Hildegard_von_Bingen_englisch

Hildegard of Bingen
Historical Sites

Hildegard of Bingen
(1098–1179)
Feast day 17 September
Prophet and teacher throughout the ages
Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) is regarded as one of the most important
women of the German Middle Ages, and is known today far
beyond the borders of her Rhenish homeland. Not only her contemporaries
were drawn to her; she continues to attract people today who
seek for sense and direction in their belief, for wholeness, and for salvation.
On October 7, 2012 Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed Hildegard of Bingen
a Doctor of the Church, an honour that in the entire history of
the Church has been accorded to only thirty men and four women.
St. Hildegard’s theological, musical and scientific work, and the way
she saw herself, are strongly marked by vision and prophecy. Both the
divine origin of what she visualized and heard in the “living light”,
and her sense of mission, are special features of her character. St. Hildegard
wanted to stir up the conscience of the people of her time and
to oppose godlessness. Nevertheless, she did not preach unworldly
inwardness at all. Her aim was the religious interpretation of the
whole universe, and a consistently Christian life. Heaven and earth,
faith and natural science, human existence in all its facets and potentials,
everything was a mirror of divine love to her, a gift and challenge
at the same time.
Hildegard’s writings drew especially from the scriptures, the liturgy,
and the Rule of St. Benedict – that is from the same sources she lived
as a religious in the Benedictine Order. But she also knew the Fathers
of the Church and the great theological thinkers of her time. In her
first work, “SCIVIAS – Know the Ways of the Lord”, she contemplated
the history of creation and salvation from the origin of the world
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Prophet and teacher throughout the ages
A Beuronese-style
portrait of Hildegard,
St. Hildegard’s abbey
and the human race, through the birth of the Church and Christ’s
salvation, to the fulfilment of the Last Days. The eternal story of God
and mankind, its turning away from and return to the Creator, is
brought to life in ever-changing pictures. What is impressive about
Hildegard’s visionary writings is, above all, her powerful eloquence.
Thus Hildegard proves herself not only a sovereign theologian, but
also a dramatist, poet and composer. The latter aspect found expression
in the composition of 77 chants and a mystical play “Ordo Virtutum
– Play of Virtues”, portraying in 35 dramatic dialogues the eternal
struggle between good and evil. Theologically, she raised the same
theme again in her second major work, the “Liber Vitae Meritorum –
Book of the Merits of Life”. According to Hildegard’s basic ideas, man
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Prophet and teacher throughout the ages
4

Prophet and teacher throughout the ages
Pope Benedict XVI
servant of the servants of God, to be remembered in perpetuity:
“We declare by virtue of our Apostolic Office, for the honour of
God, the increase of faith and the propagation of the Christian
life, that Hildegard of Bingen, nun of the Order of St. Benedict,
is a saint to be entered in the catalogue of saints, and who may
with pious devotion be revered and invoked among the saints
of the Universal Church.
We know with assurance that our consideration to proceed with
the canonization, now formally ratified, of this woman who was
endowed with a saintly life and theological knowledge will bear
spiritual fruit within the Church. Hildegard devoted herself fully
to God’s work, which she made most intensely her own, with
steadfast commitment, bearing daily witness that God and His
Kingdom took first place above all other things. From her union
with Christ flowed, as from a spring, her spiritual abundance,
which not only enlightened her age but has made her an enduring
model of the quest for truth and dialogue with the world.”
From the Proclamation of Canonization (Litterae Decretales) of
May 10, 2012, on the ratification of the canonization of Hildegard
of Bingen.
is created as a free being. All his life the decision is left to him to live
up to his calling as God’s image, founded in the act of creation. “Man,
become what you already are – a human being.” This saying could
certainly be taken from Hildegard’s thought.
October 7, 2012: Pope Benedict XVI in St. Peter’s Square in Rome
after proclaiming St. Hildegard of Bingen a Doctor of the Church
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Prophet and teacher throughout the ages
Pope Benedict XVI
to be remembered in perpetuity:
“In fulfilment of the wish of numerous brother bishops and
many Christians throughout the world, and in consultation
with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, we proclaim
with assured knowledge and after mature consideration in
the fullness of our Apostolic Office St. Hildegard of Bingen,
nun of the Order of St. Benedict, to be a Doctor of the
Universal Church. In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.
The teaching of the holy Benedictine nun stands as a
signpost to homo viator, the human pilgrim. Her message
appears extraordinarily relevant in the modern world, which
is particularly receptive towards the totality of values
that she propagated and lived. We think, for instance, of
Hildegard’s charismatic and speculative gifts, which appear
a vital spur to theological inquiry; of her reflections on the
beauty of Christ’s mystery; of the dialogue of the Church
and of theology with culture, science, and contemporary art;
on the ideal of the consecrated life as a way to human selfrealization;
of the revaluation of the liturgy as a celebration
of life; of the idea of reforming the Church not as a sterile
changing of structures but as an inner change of heart; and
of her sensitivity to the natural world, whose laws are to be
protected, not violated.”
From the Apostolic Letter (Litterae Apostolicae) of October 7,
2012, proclaiming Hildegard of Bingen a Doctor of the Universal
Church.
