Mechtilde of Hackeborn

About Mechtilde of Hackeborn

Mechtilde of Hackeborn was a German Benedictine nun and mystic at Helfta monastery. Sister of the abbess and friend of Gertrude the Great, Mechtilde served as chantress (choir director) and taught in the monastery school. She experienced mystical visions, particularly of Christ's Sacred Heart, which she kept secret until her companions wrote them down without her knowledge in "The Book of Special Grace." When Mechtilde discovered this, she was upset but eventually accepted it. Her mysticism influenced Sacred Heart devotion. She died in 1298.