Saint · High medieval
Saint Hildegard of Bingen
- Period
- 1098–1179
- Feast day
- 17 September
- Associated region
- Rhineland, Germany
Overview
Benedictine abbess, visionary writer, composer and Doctor of the Church.
Key timeline
3 events
- 1136
Becomes magistra
- 1141–1151
Scivias written
- 2012
Doctor of the Church
Life
Enclosed as a child at Disibodenberg, she became magistra in 1136 and later founded her own monastery at Rupertsberg. She wrote theology, natural science and medicine, composed liturgical music and corresponded with popes and emperors.
Principal written sources
- Scivias
- Book of Life’s Merits
- Book of Divine Works
- Symphonia (songs)
- Letters
- Life of Hildegard by Godfrey and Theoderic
Full timeline
- 1136
Becomes magistra
- 1141–1151
Scivias written
- 1179
Death
- 2012
Doctor of the Church
Tradition
In 2012 Pope Benedict XVI extended her canonisation to the whole Church and named her a Doctor of the Church.
- Feast day
- 17 September
- Venerated in (starting dataset)
- Catholic, Anglican. Venerated locally for centuries; the Catholic Church extended her cult to the universal Church in 2012.
- Patronage and roles (starting dataset)
- Musicians, Natural Scientists, Writers
- Places
- Disibodenberg · Rupertsberg near Bingen · Eibingen
Accounts
Accounts in the starting dataset
The source workbook lists these under “Confirmed Miracle / Key Event”. The Atlas does not treat them as confirmed: each is labelled by the kind of evidence behind it.
Own accountHer own account
“Luminous visions of 'Living Light' from age 3 describing natural sciences”
Hildegard describes visions of the “Living Light” from early childhood.
Own accountHer own claim
“Spontaneous composition of complex musical chants without training”
She said she had no formal training in music; scholars treat this partly as a conventional expression of humility.
Sources
About the image · Attributed image
Hildegard receiving a vision, author picture from the Scivias (Rupertsberg manuscript, ca. 1175), shown from a reproduction. A work of art made in her lifetime, shown as a depiction and not as a likeness: it is not a portrait.
The Rupertsberg manuscript has been lost since 1945; this image comes from the reproduction tradition made before then. Resolution is limited (960 px wide).
Author picture from Hildegard of Bingen’s Scivias, Rupertsberg manuscript (lost since 1945), anonymous. Reproduction via Wikimedia Commons, “Hildegard von Bingen.jpg”, ca. 1175. Public domain (a faithful reproduction of a public-domain work), as tagged on Wikimedia Commons (the tag was not re-checked for this release). Source
Editorial status
Editorial draft. Built from the starting workbook with editorial corrections and framing. It has not yet been checked against independent sources.
References
Workbook linkNot yet checked
britannica.com (opens in a new tab)
Link supplied in the source workbook (“Top 100 Saints”, row 73). It has not been checked to confirm that it supports every claim in that row.
Original workbook record
Imported unchanged from “Top 100 Saints”, row 73. Values here are the starting dataset, not verified facts; where the Atlas differs, the reason is noted below.
- #
- 65
- Saint / Title
- Saint Hildegard of Bingen
- Primary Traditions Veneration
- Catholic, Anglican
- Feast Day(s)
- Sept 17
- Era / Lived
- 1098 – 1179 AD
- Origin / Region
- Bingen, Germany
- Patronage & Major Roles
- Musicians, Natural Scientists, Writers
- Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 1
- Luminous visions of 'Living Light' from age 3 describing natural sciences
- Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 2
- Spontaneous composition of complex musical chants without training
- Key Contribution / Historical Significance
- German Benedictine abbess, polymath, mystic, composer, and Doctor of Church.
- Reference Link
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Hildegard
Editorial notes on this record
- Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 1–2: Self-descriptions presented as confirmed miracles.