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Prophet and teacher throughout the ages
“The Choirs of Angels” – miniature from the
Rupertsberg SCIVIAS codex of St. Hildegard
In her third work, “Liber Divinorum
Operum – Book of Divine
Works”, a monumental
cosmic scripture, Hildegard depicts
the world as a divine artwork.
The human being is seen
as a microcosm reflecting in
every physical and mental aspect
the laws of the whole macrocosm.
All things are interrelated,
linked mutually and
inseparably united in God.
The idea of oneness and wholeness
is also a key to Hildegard’s
writings on nature and medicine.
These are completely characterized
by the idea that the
salvation and curing of a sick person can only come from turning towards
God, who alone brings forth good works and a measured order
in life. In this respect Hildegard was not only a prophet of her time,
she can give guidance and orientation to people today, too.
St. Hildegard gave lasting expression to her prophetic ideas in her
letters, of which 390 have been handed down. They are a testimony
of fearless directness, radical truthfulness, concerned admonition, refreshing
and humorous generosity, personal commitment to the poor,
and far-reaching influence in church politics. Hildegard was an acknowledged
authority in her time. Many asked her advice, even if it
was not always pleasant. She was and remains a thorn in the flesh of
the Church and the world, and a true Doctor of the Church, right up
to the present day. She died on September 17, 1179 in her Rupertsberg
Monastery, near Bingen.
Sr. Philippa Rath OSB
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Bermersheim
Baptismal church of Hildegard in Bermersheim vor der Höhe, today used by both confessions
as simultaneous church
Bermersheim
The middle Rhine region between the Nahe and the southern knee of
the River Rhine, which formerly was a province of the Grand Duchy
of Hessen on the left side of the Rhine, is up to today called “Rheinhessen”.
It is a historical region showing traits of the Bronze Age and
the Iron Age (2000 BC) and, furthermore, of later settlements by the
Celts, the Romans, the Germans, and finally – after being integrated
into Franconia – by Frankish settlers. It has always been the fate of
this Rhine-Nahe region as a frontier and transit-area to be more exposed
to “change and destruction” than other parts of Germany.
“Portrait of the Author: Hildegard and her Secretary Volmar” –
miniature from the Rupertsberg SCIVIAS codex of St. Hildegard
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Bermersheim
This has to be kept in mind when searching for traces of Hildegard’s
life. She was born in 1098 in Bermersheim (Rheinhessen) as the
tenth child of the nobleman Hildebert of Bermersheim and his wife
Mechthild. There is no indication today in this small, peaceful village
that once it was the ancestral seat and territory of a ruling family,
who distinguished itself both by “higher nobility and abundant
wealth” as well as “illustrious reputation and name” – according to
the Hildegard Vita. Indeed, Bermersheim may claim to look back on
a history for centuries – like so many other Franconian settlements,
the names of which end with the syllable ‘‐heim’. Already in the
second half of the eighth century it is called a “closed village landmark”
in deeds of donation of the Lorsch Monastery – its origin
must thus be dated back even earlier. Sole witness of that time could
only be the small church, whose solid steeple may well be erected
more than a thousand years ago; apart from that – as mentioned already
– “decay and destruction” have claimed their sacrifices. There
still exists, however, a manuscript of 1731 “Renovation of the Bermersheim
stock-books” recording that a manor house stood right
next to the church. Hence it may be assumed that – as was usual in
the Middle Ages – the small church was connected with the Bermersheim
manor house and thus, most likely, had been Hildegard’s
baptistery.
But how sure can we be today that Hildegard really was born at Bermersheim?
Around 1500 Abbot Trithemius of the monastery of
Sponheim alleges in a biography of Hildegard that her birthplace
was the castle of Böckelheim on the Nahe. However, he never was
much concerned about historical precision in the description of the
lives of the saints, as is made clear by other passages of the text. The
biographies written during Hildegard’s lifetime content themselves
with the information “in this part of Franconia ” or leave a blank
for later entries. Only Hildegard’s parents are mentioned by their
Christian names – Hildebert and Mechthild – which was entirely
Memorial statue in front of the church in Bermersheim vor der Höhe
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Bermersheim
Interior of the baptismal church of St. Hildegard in Bermersheim vor der Höhe
sufficient for a final documentation at that time. It is a striking fact,
that the catalogue of goods (foundation book) of the convent of Rupertsberg,
founded by Hildegard around 1150, at the top of all entries
on nine pages registers donations from the region of Bermersheim.
In addition to this, a deed of donation of the time around
1158 confirms the donation of the manor house of Bermersheim and
other estates to the “Ladies” of the Rupertsberg convent. As can be
proven, the issuers of this donation were Hildegard’s three brothers
– being obviously without descendants –, for Hildegard as the
youngest child was already 60 years old at that time. One of her
brothers, Drutwinus, together with his father “Hildebert of Bermersheim”,
is mentioned as a witness for the first time in a document of
the Archbishop of Mainz in 1127.
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Bermersheim
Ruins of the convent of Disibodenberg, coloured engraving, 19th century
Thus the circle is closing and it can be considered as proven that
Hildegard was a “Bermersheim”. This statement is strengthened also
by the fact that the abbesses of the Rupertsberg monastery – after its
destruction in 1632 the ones of the Eibingen convent – ruled over the
village of Bermersheim. In addition the Count Palatines took over a
protectorate, which during the Reformation and later on, however,
became a “tyranny”. Nevertheless, the legal rights of the convent could
be asserted until the separation of the left bank of the Rhine in favour
of France in 1801. Since the Reformation, the church of Bermersheim
was again and again, then finally used as a simultaneous church for
Catholics and Protestants as well. As is characteristic for a Franconian
foundation, it has been under the patronage of St. Martinus until today.
