Power of Green - Hildegard of Bingen

Design: Jürgen Wagner Music: Caritas abundat in omnia, Hildegard of Bingen Pictures: Viriditas, Hildegard of Bingen, her ’Wheel of life’ (Work of God), Angels, The cosmic man, Hildegardis-Codex, German stamp. Words: Hildegard of Bingen St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), the remarkable abbess of the 12th century, was a renowned mystic, healer, scientist, writer, preacher, composer, and artist. She was born the 10th child within a noble family in the lush, green valley of the Rhineland that was burgeoning with rich soil and flourishing vineyards. She was a woman who disrupts our thinking about apron-clad females from the middle ages. Hildegard refused to let society dictate her intellectual and spiritual passions. She penned groundbreaking works on natural health, believing that we came from the earth, therefore we must use the earth to heal. She composed soaring hymns and rich chants that are still performed and recorded today. She made many contributions to religion, the arts and science. In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named Hildegard a Doctor of the Church - a Catholic holy title held by only 4 women.