Suster Bertken Explained

Suster Bertken ('Sister Bertie'; 1426 – 25 June 1514) was a Dutch poet and anchorite.

Biography

She was born the illegitimate daughter of the canon priest Jacob van Lichtenberg. Her life before her enclosure as an anchorite is unknown, but she was evidently given a good education. In 1456 or 1457, she let herself be enclosed in a cell as an anchorite at the Buurkerk in Utrecht with permission by Utrecht bishop David of Burgundy.^[1]

According to a description of her life, she lived an extremely ascetic life even for an anchorite. After her death, several songs and hymns written by her were found among her belongings and were published in 1516. Her songs describe foremost her passion in the mystical union with God and became popular. She is one of few medieval women included in the Dutch literary canon.

Bertken lived in a small cell adjacent to the Buurkerk church of Utrecht for fifty-seven years until her death in 1514.^[2] Her daily activities were attending church from a window in her cell, meditation, prayer and writing.^[2] The only furniture in the cell was a chair, desk and mattress. Bertken never wore shoes and her diet excluded all dairy and meat products.^[2]

She died on 25 June 1514.^[3]

Work

• Een boecxken gemaket ende bescreven van suster Bertken die LVII iaren besloten heeft gheseten tot Utrecht in die buerkercke, 1516,^[4] containing
  • Het boecxken van dye passie (Hier begint een seer devoet boecxken van die passie ons liefs heeren Jhesu Christi tracterende), meditations on the passion of Christ.
  • Suster Bertkens boeck tractierende van desen puncten, prayers, an essay on Christmas Eve, a dialogue between a faithful soul and Christ her bridegroom and eight songs of literary value.
• Mi quam een schoon geluit in mijn oren. Het werk van Suster Bertken. Republished and explained by José van Aelst, Fons van Buuren and Annemeike Tan (Hilversum, Uitgeverij Verloren, 2007). . Collected work with extensive notes.

In music

Suster Bertken is the subject of the opera Suster Bertken (2010) by Dutch composer Rob Zuidam (born 1964).

Notes and References

1. Wilson, Katharina M. (1991). An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers, Volume 1. Garland Publishing. p. 119.
2. Van Kerckvoorde, Colette M. (1993). An Introduction to Middle Dutch. Mouton de Gruyter. p. 161.
3. Nieuwenhove, Rik Van; Faesen, Rob; Rolfson, Helen. (2008). Late Medieval Mysticism of the Low Countries. Paulist Press. p. 203.
4. Web site: Een boecxken gemaket ende bescreven van suster Bertken die LVII iaren besloten heeft gheseten tot Utrecht in die buerkercke . Suster Bertken van Utrecht . 20 June 2023 . Hier beghint een seer devoet boecxken van die passie ons liefs heeren Jhesu Christi tracterende, geordineert nae dyeGa naar getyden der heyliger kerken, mit veel ander gebeden ende punten; ende is ghemaect van een devote Clusernersse, gheheten suster Bertken, die Lvii. Iaren besloten heeft geseten tot Utricht in die Buerkercke in een Cluse Goede dienende. Ende is ghestorven op sint. Lebuijns dach ende leyt begraven in haer Cluse. Int iaer ons heren. M.C.C.C.C.C. Ende 9xvi. . Dutch . 1955.