February 26 · Catholic · traditional calendar
Mechthild of Hackeborn
Mechthild of Hackeborn was a nun, teacher, musician, and mystic at Helfta. Her older sister Gertrude of Hackeborn was the abbess; she was not the younger sister of Gertrude the Great and was not herself abbess.
- Patronage
- No verified patronage is listed for this record.
- Era
- c. 1240–1298
Life at Helfta
Mechthild entered the monastery as a child and became its choir mistress and a teacher. Her musical gifts and learning shaped the community's worship and study. Her older sister Gertrude of Hackeborn governed Helfta as abbess.
The two Gertrudes
Helfta was also home to Gertrude the Great, a younger nun formed in the same community. Gertrude the Great and Gertrude of Hackeborn were different people. The imported account confused them, making Mechthild the sister of Gertrude the Great and calling Mechthild abbess. Her spiritual experiences were recorded by fellow nuns in the Book of Special Grace.
Sources and references
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