Sr. Teresa Tromberend OSB
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The Disibodenberg
The Disibodenberg
Although a visitor of the Disibodenberg today finds only ruins as
testimonies of a great and important religious past, the almost solemn
atmosphere of this place will impress him and will take him
under its spell. For it is here, where Hildegard spent most of her
lifetime.
Since the 7th century at the latest, the Disibodenberg, located at
the confluence of the rivers Nahe and Glan, had been a centre of
Christian life, assumedly already a sanctuary in pre-Christian times.
The baptistery built on the mountain became the starting-point of
the missionary work in the Nahe-region. Missionaries from already
Christianized regions came to this land, among them Disibod, who
built a cell for himself on the mountain, which later was named after
him, and according to the tradition Hildegard refers to in her
Disibod-biography he even erected a monastery. It is documented
before the 9th century already that Disibod was venerated as a
Saint. About the turn of the millennium, Archbishop Willigis of
Mainz founded next to the Baptistery on the Disibodenberg a
canon-convent for twelve clergymen, who were to take pastoral care
for the surrounding settlements. In 1108, Archbishop Ruthard of
Mainz summoned Benedictine monks from the Abbey of St. Jakob
in Mainz to the Disibodenberg and, in the same year, a new monastery
was built, the imposing dimensions of which can still be imagined
from the well-preserved ruins. Young Hildegard could watch
with her own eyes these building activities, which may have given
her impulses for the later construction of her monastery on the Rupertsberg.
In accordance with the customs of that time, a nun’s cell
was adjoined to the monks’ monastery on the Disibodenberg. Only
vague suppositions can be made today about the exact location of
this cell in the area of the monastery, since the excavations have
not been finished yet. Jutta of Sponheim was the first to live as a
The convent church at Disibodenberg, a former hospice for the sick
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The Disibodenberg
recluse in this cell. Young Hildegard and two of her companions
were entrusted to her for education. From a hitherto unknown biography
of Jutta, who was beatified later, conclusions can be drawn
about the spirituality Hildegard was formed by in her youth. Beside
her religious formation, Hildegard most likely also received a broad
and varied intellectual education. Benedictine convents at that time
were strongholds of art and science. And as the monk Volmar was at
Hildegard’s side giving her scholarly advice, it is likely that the
monks of the Disibodenberg introduced her to the complex world of
Benedictine tradition. Her life’s work gives evidence of her universal
education, which finds its expression in regard of theology, nature,
medicine, her cosmic view, world and humankind, in her compositions
and numerous letters. During the years between 1112 and
1115, Hildegard made the decision to live in the monastery for
good, taking the vows of the Benedictine order. In her biography,
Bishop Otto of Bamberg is mentioned in this context. He represented
at that time the interests of the diocese, since Archbishop
Adalbert I. of Mainz had been taken prisoner by the imperial government.
In 1136 Jutta of Sponheim, the “Mistress” of the women
hermitage on the Disibodenberg, died. Hildegard was elected “unanimously”
– as is documented – her successor by the community,
counting ten women at that time.
The year 1141 brought a decisive event in the life of the new Mistress
of the Disibodenberg. When she was “42 years and 7 months of
age” – as she herself notes precisely – she fully experienced the
breakthrough of what she called her “vision”. Since early childhood
Hildegard had been gifted with an exceptional intuition. Now she
was almost seized by the fire of the Divine Spirit, as a miniature in
her first work SCIVIAS tries to depict the situation, and in this
light she saw the “living light”. Not with her physical eyes and ears
did she experience this vision, but inwardly with an alert mind, her
physical eyes open and outside of all ecstasy. This kind of vision
places her in one line with the Old Testament prophets, like them
receiving the same instruction: “Write down what you are seeing
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The Disibodenberg
and hearing!” Only reluctantly Hildegard followed this demand. In
1141 she began writing down her first theological visionary work
SCIVIAS, which was finished in 1151. As again and again she was
overcome by doubts during this work, she turned to Abbot Bernhard
of Clairvaux for advice, who first reacted reservedly. Eventually, he
supported Hildegard’s scriptures of her visions at the synod of Trier
in 1147/48 in the presence of Pope Eugene III. in such a way, that
the latter himself, after having examined the texts, read them aloud
to the assembled cardinals. Thus he acknowledged the seer, who
later was entitled “Prophetissa teutonica”, and encouraged her to
Ruins of the convent of Disibodenberg
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The Disibodenberg
further scriptures. The monastery of the Disibodenberg, too, may
have profited a little from the ‘splendour’ of this papal acknowledgement.
At the same time, the separation of the monks’ monastery and the
nun’s convent was initiated. In 1147, Hildegard decided – despite all
difficulties – to leave the Disibodenberg with her nuns – another
proof of her inner independence. Various reasons may have motivated
her for this decision, the most important one being the lack of
space for her growing convent, consisting of 18 nuns by then. In a
vision, Hildegard was allocated the site for the new monastery at
the confluence of the Rhine and Nahe, where St. Rupertus once
had lived as a hermit. Among the patrons, whose donations made
possible the building of the monastery on the Rupertsberg, the
Count Palatine Hermann of Stahleck is mentioned first in the Rupertsberg
foundation book. Between 1147 and 1151 the nuns moved
to their new place, and in 1152, as is documented, the church and
the monastery were consecrated.
