Hygeburg
Encyclopedia
Hygeburg also Hugeburc or Huneberc, was an Anglo-Saxon
nun
at the Abbey
of Heidenheim
in Germany
.
Hygeburg was the author of a life
of Willibald
, the Vita S. Willibaldi, written at some time between 767 and 778. She also produced a life of Willibald's brother Wynnebald, who had been Abbot of Heidenheim until his death in 761. This Vita S. Wynnebaldi was composed in the period 782 to 785. It is likely that Hygeburg met Willibald in 777 when he arranged the translation of his brother's remains.
In addition to the simple hagiography, in Latin
stylistically similar to that of Aldhelm, Hygeburg's life of Willibald includes her Hodoeporicon ("Travellers Book", the name derived from Ancient Greek
) which comprises Willibald's dictated account of his travels to Rome
, Asia Minor
, and Jerusalem.
Ca. 780 CE the nun Hygeburg visited Caesarea and reported that the town had a church and a "great many Christians."
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
at the Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
of Heidenheim
Heidenheim, Bavaria
Heidenheim is a municipality in the Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen district, in Bavaria, Germany.Heidenheim is an old German market town, which resides in the administrative region of Middle Franconia in the middle of Bavaria...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Hygeburg was the author of a life
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of Willibald
Willibald
Saint Willibald was an 8th century bishop of Eichstätt in Bavaria.Information about his life is largely drawn from the Hodoeporicon of Saint Willibald, a text written in the 8th century by Huneberc, an Anglo-Saxon nun from Heidenheim am Hahnenkamm who knew Willibald and his brother personally...
, the Vita S. Willibaldi, written at some time between 767 and 778. She also produced a life of Willibald's brother Wynnebald, who had been Abbot of Heidenheim until his death in 761. This Vita S. Wynnebaldi was composed in the period 782 to 785. It is likely that Hygeburg met Willibald in 777 when he arranged the translation of his brother's remains.
In addition to the simple hagiography, in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
stylistically similar to that of Aldhelm, Hygeburg's life of Willibald includes her Hodoeporicon ("Travellers Book", the name derived from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
) which comprises Willibald's dictated account of his travels to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
, and Jerusalem.
Ca. 780 CE the nun Hygeburg visited Caesarea and reported that the town had a church and a "great many Christians."
External links
- Hygeburg at the Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon EnglandProsopography of Anglo-Saxon EnglandThe Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England is a major research project based at King's College London in the Department of History and the Centre for Computing in the Humanities, and at the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, University of Cambridge.From 2000, PASE has been funded by the...
- Huneberc of Heidenheim: The Hodoeporican of St. Willibald, 8th Century at the Internet Medieval Sourcebook