Bertha of Bingen
Saint Bertha of Bingen | |
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Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church | |
| Feast | 15 May |
Saint Bertha of Bingen (German: Heilige Berta, died c. 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 later.[1] Bertha and Rupert share a feast day on 15 May.
Bertha of Bingen
Bertha was a descendant of the
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[3] spent in prayer, fasting, and good works.
Saint Rupert of Bingen | |
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Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church | |
| Feast | 15 May |
Rupert of Bingen
Rupert of Bingen (German : 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.[4]
At the age of fifteen, Rupert undertook a pilgrimage to Rome 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 hospices for the poor and needy. Rupert died from a fever, aged 20. He is regarded as a patron saint of pilgrims.[4]
Veneration
The little church on the Rupertsberg became a place of pilgrimage and was still standing when Hildegard founded a monastery there around 1150.
The monastery at Rupertsberg was destroyed in 1632, during the Thirty Years' War. Their relics were transferred to Eibingen.[4] 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.[2]
Rupertsberg
49°57′57″N 7°53′21″E / 49.96583°N 7.88917°E
Rupertsberg is a crag at the confluence of the
References
- ^ Borrelli, Antonio. "Beata Berta di Bingen", Santi e Beati
- ^ a b c "BERTHA VON BINGEN". Bistum Augsburg (in German). Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-8014-8547-3.
- ^ a b c "Den hellige Rupert av Bingen (712-~732)" [Saint Rupert of Bingen (712–~732)]. Den katolske kirke (in Norwegian). 20 December 2006. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ASIN B00588E3EI.
- ISBN 978-0-8146-5842-0.
- ^ Schipperges, Heinrich (1998). The World of Hildegard of Bingen: Her Life, Times and Visions. The Liturgical Press. pp. 31–32.
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, ISBN 0-8146-5842-3, S. 122.
Literature
- Werner Lauter: Rupert von Bingen. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Band 8, Bautz, Herzberg 1994, ISBN 3-88309-053-0, Sp. 1018–1021.
- Ernst Probst: Hildegard von Bingen - Die deutsche Prophetin. GRIN, München/Ravensburg 2010, ISBN 3-640-68859-7, S. 19, 20 & 52.