At Hildegard’s departure from the Disibodenberg, first signs of decadence
may have become apparent in the monks’ convent. When they
led to the decline the Archbishop of Mainz entrusted the convent
together with its property to the Cistercians, who could hold out for
approximately 300 years. In 1559, the final decline was sealed which
could not be undone anymore in spite of many attempts of revival.
From the middle of the 18th century the destruction of the buildings
began, which first served as a quarry until the grounds were passed
over into private hands.
The present private proprietor, Ehrengard Baroness of Racknitz, née
Countess of Hohenthal, transferred the former grounds of the convent
into a foundation on May 21st, 1989. The SCIVIAS-Foundation
of Disibodenberg endeavours to obtain further research programs and
the preservation and protection of the ruins as witnesses of a thousand-year-long
Christian tradition.
Sr. Teresa Tromberend OSB
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The Rupertsberg
The convent of Rupertsberg before its destruction in the Thirty Years’ War (engraving around 1620)
The Rupertsberg
People following the tracks of St. Hildegard of Bingen will only find
the last authentic rests of her first monastery on the Rupertsberg in
tearing the veil of a double alienation. The place of the former convent
has been called “Bingerbrück” since the 19th century. The only
remainder of the Rupertsberg convent are five arcades of the monastery
church. They can be seen today in an exhibition hall of the
Mirth firm, leading the visitor back into the 12th century.
Between 1147 and 1151, Hildegard left the Disibodenberg and
founded her first monastery above the tomb of St. Rupertus. Her biography
recounts: “Hildegard was shown by the Holy Spirit that
place where the Nahe flows into the Rhine, namely the hill which
received its name by the confessor St. Rupertus.” Little is known
about the building history of the convent of Rupertsberg. From scattered
comments and pictorial representations, the site of the convent
can be roughly reconstructed. Its centre was the convent
church which had been consecrated by Archbishop Heinrich of
Mainz in 1152. It had a nave and two aisles. The measures of the
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The Rupertsberg
nave and the aisles were as follows: length 30 m, width of the nave
7 m and of the aisles 4,35 m each. The side-wall with view to the
Nahe, the eastern choir, had a semi-circular apse which was crowned
by a gable. The nave was flanked by two big towers. The church had
no transepts; the apses of the aisles were fitted into the towers.
Documents mention a vault-like crypt, the place where the relics of
St. Rupertus and his mother Berta were kept. This crypt should also
become the burial place for St. Hildegard. It was located – as was
usual in all churches – underneath the chancel. An engraving by
Meissner created around 1620, twelve years before the destruction
of the monastery by the Swedes, shows the church surrounded by
numerous high and low residential and farm buildings. The whole
area of the convent was enclosed by a ring-wall. About the arrangement
of the various buildings the following can be traced: from the
southern aisle one could reach, taking a few steps down, the cloister
below. Around the cloister the prelate’s house, the buildings of the
convent, the dormitory, the Chapter house and the convent school
were located. Southwest of the cloister, there was the churchyard
with the chapel of St. Michael. A few additional buildings in the
convent area are mentioned in some documents, as were the Summer
house, the house of the provost with the ‘garden for the Father’,
the guest house. In the same area there was also the convent garden,
of which two acres were layed out as vineyard. There were also a
house for the servants and farm buildings. From the latter ones inside
the convent walls a gate was leading to Weiler, where the dairyfarm
of the convent was situated. Built into the convent wall, thus
accessible from both sides, there was the chapel of St. Nikolaus; and
near this chapel the convent gate with the portress’s lodge.
St. Hildegard’s convent on the Rupertsberg was not quite a representative
construction, based on a complete architectonic idea. Wibert
of Gembloux’s description from the year 1177 is likely to come
close to reality: “This convent has not been founded by an emperor or
bishop, a mighty or a rich man of this world, but by a poor and weak
woman, a newcomer in this region. Within a short time, only 27 years,
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The Rupertsberg
Reconstruction model of Rupertsberg Abbey, near Bingen (Gerhard Roese 1997)
the monastic spirit and the outside construction have developed to
such high standards, that not by magnificent but well-built and spacious
buildings it is in an excellent condition.”
The spiritual radiation of the Rupertsberg ceased when Hildegard died
in 1179. The sources, though, are reporting interesting details about
conflicts between the Bingen population and the convent, about
times of decay and reform. But the convent never regained the same
spiritual importance of former times. Until the destruction by the
Swedes in 1632, the Rupertsberg monastery was, like many other convents,
a “home for ladies of rank” with Benedictine elements maintained.
The destroyed Rupertsberg was never rebuilt. It remained in
the possession of Eibingen, Hildegard’s second foundation, where, after
the chaos of the Thirty-Years’-War, a new beginning of monastic
life was initiated. Henceforth, the ruins of the convent served as a
quarry for the convent’s farm buildings, whereas the ruin of the church
with its apse, gable, tower stumps and outside walls impressed roman-
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St. Rochus’ Chapel near Bingen
tic generations until the end of the 18th century. After the secularization,
the convent site went into private hands and the destruction of
the ruins continued.
