Patti Smith Performs Medieval Hymns at Venice Biennale

In a centuries-old Venetian church, Patti Smith's voice filled the stone arches with hymns written by a 12th-century nun who believed music could heal the world.

The legendary singer-songwriter performed works by Saint Hildegard of Bingen at the opening of the Vatican's first pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The intimate, half-hour performance marked the launch of "The Ear is the Eye of the Soul," an exhibition inviting visitors to slow down and simply listen.

Hildegard was a medieval nun who composed sacred music, wrote poetry, and tended healing gardens in Germany. Her monastery still thrives today, where 30 nuns continue her practices of song and gardening. She remains one of the most recorded composers of sacred music in modern history, inspiring artists across nine centuries.

The Vatican Pavilion showcases 21 new sound pieces by artists including Brian Eno, Jim Jarmusch, and FKA twigs. Visitors wander through a secret garden wearing headphones, experiencing a woven soundscape designed by Soundwalk Collective. No paintings hang on walls. No sculptures dot the paths. Just nature, silence, and sound.

Stephan Crasneanscki of Soundwalk Collective explained the vision: "Sound has always remained in the shadows, at the service of the image or secondary to something else. And here, suddenly, in this garden, there is nothing but sound."

The timing feels intentional. This year's Biennale theme encourages slowing down and tuning into quieter registers, a counter-rhythm to our accelerating world.

Why This Inspires

Hildegard used a word: viriditas. It means "green force" or vital energy, the feeling of being fully present so the world can unfold before us. She believed music, gardens, and nature ground us in the moment.

Smith and Crasneanscki have collaborated for 15 years, since meeting by chance on a plane. For this project, Smith recorded her voice in New York, embodying the figure of Mary as woman and mother. The piece became a sonic prayer, extending Hildegard's contemplative spirit into modern times.

The exhibition appears at two Venice locations: the Secret Garden of the Discalced Carmelites and the Santa Maria Ausiliatrice complex. Visitors leave carrying something intangible but real: the medieval mystic's invitation to listen deeply, to let stillness speak.

In a world drowning in visual noise, 24 contemporary artists just reminded us that closing our eyes might help us see more clearly.