Hildegard von Bingen, visionary, prophetess and naturopath, lived the longest part of her 81-year life not far from Bad Sobernheim, at the monastery Disibodenberg, a place of mysticism and contemplation.
Since autumn 2017, there is the possibility to follow the 136 km long hiking trail, which leads in many passages on "Premiumwegen" the holiday region Nahe, in the footsteps of St. Hildegard von Bingen. The pilgrimage starts in Idar-Oberstein, via Niederhosenbach, the family seat and possible birthplace of Hildegard von Bingen on to Bad Sobernheim (only a few kilometers away is the ruined monastery Disibodenberg, in which Hildegard von Bingen spent 40 significant years of her life). The pilgrim trail ends in Bingen.
As an admonisher for a healthy life she was a role model for our program "Hildegard von Bingen experience". Treat yourself to these reflective days. Away from noise and stress, we take you back to your roots, to inner balance and vitality and to give suggestions for a present in harmony with us and our environment.
Further information about the Hildegardis Trail and the cultural landscape of the Nahetal and Hunsrück can be found here.
In the years 1158-1170, four successful sermon tours to various parts of the country (among them Cologne and Trier) brought Hildegard interregional renown. In 1163, her second visionary writings appeared. She became more and more politically influential. In the same year, her monastery was granted official protection by Emperor Barbarossa. Her influence was further enhanced by the founding of a second monastery in 1165 on the other side of the Rhine, in Eibingen near Rüdesheim: monastery Eibingen. Through her works at this time, she became very popular and almost reached the status of a "Saint of the people". In the year 1174, the third book of her trilogy was published ("De Operatione Dei"). In 1178, a rather trivial event caused a conflict between her and the archbishop of Mainz. She had allowed an excommunicated nobleman to be interred in the cemetery of her monastery. This conflict escalated to the point of a church interdiction, but was settled in 1179. Hildegard died shortly after at the age of eighty-one.
Hildegard was an exceptional, valiant woman who knew how to prevail against the powerful of her time and who was amazingly 'modern' in many of her ideas. Her scientific work and interest in medicinal questions –rather unusual for a woman at that time- is particularly impressive. Other parts of her writings are difficult for us today but, this aside, her books give us a fascinating and detailed view of the life, culture and way of thinking of the high middle ages. The above picture shows Hildegard and is derived from the Lucca-codex.
For further information:
Wisse die Wege —Scivias. Nach dem Originaltext des illuminierten Rupertsberger Kodex der Wiesbadener Landesbibliothek ins Deutsche übertragen und bearbeitet von Maura Böckeler, 8. Aufl. 1987
Charlotte Kerner, Alle Schönheit des Himmels. Die Lebensgeschichte der Hildegard von Bingen, Beltz & Gelberg, 8. Aufl. 1998
