The ''Libellus de locis sanctis'' ("Little Book of the Holy Places") is a 12th-century
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
guide book and travelogue of Palestine designed for the use of
Christian pilgrims to the
Holy Places
Sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, or holy place refers to a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through a bless ...
. It "stands out" from the mass of medieval guide books "for its literary and informative qualities".
Author
About the author of the ''Libellus'' nothing is known for certain besides what he says about himself. He was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
monk named Dietrich or Theoderich ( la, Theodericus, link=no) who visited Palestine himself around 1172. He was probably a
Rhineland
The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section.
Term
Historically, the Rhinelands ...
er, since he travelled with a certain Adolf from
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
and he was familiar with the
Palatine Chapel at Aachen
The Palatine Chapel in Aachen is an early medieval chapel and remaining component of Charlemagne's Palace of Aachen in what is now Germany. Although the palace itself no longer exists, the chapel was preserved and now forms the central part of ...
.
[Stewart, "Preface" to Theoderich 1891, pp. iii–ix.] He may have been from
Hirsau Abbey
Hirsau Abbey, formerly known as Hirschau Abbey, was once one of the most important Benedictine abbeys of Germany. It is located in the Hirsau borough of Calw on the northern slopes of the Black Forest mountain range, in the present-day state of ...
. He is often identified with the Dietrich to whom
John of Würzburg
John of Würzburg (Latin ''Johannes Herbipolensis'') was a German priest who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the 1160s and wrote a book describing the Christian holy places, the ''Descriptio terrae sanctae'' (Description of the Holy Land). ...
dedicated his ''Descriptio terrae sanctae'', another guide to Palestine. John travelled to the Holy Land shortly before Dietrich in the 1160s. He is also sometimes identified with
Dietrich of Hohenburg, who became the
bishop of Würzburg
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
in 1223. There is nothing to connect him to the two known Dietrichs of late 12th-century Würzburg, the provosts of ''Werdea'' and ''Onolsbach''.
Itinerary and description
Although Dietrich is an eyewitness for much of what he describes in the ''Libellus'', he also makes use of other eyewitness reports and of written sources to round out his account. He used as a source the same compendium as used by John of Würzburg.
In his introduction, he gives his work a spiritual purpose: to help bring Christ to mind for those who cannot see the Holy Places themselves and thereby to love and pity him, bringing themselves closer to heaven.
Dietrich's pilgrimage can be dated to between 1171 and 1173, during the reign of King
Amalric of Jerusalem
Amalric or Amaury I ( la, Amalricus; french: Amaury; 113611 July 1174) was King of Jerusalem from 1163, and Count of Jaffa and Ascalon before his accession. He was the second son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem, and succeeded his older brot ...
, when the Holy Places were under Christian control. It began in
Acre during March or April. From there he took the road to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
,
Jericho and the
river Jordan
The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...
. He went back by the same route and was in Acre preparing to embark on the Wednesday of
Easter Week
The Octave of Easter is the eight-day period, or octave, that begins on Easter Sunday and ends with the following Sunday. In Christian churches that celebrate it, it marks the beginning of Eastertide. The first seven of these eight days are als ...
. He may have made a detour to visit
Nazareth,
Tiberias
Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...
and
Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor ( he, הר תבור) (Har Tavor) is located in Lower Galilee, Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley, west of the Sea of Galilee.
In the Hebrew Bible (Joshua, Judges), Mount Tabor is the site of the Battle of Mount Tabo ...
, but his description of the
Sea of Galilee is very confused. His description of the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre indicates that he was there during the renovations financed by the Emperor
Manuel I Komnenos. He is also the earliest source to mention the
Sultan's Pool The Sultan's Pool ( he, בריכת הסולטן, translit=Brechat ha-Sultan; ar, بركة السلطان, translit=Birket es-Sultan) is an ancient water basin to the west side of Mount Zion, Jerusalem.
The Sultan's Pool was part of the water suppl ...
, then a newly constructed cistern.
The skill and detail of Dietrich's architectural descriptions has led to the suggestion that he was an ecclesiastical architect. He clearly had knowledge of construction techniques and building materials, and his descriptions are clear. The ''Libellus'' is an important source for the art, architecture and agriculture of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem ( la, Regnum Hierosolymitanum; fro, Roiaume de Jherusalem), officially known as the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem or the Frankish Kingdom of Palestine,Example (title of works): was a Crusader state that was establish ...
on the eve of its fall. Dietrich shows less interest in miracles and wonders, but does provide a first-hand account of the coming of the
Holy Fire
In Orthodox Christian belief, the Holy Fire ( el, Ἃγιον Φῶς, "Holy Light") is a proposed miracle that occurs every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Great Saturday, the day before Orthodox Easter. However, the ...
. Although "he directs no sarcasm against men of other faiths",
he does show
anti-Jewish
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
prejudice and records being frightened by some local "
Saracens" shouting in
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
as they worked in a field.
Manuscripts
For the longest time the ''Libellus'' was known only from one
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...
of the 15th century. In 1985, a second copy was discovered, also of the 15th century. R. B. C. Huygens produced the first
critical edition
Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants, or different versions, of either manuscripts or of printed books. Such texts may range in da ...
based on both manuscripts. Both manuscripts include several other texts on the Holy Land besides the ''Libellus''.
Notes
Bibliography
Editions
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Translations
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Secondary sources
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{{Medieval travelogues of Palestine
Medieval Jerusalem
12th-century Latin books
Travel books
Pilgrimage accounts