The Hildegard of Bingen Pilgrimage Book

2023 Catholic Media Association First Place Award, Pilgrimages/Catholic Travel

The Hildegard of Bingen Pilgrimage Way is a new path that invites pilgrims from all over the world to walk along the historic sites where the saint lived in the twelfth century. The route leads pilgrims on 140 kilometers (87 miles) from Idar-Oberstein via Disibodenberg and Sponheim to St. Hildegard’s Abbey in Eibingen on the Rhine. It is a path through a fascinating Central European landscape, into Hildegard’s visionary work, into one’s own spirituality, and into God.

The Hildegard of Bingen Pilgrimage Book directs you along the way, offering short descriptions of each of the ten stages. It also provides profound information about Hildegard’s life and her theological, musical, medical, and botanical works. Biblical texts and meditative poems are included to offer you additional inspiration, furthering the potential for your own spiritual discoveries in the company of Hildegard.

Annette Esser, PhD, is the initiator of the Hildegard of Bingen Pilgrimage Way in Germany, editor of the fifty-nine tableaux along the way, and author of this pilgrimage book. Born in Cologne, Germany, Annette Esser has studied Catholic and Protestant theology at Münster University, Germany, and at Union Theological Seminary, New York; she holds a doctorate in theology from Radboud University, The Netherlands. As a teacher, artist, and theologian, she is the foundress and president of the Scivias Institute for Art & Spirituality, a nonprofit organization for artists, theologians, and therapists. Her artwork includes the Hildegard sculpture made from clay as seen on the Hildegard of Bingen pilgrimage passport and book.