Rupert of Bingen
Encyclopedia
Saint Rupert of Bingen (712–732) was the son of Bertha of Bingen
, a Christian noblewoman. His father was a pagan called Robold. After the latter's death, the child was raised as a Christian by his mother. Bertha and Rupert share a feast day on May 15.
Rupert undertook a pilgrimage to Rome
aged 15, and is regarded as patron saint
of pilgrims
. After his return, he used his inherited wealth to found churches, living with his mother on a hill at the Nahe River, near Bingen
. Rupert died from a fever, aged 20.
Saint Hildegard of Bingen
held great veneration for Rupert. She compiled a Vita Sancti Ruperti and founded her own monastery of Rupertsberg
at the site of Rupert's burial.
During the Thirty Years' War
, Rupert's relics were transferred to Eibingen
, and his arm is still on display in a reliquary in Eibingen church.
Bertha of Bingen
Saint Bertha of Bingen 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 three hundred years later...
, a Christian noblewoman. His father was a pagan called Robold. After the latter's death, the child was raised as a Christian by his mother. Bertha and Rupert share a feast day on May 15.
Rupert undertook a pilgrimage 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...
aged 15, and is regarded as patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of pilgrims
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...
. After his return, he used his inherited wealth to found churches, living with his mother on a hill at the Nahe River, near Bingen
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, known as the Binger Loch. Bingen was the starting point for the...
. Rupert died from a fever, aged 20.
Saint Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen
Blessed Hildegard of Bingen , also known as Saint Hildegard, and Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mystic, Benedictine abbess, visionary, and polymath. Elected a magistra by her fellow nuns in 1136, she founded the monasteries of Rupertsberg in 1150 and...
held great veneration for Rupert. She compiled a Vita Sancti Ruperti and founded her own monastery of Rupertsberg
Rupertsberg
Rupertsberg is a crag at the confluence of the Nahe River and the Rhine, in Bingen am Rhein. It is named for Saint Rupert of Bingen, son of Bertha of Bingen. It is notable as the site of the first convent founded by Saint Hildegard of Bingen, in 1150, after leaving the monastery at Disibodenberg...
at the site of Rupert's burial.
During the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
, Rupert's relics were transferred to Eibingen
Eibingen
Eibingen, now a part of Rüdesheim am Rhein, Hessen, Germany is the location of Eibingen Abbey, the Benedictine monastery founded by Hildegard of Bingen in 1165 ....
, and his arm is still on display in a reliquary in Eibingen church.