Saint Hildegund, O.Praem.

Premonstratensian

The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...

(c. 1130–1183) was a Praemonstratensian abbess

Abbess

An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....

. Born to nobility, her father was Count Herman of Lidtberg and her mother Countess Hedwig. She was married to Count Lothair of Meer (now Meerbusch

Meerbusch

Meerbusch, a town in Rhein-Kreis Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, has been an incorporated city since 1970. Meerbusch is the municipality with the second most income millionaires in North Rhine-Westphalia.- Geography :...

), in the modern region of North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. Together they had three children, one of whom did not survive into adulthood. When her husband died, Hildegund took a pilgrimage

Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...

 to Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, accompanied by her daughter, Hedwig. Upon their return to Germany in 1178, despite the opposition of her family, she took vows

Religious vows

Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices and views.In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by...

 as a nun

Nun

A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...

 of the Premonstratensian Order. She converted her castle into a monastery

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

, serving as its first abbess.

Her daughter Hedwig also embraced the monastic life and was a part of the community founded by her mother. She came to be given the status of "Blessed

Beatification

Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...

". Her son, Hermann Joseph

Hermann Joseph

Saint Hermann Joseph, O.Praem., was a German Premonstratensian canon regular and mystic. Never formally canonized, in 1958 his status as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church was formally recognized by Pope Pius XII.-Life:...

, declared a saint as well, had already entered that same Order (whose members also known as Norbertines) at the age of twelve, and had become a canon regular

Canons Regular

Canons Regular are members of certain bodies of Canons living in community under the Augustinian Rule , and sharing their property in common...

 of the Abbey of Steinfeld, where he developed a great reputation as a mystic

Mysticism

Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...

.

She should not be confused with another Hildegund

Hildegund (virgin)

Hildegund was a German woman who lived under the name Joseph disguised as a male in a monastery. She is often described as a saint , though her cult has never been formally approved....

of the same era, who lived her life disguised as a man, and was considered by some as a saint.