Hildegard of Bingen - Prophetess, Composer, Mystic

Hildegard of Bingen - Prophetess, Composer, Mystic

From Gone Medieval by History Hit

June 9, 2026 · 1h 3m · Episode 533

About this episode

The episode explores the extraordinary life and legacy of Hildegard of Bingen, a twelfth-century nun who became a visionary and composer.

How did a cloistered, twelfth century nun become a visionary, composer, healer, preacher, and adviser to popes and emperors? Despite having visions from childhood - even in the womb, she claimed - Hildegard of Bingen waited until the age of 42 when she heard a divine command to “write what you see and hear”, a moment that launched one of the most remarkable careers of the medieval world, including as creator of the most distinctive surviving sacred music of the Middle Ages. Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr Hetta Howes, to explore the extraordinary life, dazzling theology, and legacy of Hildegard. MORE: Julian of Norwich Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Lives of Medieval Nuns Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Eleanor Janega

Guest: Dr Hetta Howes

Topics covered

  • Hildegard of Bingen
  • medieval history
  • sacred music
  • theology
  • visions
  • women in history

Keywords

  • Hildegard of Bingen
  • medieval music
  • visions
  • theology
  • composer
  • nun
  • prophetess

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: History Hit, Epidemic Sounds

More episodes of Gone Medieval

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Gone Medieval podcast page.