When in 1857 the rock on which the remainders of the towers and
choir were to be found, was blown up for the construction of the
Nahe-Valley-Railway, the last visible traces of the convent buildings
disappeared. The grave-crypt underneath the choir – as far as still
existing – fell also victim to this blowing up. Only parts of the Romanesque
architecture of the church were preserved by including them
into the residential buildings like the five arcades, still to be seen today
in the Wirth-house. Again and again, the sources report of the
new or re-construction of the cellars. Which parts of them still existed
in the 12th century can only be found – if possible at all – by thorough
investigation. The underground vaults, well cared for and made accessible
to the public by Mr. Würth, are breathing the spirit of the long
and eventful history of this authentic place of the life of St. Hildegard
of Bingen.
St. Rochus’ Chapel near Bingen
The dissolution of the convent of Eibingen in 1814 coincided with
the beginning of relations of the St. Rochus’ Chapel near Bingen to
St. Hildegard. To furnish the Chapel of St. Rochus, which had been
destroyed in 1795 and reconstructed in 1814, the confraternity of St.
Rochus bought the entire inside furnishing of the Eibingen convent
church. In addition they received the treasure of relics, above all the
mortal remains of St. Rupertus, the former patron saint of the Rupertsberg.
Thus the Rochus Chapel became the home of the probably
most authentic traces of the Hildegard era and the whole monastic
tradition on the Rupertsberg and in Eibingen. By furnishing the
Rochus Chapel with the altars and pictures of the Eibingen convent
church, it became a Hildegard memorial church in the 19th century.
When in 1889 the Chapel burnt down, nearly all of Hildegard’s traces
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St. Rochus’ Chapel near Bingen
St. Rochus’ Chapel, Bingen
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St. Rochus’ Chapel near Bingen
there were destroyed. Only some paintings could be rescued. In memory
of this Hildegard tradition, a lavish Hildegard- and Rupertus altar
was planned for the new St. Rochus Chapel in 1895, but only the
Hildegard altar was completed. For an imitation of the rescued large
picture showing the Saint’s Vita, Max Mekkel had drawn the sketch;
the carver family Busch of Steinheim put it into practice. The donor
of the Hildegard altar was the widowed Mrs. Margarethe Krug, née
Merz. For this reason, there is a picture of St. Margaretha at the closed
side of the baldachin. A halfrelief statue of St. Hildegard is the centre
of the altar. Eight stations showing scenes of Hildegard’s life are surrounding
her statue: four in the middle part of the altar, two at a time
to the right and left of the statue, and two at a time on the inner sides
of the altar wings. The scenes from the Hildegard Vita start on the left
top side – as seen from the observer:
– The child Hildegard viewing a mysterious light.
– Hildegard being brought by her parents to Jutta’s hermitage on the
Disibodenberg.
– Hildegard writing the SCIVIAS on the Disibodenberg.
– Archbishop Heinrich of Mainz showing St. Hildegard’s scriptures
to Pope Eugen III. and Bernhard of Clairvaux at the synod of Trier
in 1147.
– The encounter with Bernhard of Clairvaux (historically wrong).
– Emperor Barbarossa receiving Hildegard in Ingelheim in 1155.
– Hildegard preaching to clergy and people.
– Hildegard’s death on the Rupertsberg.
Unfortunately, only the scenes on the side wings have been completed,
i.e. they are carefully wood-carved. The whole centre part of
the altar including the predella is obviously only in a preliminary
stage, namely a painted plaster model, which could not be worked out
in wood because of lack of money. That is why the figures of the middle
part of the altar seem to be rather rough; the soft lines of the group
of figures on the side wings are missing. But this did not impair the
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St. Rochus’ Chapel near Bingen
Hildegardis altar in St. Rochus’ Chapel, Bingen
popularity of this Hildegard altar. The outside of the side wings are
decorated with two big paintings of the suffering Saviour: on the right
side a Ecce Homo-picture – probably in memory of the big Ecce
Homo-statue from Eibingen in the old Rochus Chapel –, on the left
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The Old Convent of Eibingen
The old convent of Eibingen before the secularization of 1802
side the dead Christ removed from the cross. The reliquary of St.
Hildegard is fit into the middle of the predella. It is flanked by two
busts of saints at each side, portraying St. Berta, St. Wigbert, St. Bernhard
and St. Rupertus.
P. Dr. Josef Krasenbrink †
The Old Convent of Eibingen
Hildegard of Bingen founded two monasteries: the Rupertsberg convent
near Bingen and the Eibingen convent not far from Rüdesheim. At
Eibingen the noblewoman Marka of Rüdesheim had founded an Augustinian
double convent in 1148, which was already deserted in 1165 due
to the chaos of war caused by the Emperor Barbarossa. The constant
growing of the Rupertsberg convent led Hildegard to acquire the dam-
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The Old Convent of Eibingen
aged buildings in 1165. She had them restored for thirty Benedictine
sisters and henceforth crossed the Rhine twice a week from the Rupertsberg
to the new Eibingen community. In 1219, on April 22nd, about
The restored east wing of the former convent of Eibingen and present day parish and
pilgrimage church of St. Hildegard
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The Old Convent of Eibingen
four decades after Hildegard’s death, Pope Honorius III. took the Eibingen
convent under his protection. The rights of supervision, the
Mistress’ of the Rupertsberg had for her second foundation, were settled
for the first time by a document dated November 28th, 1268.
