Composer · 1098 – 1179

Hildegard of Bingen

Little-Known Facts

  • She corresponded with popes, emperors and abbots, and undertook preaching tours — almost unheard of for a medieval woman.
  • Her musical compositions have become popular again in modern recordings.

Myths & Misconceptions

Was Hildegard only a religious mystic?

No. Alongside her visionary theology she was a serious composer, a writer on medicine and natural history, and an administrator who founded and led monasteries.