This piece in our “bier hall” is a new acquisition. Rev. Shanon Sterringer brought it back from Rupertsberg, Germany in September 2024 to celebrate our five-year anniversary. It was purchased at a small antique store on the same land where Hildegard’s Rupertsberg monastery once existed. Nicholas Lehman took the initiative to mark the back of the wood piece with the “Rupertsberg Church” stamp so that future community members will know where it came from.

In a Charter published by Christian, Archbishop of Mainz in 1171, he exempted Hildegard’s monastery depicted in this piece of art from an episcopal levy. In the charter he wrote the following:

“Therefore let the faithful know, those of our own time and future times to come that I, Christian, humble overseer of the metropolis of Mainz, for the honour of the holy Mother of God at her community located on the Rupertsberg at Bingen, may have by our own hand, with consent and encouragement of my senior counsellors, made over so great a use of our right that at our request, in the district of the Rhine …no episcopal levy shall be required… from the possessions of the nuns serving God in the community of the above mentioned monastery.”

This charter is one of many published by the Diocese of Mainz after Hildegard moved her sisters from Disibodenberg to Rupertsberg (and also to Eibingen). Hildegard was a politician and an extraordinary leader.

This piece took a bit of work to transport and ship to Ohio but was worth the effort! Thank you to Joan and Nicholas Lehman for helping to carry it in Germany (it is heavy!) and to our friend, Dr. Annette Esser, founder of the Scivias Institute in Bad Krueznach, Germany for assisting with our shipping efforts (it was returned to Germany once before it actually made it to Ohio)! It has now found its forever home!