Who was Hildegard of Bingen?

by Holger Vornholt

About the Author: Holger Vornholt has worked as a freelance author for German publishers since 1996. Specialising in history, health, and enjoyment, he has written widely on healthy eating and drinking in both articles and books. He lives with his family in Augsburg, Germany.

Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098 near Alzey in the German Rhineland, as the tenth child of the nobleman Hildebert of Bermersheim and his wife, Mechthild. She was born into an era when the Crusaders were attempting to take the Holy Land from the Arabs and the conflict between empire and papacy in Europe was at its height. From the moment of Hildegard’s birth, her parents were determined that their child would lead a religious life, by way of a “tithe” to God.

Her exceptionally keen interest in her environment was noticeable from her infancy, and she astonished her parents by experiencing her first visions at the age of three. On November 1, 1106, at the age of eight, she was sent to Disibodenberg Monastery, where she was placed under the tutelage of Jutta von Sponheim. Jutta took Hildegard into her anchorite’s cell to prepare Hildegard for her vocation, which she assumed sometime between 1112 and 1115, taking her vows as a Benedictine nun.

At Disibodenberg Over the following years, Hildegard was educated in the virtues and in music, although as a woman she was denied access to the medieval sciences. Officially, therefore, she was regarded throughout her lifetime as “untaught.” Despite this, she acquired—at her own initiative and with the support of her confessor, Volmar—a wealth of knowledge that she supplemented with her own observations and whose breadth is quite astonishing even by modern standards.

In 1136, Jutta von Sponheim died and a new abbess had to be found for the monastery

she had led for three decades. Hildegard was chosen, and—after some reflection—she eventually accepted the role. Just five years later, in 1141, Hildegard began to experience her famous visions, which she documented, with Volmar’s assistance, in her work Scivias. The title comes from the Latin phrase sci vias, meaning “know the ways.” The work created quite a stir, attracting the attention of such august figures as Pope Eugene III and St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

Strictly speaking, women were not allowed to write books at that time, but from then on,

Hildegard was authorized by the pope to use the official title of prophetess. She was a magnet that attracted young people who flocked to Disibodenberg until the monastery began to burst at the seams. In 1150, despite many difficulties, she eventually succeeded in founding a new convent at Rupertsberg, which was funded by gifts from noble families. Hildegard became abbess, and after a long search, she finally managed to secure the preeminent Emperor Frederick Barbarossa as secular patron.

Writings on Natural Science

Hildegard’s second major work, The Book of Subtleties of the Diverse Nature of Things, was written between 1151 and 1158. The first part—titled Physica—was a comprehensive natural history containing descriptions of numerous animals and plants, along with early references to the healing powers of certain plants. In the second part of the work, she set out her medical knowledge. The book, Causae et Curae (“Causes and Cures”), remains highly relevant to this day in its holistic approach to mind and body, and it still holds the key to many a mystery. While the main emphasis of Hildegard’s medicine was on healing herbs, she used other plants to treat diseases too and described the curative effects of fruit trees— apple, quince, pear, cherry, apricot, plum, birch, chestnut, and elder—as well as those of more exotic plants such as aloe vera, galangal, and ginger. Grains—particularly spelt, oats, and rye—also had their place in her medicine chest.

Continue reading in Spring 2026 / Issue 85 of Watkins Mind Body Spirit to discover the later years of Hildegard’s life, the expansion of her monasteries, and the enduring legacy of her medicine, music, and spiritual vision.