Hermanus of Reinchenau (1013 – 1054) called ‘Contractus’ due to the deformity purportedly caused by spina bifida and a cleft palate (as well as suffering from cystic fibrosis) – was a remarkable figure in the middle ages, a veritable renaissance man well before the renaissance, even if he did not quite look the part. Like Thomas Aquinas two centuries hence, Hermanus joined the Benedictine Abbey of Reichenau, on Lake Constance in Germany, as an oblate at the age of seven, and received a solid foundation in the liberal arts, achieving also fluency in Latin, Greek and Arabic. In the midst of his duties as a monk – chanting the Office and all the manual labour – he made time to write treatises on mathematics, geometry and astronomy, and is credited with inventing the astrolabe. He also wrote on musical theory, and composed some of the most beautiful hymns in our tradition. It is to Saint Herman that we owe the Salve Regina, the Veni Creator Spiritus, and the Alma Redemptoris Mater.
The noble Benedictine, who overcame his bodily limitations to achieve the highest spiritual and intellectual heights, died on September 24th, 1054 at the age of 41. By the grace of the good God, may we all look forward to meeting him in our own resurrected bodies, and sing together, forever.
Saint Herman, ora pro nobis! +
On that note, and in his memory, here is Frater Hermanus’ rendition of the Salve Regina: