Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard was born into a noble family. Her parents sent her to a monastery because she was the tenth child of the family. She took the veil (became a nun) at the age of 15. By the time she was 38 she had the title of “mother superior”. She founded (started) a monastery on the Rupertsberg in the Rhine valley near Bingen. Later she founded a daughter house on the other side of the river near Rüdesheim. She travelled a lot and talked to many important people. She later had the title of “abbess”. After she died several popes suggested she should be made a saint, but this never happened. She does, though, have a feast day on September 17, which is celebrated in some parts of Germany.