Hildegard of Bingen was born in 1098 and died in 1179. She was a mystic, a theologian, a physician, and a musician. Called the Sibyl of the Rhine, Hildegard often referred to herself in humble and lowly terms, but it is clear that she was extremely well read, well written, and wise.
Today, Hildegard is perhaps best known for her visions, which she says she experienced in all five senses. She had mystical visions from a very early age through her forties.
She says that in one of these she received a message from God to write out her visions, but was unwilling to do so out of humility. She became extremely ill, and was finally compelled to write her visions, she says, by a noble woman and by St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
A Body's Grace 