Saint Bertha of Bingen (German: ''Heilige Berta'', died ca. 757) was the mother of

Rupert of Bingen Saint Bertha of Bingen (German: ''Heilige Berta'', died ca. 757) was the mother of Rupert of Bingen. Her biography was written, and subsequently her cult popularized, by Hildegard of Bingen, who lived in the same region, about four hundred years ...

. Her biography was written, and subsequently her cult popularized, by

Hildegard of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen (german: Hildegard von Bingen; la, Hildegardis Bingensis; 17 September 1179), also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher ...

, who lived in the same region, about four hundred years later. Bertha and Rupert share a feast day on 15 May.

Bertha von Bingen

Bertha was a descendant of the

dukes of Lorraine The rulers of Lorraine have held different posts under different governments over different regions, since its creation as the kingdom of Lotharingia by the Treaty of Prüm, in 855. The first rulers of the newly established region were kings of t ...

, and had considerable property along the rivers

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

and Nahe. She married Robolaus, a pagan, who died when their son Rupert was three years old. Bertha then retired to today's

Rupertsberg Saint Bertha of Bingen (German: ''Heilige Berta'', died ca. 757) was the mother of Rupert of Bingen. Her biography was written, and subsequently her cult popularized, by Hildegard of Bingen, who lived in the same region, about four hundred year ...

with her son and the priest Wigbert. She built a small church and led a secluded life with much vigilance and fasting, gave the needy some of her wealth and gradually gathered other people to follow her example."Bertha von Bingen", Bistum Augsburg
/ref> Bertha devoted her energy to educating Rupert. Following a pilgrimage to Rome, she gave away the rest of her possessions and came to live near Bingen (called Rupertsberg after her son). Rupert died at age 20, but Bertha outlived him by 25 years spent in prayer, fasting, and good works.

Rupert of Bingen

Rupert of Bingen (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: Rupert von Bingen) (712–732) was the son of Bertha of Bingen, a Christian noblewoman. His father was a pagan called Robolaus (Robold). After his death, their child was raised as a Christian by his mother. Odden, Per Einar. "Den hellige Rupert av Bingen (712-~732)", Den katolske kirke, December 20, 2006
/ref> At the age of fifteen, Rupert undertook a pilgrimage to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

with his mother. After his return, he used his inherited wealth to found churches, living with his mother on a hill at the river Nahe, near Bingen that came to be called the "Rupertsberg". There they established several

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

s for the poor and needy. Rupert died from a fever, aged 20. He is regarded as a

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of pilgrims.

Veneration

The little church on the Rupertsberg became a place of pilgrimage and was still standing when Hildegard founded a monastery there around 1150. Hildegard moved, with her nuns, from

Disibodenberg Disibodenberg today Disibodenberg ruins Disibodenberg ruins Disibodenberg picture Disibodenberg is a monastery ruin in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was founded by Saint Disibod. Hildegard of Bingen, who wrote Disibod's biography "Vita Sanct ...

to the

, a crag at the confluence of the Nahe and the Rhine, and established a monastery on the site of the ruined castle, where Bertha and Rupert were buried. The ''Vita Sancti Ruperti'' was written about this time, "...to revive the cult of St. Rupert and to legitimize the vision that called her to move there". The monastery at Rupertsberg was destroyed in 1632, during the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

. Their relics were transferred to

Eibingen Eibingen, now a part of Rüdesheim am Rhein, Hesse, Germany is the location of Eibingen Abbey, the Benedictine monastery founded by Hildegard of Bingen in 1165 (replacing an Augustine foundation of 1148). Eibingen preserves the treasure of relics ...

. Bertha's head is kept in the Hildegard Church; Rupert's arm is on display in a reliquary in Eibingen church. Other relics were brought back to Bingen in 1814, where they are venerated in the chapel on the Rochusberg.

Rupertsberg

Rupertsberg is a crag at the confluence of the Nahe and the

, in

Bingen am Rhein Bingen am Rhein () is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The settlement's original name was Bingium, a Celtic word that may have meant "hole in the rock", a description of the shoal behind the ''Mäuseturm'', k ...

. It is named for Saint

, son of Bertha of Bingen. It is notable as the site of the first convent founded by Saint

, in 1150, after leaving the monastery at

. She acquired the land from Hermann, dean of Mainz, and Count Bernhard of Hildesheim, plus various smaller gifts. The convent chapel was consecrated by Archbishop Henry of Mainz in 1152. The charters were drawn up in 1158 by Archbishop

Arnold of Mainz Arnold of Selenhofen (c. 1095/1100 – 24 June 1160) was the archbishop of Mainz from 1153 to his assassination in the Benedictine abbey St. Jakob, where he took shelter from the raging crowd. He was born to a wealthy Mainz family. He studied a ...

. In 1171, Archbishop Christian of Mainz extended tax concessions to the convent.Heinrich Schipperges. ''The World of Hildegard of Bingen: Her Life, Times, and Visions''. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1998. Pages 31-32. The ruins of the monastery were destroyed to make way for a railway track in 1857.

References

Sources

* Herbert J. Thurston and Donald Attwater, eds. ''Butler's Lives of the Saints'', vol. 2. Allen, TX: Christian Classics, 1956. Page 322. * Anne H. King-Lenzmeier: Hildegard of Bingen: An Integrated Vision. Liturgical Press, Colledgeville 2001, , S. 122.

Literature

* Werner Lauter: Rupert von Bingen. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Band 8, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, , Sp. 1018–1021. * Ernst Probst: Hildegard von Bingen - Die deutsche Prophetin. GRIN, München/Ravensburg 2010, , S. 19, 20 & 52.

External links

* http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/92398 * http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/92774 * http://www.hildegard.org/rupert/rupert.html * http://kirchensite.de/fragen-glauben/heiligenkalender/heiligenkalender-einzeldarstellung/datum/2000/05/15/heiliger-rupert-von-bingen/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertha of Bingen Medieval German saints 750s deaths 8th-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown Female saints of medieval Germany 8th-century Frankish women 8th-century Frankish nobility