Hildegard von Bingen

Born into a noble family in what is now Germany, Hildegard began having visions at a young age, which her parents, clearly seeing a fast-track to sainthood (or at least a quiet life for their daughter), promptly sent her off to a Benedictine monastery. There, she blossomed, eventually becoming an abbess and consigliere to popes and emperors. Talk about networking!

Her achievements were as varied as they were impressive: she composed liturgical music, wrote treatises on natural history and medicine, and penned elaborate theological works. She basically put the