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Secondary sourcePaintingc. 1400

Wall Painting of Hildegard and the Archangel Michael, Eltersdorf

Unknown · c. 1400

A church wall painting of around 1400 that probably shows Hildegard alongside the Archangel Michael, evidence of her veneration far from Bingen.

Depicts Hildegard venerated in a church far from her convent, showing the spread of her religious cult.

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Medieval wall painting in a church chancel above an arched doorway. Two haloed figures stand among grey-green foliage: a woman in a long robe on the left and a figure on the right, with a red-tinged halo and a wing-like form, holding a balance scale. Two lamps hang on the left.
Wall painting probably depicting Hildegard of Bingen and the Archangel Michael, Egidienkirche, Eltersdorf, c. 1400.

About this source

What it is

This is a wall painting from around 1400 in the chancel of the Egidienkirche in Eltersdorf, Franconia. It shows two haloed figures, likely Hildegard of Bingen and the Archangel Michael, who holds a scale for weighing souls.

Why it matters

This painting shows that devotion to Hildegard had spread well beyond the Rhineland convent where she lived, reaching churches in Franconia within a few centuries of her death. Pairing her with the Archangel Michael, a figure associated with judgment, suggests she was seen as a figure of spiritual authority and protection.

Look closer

  • Why might a church choose to paint Hildegard near its altar?
  • What does the pairing with the Archangel Michael suggest about how people understood her role?
  • What has been lost or damaged in this painting over time, and how might that affect what we can learn from it?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hildegard of Bingen on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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