Niccolò da Poggibonsi
Encyclopedia
Frà
Niccolò da Poggibonsi was a Franciscan
monk who made a famous pilgrimage
to the Holy Land
in 1345–50, which he described in Italian
in his Libro d'oltramare.
From Poggibonsi
in Tuscany
, Niccolò, with seven companions (six of whom eventually returned home), departed for Venice
, from where he embarked for a sea voyage to Cyprus
. He sojourned for some months on the island in the service of King Hugh IV
. He then left for Jaffa
, and from there visited the shrines in Jerusalem (where he served for four months in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
) and the myriad holy sites of Palestine
. He went as far as Damascus
intending to visit "Babylonia
" and "Chaldaea" (probably Baghdad
), which he never did.
He left by ship from Beirut
and stopped in Egypt
, where he visited Alexandria, "Babylonia" (probably Fustat, Old Cairo
), New Cairo
, and the places in Sinai mentioned in the Old Testament
. There he also visited the ancient Monastery of Saint Catherine. He continued north to Gaza
and there turned back towards the Nile delta
, where he took a ship from Damietta
to Cyprus.
In Cyprus he boarded a ship for Italy. The ship followed an adventurous course, taking him by the Anatolia
n coast of Ottoman Empire
, to call in the port of Tripoli
, and near Poreč
on the Adriatic, where he was captured by brigands but managed to escape. He arrived safe in Venice late in 1349 and went to Ferrara
, where he was detained until the spring of 1350, when he finally, after five years of wandering, returned to Poggibonsi.
Upon his return Niccolò recounted his travels in the Libro d'oltramare ("Book of Outremer
"). Rich in detail, it describes the sights, the distances on the roads, the tolls paid, and the indulgences associated with various shrines. His descriptions of buildings and cities are unusually detailed, and the picture he paints of Jerusalem was based on four months residence there. His entire pilgrimage was extraorinarily long by the standards of the time. This is probably attributable to his desire to see sites that lacked the facilities for receiving pilgrims, for visiting far-off sites in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, and his financial difficulties (his first stay in Cyprus necessitated by the need to raise cash). Organised trips departed regularly from Venice, bringing pilgrims to Jerusalem and its suburbs (like Mount Tabor
), but Niccolò eschewed typical tourism.
Niccolò informs us that the house of the Virgin Mary at Nazareth
, long a Christian holy place, was destroyed, possibly by the Mamelukes sometime after 1289, when it was last recorded standing. When Niccolò visited the site, all that remained was a cove with three walls. Niccolò is also an important witness to a supposed Mongol conquest of Jerusalem in 1300, since he records that the Mongols removed a gate (the "Golden Gate") from the Temple of Jerusalem (today the Dome of the Rock
) and had it transferred to Damascus.
The Libro d'oltramare was translated into German
around 1467 by Gabriel Muffel of Nuremberg
, who was probably working out of Passau
. An illuminated manuscript
(Egerton 1900) of the German translation from 1467, purports to be a description of Muffel's visit to the Holy Land in 1465. The earliest manuscripts of Niccolò's Libro are unillustrated, but the Egerton 1900 has 147 miniatures. The Libro d'oltramare was first published anonymously in an Italian translation based on the German in Bologna
in 1500. This version, the Viazo da Venesia al Sancto Iherusalem, contained 145 woodcut
s and twenty-six printings before 1600.
FRA
Fra is a variant of Friar.FRA may refer to:* Forward Rate Agreement , a financial instrument* Federal Railroad Administration, a division of the United States Department of Transportation...
Niccolò da Poggibonsi was a Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monk who made a famous pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
in 1345–50, which he described in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
in his Libro d'oltramare.
From Poggibonsi
Poggibonsi
Poggibonsi is a town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. It is the main centre of the Valdelsa Valley.-History:The area around Poggibonsi was already settled in the Neolithic age, although the first traces of civilisation dates from Etruscan-Roman age, attested by a series of necropolises and...
in Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Niccolò, with seven companions (six of whom eventually returned home), departed for Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, from where he embarked for a sea voyage to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. He sojourned for some months on the island in the service of King Hugh IV
Hugh IV of Cyprus
Hugh IV of Cyprus was King of Cyprus from 31 March 1324 to his abdication, on 24 November 1358 and, nominally, King of Jerusalem, as Hugh II, until his death...
