Disibodenberg – Close to power

In the Middle Ages, you could see it from miles away. The mighty abbey of the Benedictine order on Disibodenberg. Today you can barely see its outline and a few pediments. But one name will forever be attached to this place: Hildegard of Bingen. The Benedictine abbess was later canonised and lived here for 39 years. She was also called the sybil of the Rhine. Today Hildegard is famous for her visions and her herbal knowledge. But she was also a fierce political voice in the Middle Ages. She openly shared her opinions and wrote about the duties of the king and the church. She was very outspoken in her letters to many people in power. She told emperor Conrad II. to curb his desires and cleanse his mind. And she wrote to Frederick I. Barbarossa: ”Take care not to be accused of having misunderstood your duty. Or else you might blush, standing in front of the highest judge”.

The numerous sights of Hildegard of Bingen

Would you like to know more about Hildegard? And her part in the power play of the Middle Ages? Then visit Bingen. It is the place where Hildegard founded her own convent on Rupertsberg. Only ruins remain. But you can find out what both abbeys once looked like. Just visit the “Historische Museum am Strom” in Bingen. It displays models of the abbeys. And it shows how close Hildegard really got to power in its new exhibition “Whispering to the emperor – Hildegard of Bingen meets Frederick I. Barbarossa. Facts and Fiction”.