberg monastery.

Hildegard von Bingen – knowledgeable and admired in many fields

Today, we build on Hildegard's insights. Our BitterKraft! is based on her herbal teachings, and the fasting from Ash Wednesday can also be wonderfully done using her fasting methods. Let yourself be transported into Hildegard von Bingen's spiritual and balanced world!

The Hildegard von Bingen Monastery

Hildegard von Bingen moved into the Inklusorium at the age of 14, more precisely into the part of the women's cloister at the Disibodenberg monastery that was closed off from the outside world. By the way, it was in the halls of this monastery that she began her work “Scivias - Know the Ways of the Lord”. Today, only ruins remain of this monastery, which are often visited by Hildegard followers.

As mentioned above, Hildegard of Bingen was not satisfied with that. She dreamed of founding her own monastery – and she did. In 1147, she laid the foundation for the Rupertsberg monastery, which was located on the grave of Rupert of Bingen. This led to the name change from Hildegard of Bermersheim near Alzey to Hildegard of Bingen.

Unfortunately, the monastery was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. Although nuns repeatedly tried to live in and rebuild the ruins, they were unsuccessful. In Rupertsberg, the last abbess resigned in 1642. A daughter monastery remains, which was founded personally by Hildegard of Bingen in Eibingen. During her lifetime, she traveled between the two monasteries every two weeks. Even though the monastery in Eibingen eventually became a ruin, supporters of Hildegard repeatedly called for its restoration.

It was continuously inhabited until about 1803, when secularization ended monastic life.

In the mid-19th century, nobles in the area promoted the preservation of the memory of Hildegard of Bingen. Leading this effort was Bishop Peter Josef Blum of Limburg. At his initiative, the St. Hildegard Abbey was built on the hill above Eibingen – conceptually as the successor to the daughter monastery in Eibingen. Even today, over 50 Benedictine nuns live and work there. Canonically, St. Hildegard Abbey is recognized as the successor of the monasteries of Eibingen and Rupertsberg.

Cause of death of Hildegard of Bingen

The date of Hildegard of Bingen's death is September 17, 1179. She died at the age of 81. Her official vita states that she was informed of her death by God.

She is said to have announced her death to her sisters in the monastery. She was said to be composed because numerous illnesses had accompanied her throughout her life – the possibility of death was equally her constant companion. According to eyewitness reports, a light was seen over her grave for days after her death. Some wound healings are also said to have occurred at her grave. Since this reportedly attracted so many visitors, the Bishop of Mainz had to forbid Hildegard of Bingen from performing further miracles at the grave. After that, these are said to have stopped.

Hildegard of Bingen Violet Cream

For natural cosmetics, the holy abbess Hildegard of Bingen made a major contribution with her violet cream. Today, we assume that her discovery of the skin-care properties of violet cream is related to the secondary plant compounds it contains. Her writings contain much about the "healing power" of violets, along with recipes to release this healing power.

Hildegard of Bingen Teas

Hildegard of Bingen conducted numerous studies on herbs and their effects. Herbal medicine gained many insights through her. In her writings, the holy abbess records which herbs have proven effective for which ailments. For colds, she recommends lovage, licorice, wild thyme, or sweet cicely. For lung diseases, Hildegard of Bingen relied on caraway, lavender, and ground ivy. The mere fact that many people today no longer know some of these herbs shows how grateful we must be to Hildegard for her work.

In particular, Hildegard of Bingen discovered how beneficial essential oils can be for humans. Her herbal knowledge also deals with which plants contain which essential oils and which ailments they can help with.

Hildegard of Bingen Books

We should be grateful to Saint Hildegard of Bingen for having written numerous books and works and for these being preserved through her monasteries. Her most popular work is SCIVIAS (Latin for "Know the Ways"). The book consists of three parts, which deal with the relationship between humans, God, and Lucifer. Ultimately, the question is posed as to who will redeem humanity from evil. Broadly speaking, the first part of the book is a treatise on God, the second on Jesus, and the third on the Holy Spirit.

Her work LIBER VITAE MERITORUM (The Book of Life’s Merits) deals with how a person can do good in this world or live according to the good. The book is structured like a play and is very interesting for understanding the thoughts of the holy abbess.

For Hildegard medicine, her two works PHYSICA and CAUSAE ET CURAE were significant. In the first work, which contains a full 513 chapters, she writes about herbs, animals, plants, and even the origin of metals. Numerous recipes are intended to promote human health, which is why this work is definitely worth reading even today.

The work CAUSAE ET CURAE deals with diseases and their causes or cures. This also provides an interesting insight into the medical knowledge during the time of Saint Hildegard of Bingen.

Furthermore, Hildegard of Bingen was an author and advisor to many influential figures of her time, such as Frederick Barbarossa and the Pope.

What did Hildegard of Bingen leave for posterity?

On one hand, she is a saint, among other reasons because she is said to have performed miracles after her death. This gives believers hope, which is a central part of her legacy. On the other hand, she left behind her monastic communities. Although today only the Abbey of St. Hildegard remains, two monasteries founded by Hildegard of Bingen once flourished. Finally, there is her wealth of knowledge: works like PHYSICA are still valuable today and help some people live healthier lives.