. He then left for Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
, and from there visited the shrines in Jerusalem (where he served for four months in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It is a few steps away from the Muristan....
) and the myriad holy sites of Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. He went as far as Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
intending to visit "Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
" and "Chaldaea" (probably Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
), which he never did.
He left by ship from Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
and stopped in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, where he visited Alexandria, "Babylonia" (probably Fustat, Old Cairo
Old Cairo
Old Cairo is a part of Cairo, Egypt, that contains the remnants of those cities which were capitals before Cairo, such as Fustat, as well as some other elements from the city's varied history. For example, it encompasses Coptic Cairo and its many old churches and ruins of Roman fortifications...
), New Cairo
New Cairo
New Cairo is a new satellite city of Cairo. Located in what was formerly desert, the master plan was created in 2001 by a Boston firm. It is the home of the new campus of the American University in Cairo, as well as the German University in Cairo, the Future University in Egypt and the Canadian...
, and the places in Sinai mentioned in the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
. There he also visited the ancient Monastery of Saint Catherine. He continued north to Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
and there turned back towards the Nile delta
Nile Delta
The Nile Delta is the delta formed in Northern Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the east, it covers some 240 km of Mediterranean coastline—and is a rich...
, where he took a ship from Damietta
Damietta
Damietta , also known as Damiata, or Domyat, is a port and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt. It is located at the intersection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile, about north of Cairo.-History:...
to Cyprus.
In Cyprus he boarded a ship for Italy. The ship followed an adventurous course, taking him by the Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n coast of Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, to call in the port of Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, and near Poreč
Porec
Poreč is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th century Euphrasian Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997....
on the Adriatic, where he was captured by brigands but managed to escape. He arrived safe in Venice late in 1349 and went to Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
, where he was detained until the spring of 1350, when he finally, after five years of wandering, returned to Poggibonsi.
Upon his return Niccolò recounted his travels in the Libro d'oltramare ("Book of Outremer
Outremer
Outremer, French for "overseas", was a general name given to the Crusader states established after the First Crusade: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and especially the Kingdom of Jerusalem...
"). Rich in detail, it describes the sights, the distances on the roads, the tolls paid, and the indulgences associated with various shrines. His descriptions of buildings and cities are unusually detailed, and the picture he paints of Jerusalem was based on four months residence there. His entire pilgrimage was extraorinarily long by the standards of the time. This is probably attributable to his desire to see sites that lacked the facilities for receiving pilgrims, for visiting far-off sites in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, and his financial difficulties (his first stay in Cyprus necessitated by the need to raise cash). Organised trips departed regularly from Venice, bringing pilgrims to Jerusalem and its suburbs (like Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor
-Places:*Mount Tabor, a hill in Israel near Nazareth believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of ChristIn the United States:*Mount Tabor, Indiana, an unincorporated community...
), but Niccolò eschewed typical tourism.
Niccolò informs us that the house of the Virgin Mary at Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
, long a Christian holy place, was destroyed, possibly by the Mamelukes sometime after 1289, when it was last recorded standing. When Niccolò visited the site, all that remained was a cove with three walls. Niccolò is also an important witness to a supposed Mongol conquest of Jerusalem in 1300, since he records that the Mongols removed a gate (the "Golden Gate") from the Temple of Jerusalem (today the Dome of the Rock
Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The structure has been refurbished many times since its initial completion in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik...
) and had it transferred to Damascus.
The Libro d'oltramare was translated into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
around 1467 by Gabriel Muffel of Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, who was probably working out of Passau
Passau
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....
. An illuminated manuscript
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
(Egerton 1900) of the German translation from 1467, purports to be a description of Muffel's visit to the Holy Land in 1465. The earliest manuscripts of Niccolò's Libro are unillustrated, but the Egerton 1900 has 147 miniatures. The Libro d'oltramare was first published anonymously in an Italian translation based on the German in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
in 1500. This version, the Viazo da Venesia al Sancto Iherusalem, contained 145 woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s and twenty-six printings before 1600.
External links
- Egerton 1900 at the British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts