Hildegarde

Hildegarde refers to several notable historical figures, primarily Saint Hildegard of Bingen. Born in 1098, Hildegard was a German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary, and medical writer and practitioner. She founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg and Eibingen. Her theological, botanical, and medicinal writings published, as well as the music she composed, have been widely studied and admired. Hildegard is one of the most famous medieval women composers and is considered a pioneer in the field of natural history and medicine. She was canonized by the Catholic Church and declared a Doctor of the Church in 2012.

Other historical figures named Hildegarde also exist, though Saint Hildegard of Bingen is the most commonly recognized. For instance, Hildegarde of Flanders was a countess in the 12th century. When encountering the name Hildegarde without further context, it is most often in reference to the influential abbess and visionary from the Rhineland.