Gertrude the Great was a 13th-century German Benedictine nun and mystic from the Monastery of Helfta. Born in 1256, she entered the monastery school as a young child and later joined the monastic community in 1266. Following a series of visions that began in 1281, she dedicated her life to prayer, theology, and spiritual writing. She is particularly remembered for her intense mystical experiences and her profound devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which she documented in her influential writings.