Hildegarde of Bingen Day
Hildegard of Bingen (also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine), was a German Benedictine abbess who lives 1098 – 1179. She was a polymath and a major innovator in the fields of Herbalism, Nutrition, Ecology, Spirituality, Art and Composing. She integrated nature into her works and changed Church History, even advising Popes.
Old Hall is lucky enough to have a picture depicting Hildegarde on one of its chapel windows and is holding a celebration of her with this day of talks and music featuring world-famous experts to speak on her life and times.
Tickets are required and can be obtained from Fountain House Kitchens, The Royal Oak (the Dicky), The Wholefood Store Manningtree. If there are tickets available on the day then they will be made available on the door.
The Days Agenda
Saturday 21 September 2024 10.00 – 17.00
9.30 Arrival: Tea and Coffee
10.00 – 10.15 Introduction
10.15 – 10.55 Professor Miri Rubin, Medieval and Early Modern History (40 minutes)
Miri Rubin is Professor of Medieval History at Queen Mary University of London. She studied medieval Christianity and the relations between Jews and Christians in the Middle Ages. She has a long-standing interest in Hildegarde of Bingen, especially her vast and diverse creativity. Miri is delighted to be introducing this extraordinary woman in the medieval context and to ponder her legacy. Miri spoke on ‘In Our Time’ on Radio 4.
10.55 – 11.15 Break (20 minutes)
11.15 -11.55 Clancy Steer (40 minutes) – music played by Julia Sinclair (performs with Jesus College Cambridge Choir)
Deirdre Clancy Steer is a distinguished theatre designer of many years. She has two Olivier Awards and a BAFTA. Clancy first discovered Hildegarde through the Creation Spirituality writer, Matthew Fox, in the 1990s. Since then, her respect for and interest in Hildegarde’s multiple talents has grown and grown. She is delighted to share her discoveries about Hildegarde’s visionary illuminations, both the meaning of the images and the methods of their creation with the residents of Old Hall Community, with whom she thinks Hildegarde would’ve had so much in common. Unlike most saints, Hildegarde wanted “to be useful”.
11.55 – 12.05 Music played by Julia Sinclair (10 minutes)
- pastor animarum
- virtus sapientiae
- rubor sanguinis
- 12.05 – 12.15 Maya Watling (20 minutes)
Introduction to Maya’s herbal plants from Nepal and native plants in Old Hall gardens and surrounding area.
12.15 – 13.45 Lunch
During Lunch there will be 30 minutes for a forage walk with Maya Watling; and time to speak to Casia, a trained herbalist, about her remedies, some based upon Hildegarde’s medicines, and to Jo Feakes, a registered nutritionist, about sourdough, grains/spelt, bitters, digestion, etc. (90 minutes)
13.45 – 14.05 Edwin Edward – A lived-experience of being part of Francis of Assisi Monastery at Old Hall (20 minutes)
14.05 – 14.35 Christian Gradt (30 minutes)
Christian was instructed by his doctor to attend a German Hildegarde Clinic to recover from his illness. He will speak about his disease and how he “accidentally” fell into Hildegarde’s nutrition, which helped him to regenerate properly!
14.35 – 15.15 Maia Bloomberg – Francis of Assisi: a medieval ethic of care for a modern climate crisis (40 minutes)
Maia is a Doctoral Researcher at Queen Mary University of London.
15.15 – 15.35 Break (20 minutes)
15.35 – 15.55 Holly Cullen Davies, singing live in-person (20 minutes)
16.00 – 17.00 Rev June Boyce Tilman MBE – Hildegarde of Bingen: A woman of our time? (40 minutes but may run over until 17.00)
June is an Anglian Priest and Emerita Professor of Applied Music at the University of Winchester. She has transcribed 30 pieces of Hildegarde of Bingen music, and has composed two operas on Hildegarde and an opera on Julian of Norwich and Hildegard Bingen. June’s talk will contextualise Hildegarde’s writing, visions, theology, music and medicine in her time and look at their contemporary relevance.
17.00 – 17.30 For those who would like to exchange contact details, network and ask further questions