This event is in Dutch. You can register via the 'Register' button on top of this page (€25).
Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) was a Benedictine abbess, theologian and mystic, a spiritual guide and adviser to both religious and secular leaders, a healer and a composer. Her remarkable versatility is reflected in her extensive body of work, which forms a coherent whole.
Recently, Kitty Bouwman's book Creation out of Love: Caritas and Wisdom as Expressions of an Inclusive God in Hildegard of Bingen was published. The book explores Hildegard's ecological vision of creation. Hildegard uses the concept of 'viriditas' (greening power or life-giving vitality) as an antidote to everything that diminishes life.
As a Doctor of the Church, Hildegard includes all creatures within the relationship of God's love, Caritas, which embraces the whole of creation. In an original way, she associates the feminine figures of Caritas and Wisdom with God, thereby offering a more inclusive theological vision.
During this symposium, several speakers will explore the continuing relevance of Hildegard's understanding of God and humanity, as well as her ecological spirituality, in a time when the earth and the cosmos face unprecedented challenges. To what extent can Hildegard's "green" vision of creation offer a meaningful perspective on today's ecological crisis?
Practical information
Language of the event: Dutch
Date: Friday 18 September 2026
Time: 10.00 am – 5.00 pm
Location: Titus Brandsma Memorial, Stijn Buysstraat 11, 6512 CJ Nijmegen.
Fee: € 25,00 including the concert by the Women's Schola, directed by Hanna Rijken
Registration: via the 'Register' button on top of this page
Programme
10.00 – 10.30 am – Registration and coffee
10.30 – 10.40 am – Opening by Prof. Dr Herman Westerink, chair of the symposium (Director of the Titus Brandsma Institute)
10.40 – 11.20 am – Dr Kitty Bouwman: Creation out of Love in Hildegard of Bingen
11.20 am – 12.00 pm – Dr Dinah Wouters: Allegory and Exegesis in Hildegard's Visions
12.00 – 12.20 pm – Prof. Dr Mariecke van den Berg: An Inclusive Understanding of God and Humanity in Hildegard of Bingen
12.20 – 1.20 pm – Lunch
1.20 – 2.00 pm – Prof. Dr Hans Alma: Ecospirituality in Hildegard of Bingen
2.00 – 2.40 pm – Dr Lenneke Post: Viriditas: The Green Life-Giving Power in Hildegard of Bingen
2.40 – 3.00 pm – Singing a Song by Hildegard, led by Dr Hanna Rijken
3.00 – 3.15 pm – Break
3.15 – 4.00 pm – Prof. Dr Daniela Müller: Hildegard and the Cathars
4.00 – 5.00 pm – Concert by the Women's Schola, directed by Hanna Rijken, at the Titus Brandsma Memorial Church, Van Trieststraat 14, 6512 CJ Nijmegen
5.00 pm – Closing remarks by Herman Westerink