According to the register of the abbesses of Eibingen – who were ‘Mistresses’
at first – Benigna of Algesheim had the honour and carried the
burden of this office for 44 years (1373–1417) – a longer period than
Hildegard’s own time. The sisters of the Eibingen convent were partially
of middle-class origin. During the last years of the 15th century
and in the following course, there often arose tensions, as for example
between Kurmainz and Palatinate; these often had effects on the convent.
Around 1505, a reform of the Eibingen convent took place under
the Archbishop of Mainz, Jakob of Liebenstein. But even this reform
could not prevent the declining development. In 1575, only three sisters
were still living in the Eibingen convent. Following the instruction
of the Archbishop of Homburg, Daniel Brendel, they moved to the Cistercian
sisters of the nearby Abbey Marienhausen. In the meantime,
Eibingen was offering shelter for many years to the Augustinian sisters
of St. Peter near Kreuznach, fleeing from the wave of the Reformation.
After long negotiations, the Baroness Cunigundis of Dehrn, abbess of
Rupertsberg, achieved the well documented restitution of the Eibingen
monastery and its estate. This is why since 1603 the title “Abbess of
Rupertsberg and Eibingen” is customary.
In 1632, during the Thirty Years’ War, the Swedes destroyed the monastery
of Rupertsberg by fire. Via Cologne the nuns arrived at the Eibingen
monastery with the relics of St. Hildegard in 1636, where they suffered
from poverty and privation. The plundering by mercenary troops gave
cause for their later flight to Mainz. The sisters could only return at the end
of 1641. Anna Lerch of Dirmstein, the last Abbess of Rupertsberg, stayed
in Eibingen only for a short time; she had to resign from her office in 1642.
A prosperous period began for the Eibingen convent with the young Abbess
Magdalena Ursula of Sickingen. The monastic life with its alternation
of prayer and work flourished again. At the age of 52, Abbess Magdalena
died of pest in the Summer of 1666. Her coat of arms is decorating the
28

The Old Convent of Eibingen
Interior of the parish and pilgrimage church of St. Hildegard, Eibingen, with St. Hildegard’s shrine
sandstone doorframe in the inner court of the parish church of Eibingen.
Within several years, the economic situation of the Eibingen convent
had been secured, so that also bigger building projects could be carried
out. The renovation of the monastery’s probably original square site
proceeded in three stages. Supervised by architect Giovanni Angelo
Barello, the church and the west wing were thoroughly restored from
1681 until 1683. According to a letter of indulgence written by Pope
Clemens XI. in 1701, the church, dedicated to St. Rupert and St. Hildegard,
contained seven altars. In 1709, a small prayer book was printed
by the publisher Johann Mayren of Mainz, initiated by the Eibingen
convent, saying: “Register of the most noble relics … So kept in the virgin
convent of high nobility in Eibingen in the Rhine Province, respectfully
preserved …” In the same year a cross was put up “To the
honour of God and for the deceased” which now has its place in the old
29

The Old Convent of Eibingen
part of the churchyard. Although the number of visitors of the convent
had been increasing, an independent pilgrimage to Eibingen did not
develop. Pilgrims moving to Marienthal or Nothgottes in the morning
only made a stop on their way home for a silent prayer, especially on the
feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin (September 8th).
On February 21st of 1737, the pulling down of the east wing began.
The architect Johann Valentin Thoman of Mainz had drawn up the
building plans. The solemn laying of the foundation-stone took place
on March 21st, the feast of St. Benedict. Walls with weight-bearing
capacity were included in the building. Until November 8th, the carpenters
had put up the rafters. The roof could be covered with slate in
October 1738. Between 1746 and 1752, the south wing as well as
stables and barn were built. What the old Eibingen monastery looked
like, can be seen on a drawing by Provost Joseph Otto (1763–1788).
During the time, when the convent was led by Maria Hildegard of
Rodenhausen (1780–1788), signs of a new current of thought, the
Enlightenment, were increasing. Under the Elector Friedrich Karl
Joseph of Erthal, it was planned to convert the convent of Eibingen
into a secular home for gentlewomen. This plan provoked the sisters’
vehement protest. In 1789, the year of the outbreak of the French
Revolution, as a precaution the archives of the convent were transferred
to Alzey, where they remained until 1798. The loss of the possessions
on the left side of the Rhine affected the economic situation,
however. Moreover, the “zeitgeist” had undermined the monastic life.
In 1802, the convent was closed and, in accordance with the decision
of the government of Nassau, evacuated. The authorities transformed
the east wing into an armoury, the church into an arsenal. With the
pulling down of the west and the south wing in 1817, the complex of
buildings lost its square form. In 1831, the local community of Eibingen
bought the property and used the former convent church as parish
church instead of the dilapidated village church. The latter’s Patron
Saint, St. John the Baptist, remained Patron also for the parish church.
In 1857, the parish priest Ludwig Schneider succeeded in proving the
authenticity of the Hildegard relics.
