Saint Hildegard von Bingen was a 12th-century abbess, mystic, and visionary whose works continue to inspire devotion and admiration.
Hildegard's universe was centered around the Earth, which she believed to be spherical and the center of the universe. The Earth was surrounded by concentric shells or zones, with the inner zones being spherical and the outer ones oval or egg-shaped. The outermost zone was pointed, suggesting the quintessence of the other four elements.
Within the Earth, Hildegard believed there were two vast spaces shaped like truncated cones where punishment was endured, and from which great evil came forth. The Earth itself was composed of the four elements, which were represented unequally in proportion and shape, and their arrangement was disorderly.
Before the fall of man, the elements were united in a harmonious combination, and the Earth was Paradise. However, after that catastrophe, the harmony of the universe was disturbed, and the Earth became chaotic and confused, as represented by the irregular distribution of the elements.
The atmosphere surrounding the Earth was circular and spread across the four outer zones belonging to the four winds, indicated by the breath of supernatural beings. They also corresponded to the four elements and to the four regions of the heavenly bodies.
The first zone was the aer aquosus, corresponding to water, and containing the east wind. Beyond it was the purus aether, or zone of air, and containing the west wind. The umbrosa pellis or ignis niger, was the zone of the "dry" and the "earthy," of the north wind, thunder, lightning, and storms. The outermost zone was the ignis caelestis, or fiery zone, containing the south wind, and the heat of the sun.
Overall, Hildegard's universe was characterized by a harmonious combination of elements before the fall of man, followed by a disruption and chaos afterward. Her descriptions of the universe were rooted in her mystical visions and contemplative experiences.
