ABSTRACT
Hildegard of Bingen's voluminous correspondence includes a famous exchange with another abbess, Tengswich of Andernach. Tengswich professes herself impressed by Hildegard's prophetic gifts, but she questions the way in which Hildegard directs her convent on two grounds. For one thing, she has heard that Hildegard only admits wellborn nuns to her sisterhood, a practice which Tengswich sees as uncharitable and perhaps even unchristian; more disturbing, evidently, was the rumor that Hildegard and her nuns wore elaborate costumes and jewelry on holy days:
Aliud etiam quoddam de consuetudine vestra ad nos pervenit, virgines videlicet vestras testis diebus pro ornamento candidis quibusdam uti velaminibus, coronas etiam decenter contextas capitibus earum desuper impositas, et his utraque parte et retro angelicas imagines insertas; in fronte autem Agni figuram decenter impressam: insuper et digitos earumdem quibusdam decorari annulis: quae omnia, ut credimus, ad amorem superni Sponsi ducitis, cum justum sit ut sint mulieres cum verecundia se componentes, non in tortis crinibus, neque auro, neque margaritis, aut veste pretiosa. (Migne 336)
Indeed, another thing concerning your habits has reached us; it seems that your virgins on feast days wear as ornaments some kind of white veils, and even elegantly twisted crowns placed upon their heads, bearing the images of angels on either side and in the back; and in the front they have the figure of the Lamb elegantly attached.
And on top of this, their fingers are decorated with some kind of rings. You are encouraging them to do all these things for love of their holy Bridegroom, I suppose, since it is right that women should comport themselves with modesty, not wearing their hair in curls, or gold, or pearls, or precious clothing. 1