30

The Hildegardis Reliquary in Eibingen Parish Church
Hildegardis reliquary in the parish and pilgrimage church of St. Hildegard, Eibingen
The Hildegardis Reliquary in Eibingen Parish Church
In the anniversary year 1929, the Hildegardis reliquary was manufactured
in Maria Laach and Cologne, according to a draft by Brother
Radbod Commandeur OSB. The guilded reliquary resembles a building,
on the door wings of which the allegories of the cardinal virtues
can be seen: justice, courage, prudence, moderation. On the front and
the backside, four saints – two at a time – are shown. Except for the
scull, hair, heart and tongue, the reliquary contains bones of St. Hildegard
and smaller relics of the Saints Giselbert, Rupert and Wigbert.
Three centuries after the destruction of the Rupertsberg monastery, for
reasons yet unknown, a fire broke out in the Eibingen church during
the night from September 3rd to the 4th in 1932. Despite the smoke
and heat, the Hildegardis reliquary could be saved. The church and
east wing burnt down. Taking account of former stylistic elements, a
new church was built which was consecrated on July 14th, 1935 by
31

The Hildegardis Reliquary in Eibingen Parish Church
The former convent of Eibingen (right) and the new St. Hildegard’s Abbey (left)
Bishop Antonius Hilfrich of Limburg and put under the protection of
St. John the Baptist and the patroness of the village, St. Hildegard. For
practical reasons both portals are facing east. The altar-piece, the pebble-mosaic
and the windows were created by Ludwig Baur from Telgte.
The glass cabinet on the left side contains the scull of St. Gudula, Patron
Saint of Brussels. Hildegard probably received this relic by friends
from Brabant. At the south corner of the church, above the foundation-stone,
there is a Hildegard sculpture carved of Franconian shelllimestone
by Franz Bernhard of Frankfurt. It was fitted into the stonework
in 1957 as a reminder of the first Hildegard procession which
took place in 1857. Especially on September 17th, the day of Hildegard’s
death, an increasing number of pilgrims comes to Eibingen every
year to join the procession of relics in honour of the great Saint.
Dr. Werner Lauter
32

The new Abbey of St. Hildegard
South-east view
of the Benedictine
Abbey of
St. Hildegard
The new Abbey of St. Hildegard
During the years from 1900 to 1904 the new Abbey of St. Hildegard of
Eibingen was built a little up the hill above the old monastery. Its
founder, Prince Karl of Lowenstein (1834–1921), one of the leading
personalities of German Catholicism in the 19th century, made it his
task to revive the tradition of Hildegard’s convents at the historical site.
In the abbey, rebuilt in the New-Romanesque style, there are living
today about 55 nuns between 27 and 95 years of age. Like all Benedictines
– as Hildegard of Bingen herself – the sisters are living according
to the Rule of St. Benedict which – more than 1400 years old – re-
33

The Abbey church of St. Hildegard
mains timelessly valid and relevant in its basic structure. Seeking for
God is the beginning and the centre of each Benedictine vocation. If
someone feels being called by God and wants to live wholly in His
presence, he will promise to let himself be led by the Gospel, to make
God the centre of his life and to seek Him in every human being and
in each event, and to do that in the community of those, who are
travelling the same path.
Benedictine life primarily is life in a community. Divine service and
liturgy are the centre of monastic life. Since “nothing should be given
preference over the work of God” – according to the Rule of St. Benedict
–, the times of prayer shape the day in the convent. Seven times
a day, the sisters gather for the common prayer in Choir. The prayer of
the canonical hours is for the most part sung in Latin, and the old
tunes of the Gregorian Chant are interpreting the Word of God in a
deep and extraordinarily beautiful way. Personal prayer, times of
silence, and spiritual reading belong essentially to daily life as well.
According to the words of St. Benedict “Then are they truly monks
(or nuns), when they live by the work of their hands”, the sisters earn
their living by working in a book- and art shop, a goldsmithery, a
workshop for decorating candles, by restoring books and manuscripts,
growing wine, selling wine, liquor and spelt. Scientific research on St.
Hildegard’s works and the care for pilgrims, pastoral care for individual
guests, asking for days of retreat or quiet, are also tasks of the sisters. In
every guest, the sisters try to recognize an appeal of God to which they
– according to their possibilities – want to answer. The centre of everything
is God’s love, which a Benedictine community wants to testify
by its presence in this world.
The Abbey church of St. Hildegard
The huge abbey church was built from 1900–1908 in the Romanesque
style of the ancient basilicas. The nun’s choir, where the Benedictines
of the Eibingen community assemble seven times a day for their com-
34

The Abbey church of St. Hildegard
Thanksgiving service in the abbey church after the proclamation of St. Hildegard as a Doctor of
the Church
mon prayer, adjoins the Sanctuary at its left side. Entering the church,
the visitor finds himself in an atmosphere of quiet peace inviting him
to contemplation. The clear lines of the high, harmonious room and
the subdued somehow mysterious colours of the mural paintings cast a
spell on the visitor. The church is entirely decorated in the “Beuronian
style”; this work took the time of several years (1907–1913) and
was conducted by the Beuron monk P. Paulus Krebs (1849–1935), a
scholar of the famous painting monk P. Desiderius Lenz (1832–1928).
