A Woman Of Today

Youll be surprised at how Germanys most famous medieval saint was into spiritual healing, eating well, and the joy of cookies.

- Yen Cantiga

You could say that Hildegard von Bingen was a woman way ahead of her time.

Born around the year 1098, she accomplished so much in an era when women were not highly regarded by society. As a Benedictine abbess, Hildegard wrote books, composed music, and advised world leaders. She was a known mystic, writer, composer, philosopher, visionary, and sage.

In spite of all her many accomplishments, it took 800 years before she was formally canonized! But that didn’t stop her followers—who revered her and who have referred to her as “St. Hildegard” for centuries. Her canonization was finally held in 2012, when Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI announced that Hildegard von Bingen should be inscribed in the catalogue of saints. Months later, St. Hildegard was named a Doctor of the Church.

Pope Benedict XVI honored her by saying, “Let us always invoke the Holy Spirit, so that he may inspire in the Church holy and courageous women like Saint Hildegard of Bingen who, developing the gifts they have received from God, make their own special and valuable contribution to the spiritual development of our communities and of the Church in our time.”

LIFE BEGINS AT 40

Also referred to as Sibyl of the Rhine, St. Hildegard had prophetic and apocalyptic visions ever since she was young, but only started to record them—along with her observations and theories— at the age of 43. She is considered as one of the first women to write about science and scripture in the Middle Ages. For her amazing work, she was recognized by then Pope Eugene III, who encouraged her to continue writing. She was also a critical adviser of rulers, including the German Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa.