The ''Einsiedeln Itinerary'' (or ''Itinerary of Einsiedeln'') is a ninth-century guide to the city of
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
written for
Christian pilgrims
Christianity has a strong tradition of pilgrimages, both to sites relevant to the New Testament narrative (especially in the Holy Land) and to sites associated with later saints or miracles.
History
Christian pilgrimages were first made to sit ...
. It was preserved in
Einsiedeln Abbey
Einsiedeln Abbey (german: Kloster Einsiedeln) is a Benedictine Catholic monastery in the village of Einsiedeln in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, in recognition of Meinrad of Einsiedeln, a he ...
in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
The ''Itinerary'' was written by an anonymous author in Rome. It was later bound in a
codex
The codex (plural codices ) was the historical ancestor of the modern book. Instead of being composed of sheets of paper, it used sheets of vellum, papyrus, or other materials. The term ''codex'' is often used for ancient manuscript books, with ...
along with four other documents before being taken over the Alps to
Francia
Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...
. This manuscript codex is now known as the Codex Einsiedelensis, because it was discovered in the Einsiedeln Abbey in the seventeenth century.
It is not known precisely when the document was created. It refers to the monastery of Santo Stefano, and so was written after its completion in the mid-eighth century. It makes no reference to the
Leonine City
The Leonine City (Latin: ''Civitas Leonina'') is the part of the city of Rome which, during the Middle Ages, was enclosed with the Leonine Wall, built by order of Pope Leo IV in the 9th century.
This area was located on the opposite side of the ...
which was completed about 850, so scholars believe that it was written prior to this.
The ''Itinerary'' is written in eleven sections. Each section describes a crossing of Rome from one gate to another, describing the interesting sights to be seen on or near the particular route.
The text describes many buildings and monuments, and describes in detail the
walls of the city.
Historians study the ''Itinerary'' to discover information about the activities and motivations of ninth-century pilgrims as well as to add detail to historical knowledge of Roman buildings and institutions.
An appendix to the ''Itinerary'' includes transcribed inscriptions from monuments in the city, many of which no longer exist.
References
Further reading
*{{cite book, author=Betty Marie Wray, title=The Notitia and Curiosum and the Einsiedeln Itinerary: Translation of the Texts, Together with an Analysis and Comparison of Their Form and Content, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=02GRNwAACAAJ, year=1949, publisher=University of South Dakota.
External links
Scan of the Einsideln Itinerary
Ancient Roman geography
Christian pilgrimages