The convent church of Eibingen is considered one of the most effective
compositions of the Beuron school of art, even though the original
form was not fully preserved, since the paintings in the nuns’ choir
and on the opposite southern choir wall were white-washed in the
1960ies. The Beuronian style of art is a liturgical one and thus a Bene-
35

The Abbey church of St. Hildegard
Procession with the Hildegardis reliquary on the centenary of the reconstruction of St.
Hildegard’s Abbey, July 2, 2004
dictine art. It serves the glorification of God, inviting to contemplate
the divine mystery.
The interior of the church is dominated by the monumental figure of
Christ in the apse. The painting on golden ground reminds the observer
of a Byzantine mosaic. Christ appears as the Pantocrator, the
king and ruler over the universe, and at the same time as a brother
receiving every human being with open arms. The choir arch is
crowned by the picture of the City of God and the walls of the Heavenly
Jerusalem. The inscription points to the basic theme of the entire
church decoration: “Tabernaculum Dei cum hominibus – the home of
God among men”. On the two sides of the choir arch, St. Benedict
and his sister St. Scholastica as founders of the Benedictine order are
shown.
36

The Abbey church of St. Hildegard
The southern (right) side wall portrays in five areas of arches scenes
of the Old Testament: Noah’s Ark; the visit of God, i.e. of the three
angels at Abraham’s and Sarah’s home; Jakob’s dream of the ladder
to Heaven; the procession of priests with the Ark of the Covenant;
the altar dedicated to the “ignoto Deo”, the “unknown God”. The
northern (left) side wall shows on the middle arch frieze five scenes
– except for the first one: Adam and Eve in Paradise – of the New
Testament: the incarnation of Christ; the Last Supper, the effusion
of the Holy Spirit; the communion between Christ and His Church.
The paintings on the lower arch areas of the northern (left) side
wall of the nave are dedicated to St. Hildegard of Bingen. The fivepart-cycle
shows important scenes from Hildegard’s life: Young
Hildegard coming to Jutta on the Disibodenberg; Hildegard moving
to the Rupertsberg near Bingen; Hildegard talking to the Emperor
Barbarossa in Ingelheim; Hildegard founding her Eibingen convent
and healing a blind boy in Rüdesheim; signs showing up in the sky
at Hildegard’s death. The paintings of the aisle are dedicated to
Hildegard of Bingen as well as to other important women Saints of
the Benedictine order. On the eastern wall, above the sacristy door,
Hildegard herself is portrayed, a quill in her right hand. All portrays
of the Saints are not painted realistically – the artists were not interested
in historical painting – but they bear symbolic character
and are expression of faith. The abbey church of St. Hildegard is
destination of many pilgrim groups and visitors travelling each year
on the paths of the great Saint and finding their way to Eibingen.
Everyone who is coming is invited to join in God’s praise together
with the sisters.
Sr. Philippa Rath OSB
Photos: p. 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17, 21, 23, 25, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 39 Benedictine Abbey of
St. Hildegard; p. 9, 40 Kurt Gramer, Bietigheim-Bissingen; p. 13, 19 Dr. Werner Lauter; p. 26,
27, 29 St. Hildegard’s Pilgrimage Church (photo: H. G. Kunz)
Front cover: Portrait of Hildegard in the church at St. Hildegard’s Abbey
Back cover: Abbey of St. Hildegard above the old convent of Eibingen
37

Your contacts at the St. Hildegard sites
Your contacts at the St. Hildegard sites
Bermersheim
Reverend Heinz Förg
Cath. Rectory, Ms Frisch
Niedergasse 2 Klosterberg 1
55234 Erbes-Büdesheim 55234 Bermersheim
Telephone: 06731/41289 Telephone: 06731/42477
Disibodenberg
Dame Luise von Racknitz
Disibodenberg Convent
Disibodenberger Hof
55571 Odernheim am Glan
Telephone 06755/ 9699188
www. Disibodenberg.de
Bingen
Hildegard Museum
Parish church
am Strom
St. Rupertus and St. Hildegard
Museumstraße 3 Gutenbergstraße 1
55411 Bingen am Rhein 55411 Bingen-Bingerbrück
Telephone 06721/991531 Telephone: 06721/43093
www.bingen.de
www.sankt-rupertus-und-sankt-hildegard.de
St. Rochus’ Chapel
The Sisters of the Cross’
Oblatenkloster
Hildegard Forum
Rochusberg 3 Rochusberg 1
55411 Bingen 55411 Bingen
Telephone: 06721/14225 Telephone: 06721/928-0
www. St-Rochuskapelle.de
www. hildegard-forum.de
Rüdesheim/Eibingen
St. Hildegard’s
Pilgrimage Church
Benedictine Abbey of St. Hildegard
Rectory Klosterweg 1
Marienthaler-Straße
65385 Rüdesheim am Rhein
65385 Rüdesheim am Rhein Telephone: 06722/499-0
Telephone: 06722/4520
benediktinerinnen@abtei-st-hildegard.de
www.eibingen.net
www. abtei-st-hildegard.de
Series “Hagiography and Iconography” No. 40121 Third English edition 2014
© VERLAG SCHNELL & STEINER GMBH REGENSBURG
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This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part
ISBN 978-3-7954-8004-2
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www.schnell-und-.steiner.de
38

A contemporary statue of Hildegard by Karlheinz Oswald
A contemporary statue of Hildegard by Karlheinz Oswald (1998)
39