Mechthilde of Hackeborn and Gertrude the Great were both Benedictine nuns at St. Mary’s Monastery in Helfta, which was renowned for fostering the intellectual gifts of its sisters.

Mechthilde was born to a pious and noble family in Germany around 1240. Her older sister was already the abbess of a convent, and when Mechthilde was 7 years old the family went to visit her. Mechthilde was so enchanted with the convent, particularly its extensive lib…