Vera Deliniatio Hodierni Situs Almae Civitatis Ierusale ...
|
A Fascinating and Very Rare Pilgrimage Map of Jerusalem. Vera Delineatio Hodierni Situs Almae Civitatis Jerusalem Cum Omnibus Viis Intra Et Extra Muros Adiacentibus. Delinavit Reverendus Pater Paulus a Milonico minorita Hierosolimitanus octogenarius, 1687. Cum privilegio Regis. A copperplate engraved map on two sheets joined, overall 90 x 58 cm (35.4 x 22.8 inches) - mounted on old linen and attached to wooden rollers. There are a few mended splits and areas of slight loss in the text. In the right margin paper loss affects approximately 2 cm of the neatline, which has been replaced in manuscript. Original hand-colour, gently faded. The credit line reads “Parisiis prope maiorem conventum P.P. gustinenstumsub signo duorum globorum”, and repeats the privilege information.
A decorative cartouche encloses the information "Regi Christianissimo
Sanctorum Locorum Invectissimo Protectori Dicata A R.P. Galliarum
Commisario Generali Pro Terra Sancta”. A numbered key lists 64 points of
interest. “Among the early printed maps of Jerusalem there is a special group of realistic maps, which should be identified as pilgrimage maps. They were based on an actual acquaintance with the city and were drawn by pilgrims, or for them. These maps depicted Jerusalem as the Holy City for Christianity; portraying the city through the eyes of the Christian pilgrims, and reflecting their perceptions, excitement and devotion. They often underscored the city’s religious sites and traditions, and undermined certain elements of the city’s actual cultural and religious landscape.” Rubin. This is the first of a sequence of notable maps produced at a time when many other maps of Jerusalem had been published, with the majority having been based on a Biblical perception of the city rather than first-hand experience. The earlier, Biblical representations had visualised a glorious city with David’s Temple resplendent, but represented little of the city’s position as cultural meeting point between the Christian, Jewish and Muslim worlds. The author of this map, a Franciscan Friar, was one Paulus a Milonico, Paul from Milonis (there are several possible locations in France for Milonis), who is recorded as having been in Jerusalem in the 1680’s. Paulus’s map is similar to an unpublished manuscript from 1607 by Jean Bouchevon but which lacks much of the detail present here, including the lettered and numbered key, title and various specific locations – suggesting the earlier work was an illustration rather than an informative map. “The main purpose of this map … was probably to exhibit Jerusalem and its Holy Sites as experienced by pilgrims. It meant to guide the pilgrims along their trip, to encourage those who would take upon themselves the hardships of the long and difficult voyage, but at the same time to convey its message to those who stayed safely at home, and experienced the “pilgrimage” sitting in their armchair.” The numbered key lists some 64 points of interest, some identified by means of a Maltese Cross or a circle, indicating the kind of indulgences which could be obtained by visiting them. Sites of interest to Christian pilgrims predominate, but the synagogue and the Jewish quarter are included as is a caption at Solomon's Temple (topped with a crescent) describing it as the chief mosque. Monasteries, convents and vineyards abound outside the city's walls. Caravans and groups of armed men are seen moving along roads. Sites such as the home of the prophet Samuel are identified, and several vignettes depict such events as Cain slaying Abel, David and Goliath doing battle, and even Judas hanging from a tree. To accommodate all this information the cartographer has contracted the region's geography. South is at the top, the Jordan River is at lower right, and the Dead Sea covers almost the length of the map at the left. Such distortion may seem bizarre but merely serves to emphasise the mapmaker’s attention to Jerusalem and its pivotal religious significance. A very rare map, apparently unrecorded in this, its first state, with the full and original title. The two other recorded examples of this engraving have a revised title beginning “Legitima Copia ….” in place of “Vera Delineatio …” and are known only in the Bibliotheque Nationale de France and in a Private Collection.
region: Maps of the Holy Land |
|
| return to Asia Maps |
