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 Hildegard
von Bingen
By Morgan Ungerott
Imagine in your mind eleventh-century, medieval
Europe . It is the age of kings, queens, and
knights. It is an age of feudal lords, peasants,
castles and the building of the great
cathedrals, such as Chartres , and Notre Dame.
Europe is not completely peaceful. Small fights,
land disputes, and various religious battles
rage on throughout the lands. Yet, to one family
in Germany , living in a small town called
Bingen, something quite momentous was about to
occur-the birth of their tenth child they would
call "Hildegard."
It was 1098 when Hildegard came into the world.
Although she was the daughter of a Knight, a
custom of the time was that the tenth child was
dedicated to the church at birth, because the
family might have
difficulty feeding the child,
with so many others around. So, at eight years
old Hildegard was sent to receive a religious
education from an "anchoress" named Jutta who
worked in a monastery at Mount St. Disibode. (An
"anchor" of the church was an even more
difficult religious career than becoming a nun.)
At eighteen, Hildegard became a nun, and by the
time she was thirty-eight, she was named head of
the nuns at the monastery.
This story of Hildegard the nun
is perhaps unremarkable so far. During the
medieval period many young women entered the
convent and pursued a life of religious
commitment. Hildegard's story does not end at
this point, and in fact will become much more
significant.
Around 1140-1150, Hildegard
experienced "visions" of meaningful religious
events. After much personal deliberation, she
finally felt lead to write down and interpret
her visions so that what she experienced could
be shared with others in the religious
community. It took Hildegard ten years to write
of her visions, which she entitled the “Scivias”
or “Know the Ways.”
Pope Eugenius III became
interested in her writings and sent
representatives to meet her and bring back
samples of her writing. The Pope was pleased
with what he read and gave Hildegard and her
“Scivias” a blessing. Word traveled fast around
the early Catholic churches and many girls and
women traveled to meet Hildegard. As a result,
her monastery at St. Disibode-which was shared
with monks and nuns-became overcrowded. She
decided to relocate and create a new monastery
just for women on a mountainside in Rupertsberg.
Hildegard was instrumental in both the design
and construction of the new monastery. It was a
difficult process but included one of the
first-mentioned uses of metal pipes to bring
fresh, running water indoors.
After the construction of the
new monastery was complete and the women had
moved in, Hildegard returned to her religious
study and output. Between 1158 and 1170 she
traveled through southern Germany , Paris , and
Switzerland on horseback and boat preaching at
small churches and cathedrals. Her sermons were
reported to be so interesting that written
copies were often requested. It was also during
this time that she began to compose music, an
activity that would help keep Hildegard's name
alive throughout history.
Hildegard von Bingen composed
seventy-two songs, which are called plainchants
or Gregorian chants. Her melodies have been
described as beautiful and ethereal and she is
considered one of the most important female
composers of all time. Her compositions are
especially important because of the
male-dominated world of the medieval period. In
addition to her plainchants, she wrote a play
with musical accompaniment, nearly seventy
poems, and nine books. Two of her books were
written about herbal medicine and the human
body, and the others were about saints and
theological texts. In addition, over one hundred
of her letters to kings, bishops, Popes, and
other leaders still exist. Music, however, was
Hildegard's passion. She wrote:
"Sometimes when we hear a song
we breathe deeply and sigh. This reminds the
prophet that the soul arises from heavenly
harmony. In thinking about this, he was aware
that the soul has something in itself of this
music."
Hildegard von Bingen died
September 17, 1179 at the age of 81. Nine
hundred years later her music is available on
CD, her books have been translated into many
languages, and her writings are collected in
important religious texts. The Catholic Church
has never officially canonized her, but in
Germany she is referred to as a saint. She was
an incredible woman, especially when she is
compared to the typical role or status of women
during the middle ages. Hildegard has been and
is a positive model for all women throughout
time and today.
Morgan Karen Anne Ungerott grew
up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and attended
Cuyahoga Falls High School. Played girls
basketball and tennis, class officer, choir
member, graduated with honors. She is currently
attending Cleveland State University, majoring
in Education, and playing on the women's tennis
team.
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