Hildegard of Bingen was one of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages—an Abbess and woman of God, a visionary, naturalist, playwright, political moralist, and composer. Born in 1098, she was beset by the most extraordinary religious visions from the age of eight-visions which she wrote down, painted, dramatized, and set to music. This substantial legacy of her visionary writings and songs are unique for their mystic power and beauty. They serve as some of the most radiant and illuminating accounts of religious experience ever.