Today we took the train out of Kaiserslautern and into the German wine country on a bit of a musical and religious pilgrimage. We are going to follow in the steps of Saint Hildgegard von Bingen. A true polymath and visionary. And for many of us, the first female figure to have a major entry in our music history textbooks (not to mention medical texts, religious books, agricultural, and even politics)! In fact, Hildegard has been so highly regarded that the church (including the pope) believed she had been sainted long ago. It was not until Pope Benedict XVI was corrected after he called her Saint Hildegard that the process was finally completed and she was canonized in 2012. Only about 800 years late!
Now, for those of you who have not listened to my lectures on Hildegard, or who have not studied her in other places, I will provide a link to information about her, as well as the trailer to an amazing movie about her life (and I can’t imagine it won’t make you want to learn more).
Anyway, we left our apartment and walked up to the train station and took a lovely ride out to Bingen. Bingen is a beautiful town in the German wine region and a popular tourist destination.. well it is except for the time of year we were there! It is located where the Nahe and Rhine rivers meet. It is because of this important river junction that the region was settled early and experienced fast growth and popularity. As a result, it is a bit unusual that Bingen has not become a bigger or more important German city.
Ironically, we were on a pilgrimage to Hildegard sites, and we actually could only walked in her footsteps because there are no physical Hildegard sites left. New buildings have been built over the initial convents, monasteries, churches, and other buildings where she lived, worked, and influenced. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful day and we hope to return during the wine festival or maybe even on one of the many Rhine river cruises that pass through Bingen.
One final note about the images and videos below. In the St. Hildegard church there is now a multimedia show that can be played when you visit. It actually does not play the music of Hildegard! And, the light show was a bit odd. At one point it flashes lights across the altar and plays the “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. I am not sure what Hildegard would think about that…
For More on Hildegard please check out the following links:
https://www.bingen.de/en/hildegard
Not sure what Hildegard would think of this multi-media show in the church…
