Unknown, Ways and Pilgrimages of the Holy Land B 1.1-1.3
created: This entry is taken from Ways and Pilgrimages of the Holy Land B 1.1-1.3 written
edition published: 2023-06-30-05:00
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https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/180

Sesarie

,

Sesairie

,

Sesaire

, and

Caesarea

are directly attested at Unknown, Ways and Pilgrimages of the Holy Land B 1.1-1.3. This passage was written ca. 1244-1263 C.E. possibly in Palestine. Two versions of Ways and Pilgrimages of the Holy Land (A and B) survive from the middle of the 13th century, both of which show a close similarity in content to the Holy Pilgrimages. They both trace two circuits for pilgrims, one from Acre across the Plain of Sharon and Ramla to Jerusalem and the other back to Acco from Jerusalem by way of Samaria, but they vary in the density, organization, and content of the geographical and biblical information. Version B, which survives at Cambridge in a manuscript in Norman French copied in England during the 15th century, provides copious detail concerning the sites between Acco and Ioppa. The passage on Caesarea describes sites in the city’s hinterland as well as in its immediate vicinity or interior.

(1) Ki dritement veut aler en Ierusalem, primérement deit aler de Acre à Caïphas, en quel chemin à mayn senestre est la Montaigne de seynte Margarete de Carme, ki est à .iiij. liues de Acre. En l’un chef de la montagne est Franche vile, où seynt Denys fu né, en une eglise peitite, en une petite roche contre val. En celé roche apert le lui oum un bersel cave en la roche, et par derére cele eglise à mayn destre est: la Fontaigne ke Denys trova e fist de ces mayns. E sachéz ke ceo est un de plus seynz lius à cors de home de tote la montaigne; e pus l’em vet à un caselet host près de là, à une petite descendue. (2) A l’autre chef haut de cele montaigne est une abbaye de Grissons, moignes ners, où seynte Margarete fist must de miracles, e sunt là de bons sentuaries. A la descendue de celé abbaye contre val est une chapele en la roche de seynt Helyes le prophète, où il fist must de miracles, e en la chapele est une bone fontaigne de ewe freide ke il trova e fist. En contreval à mayn senestre est un casal k’est apelé Capharnaüm. A près un poi en sus est Anne, un casal où furent forgez les clous dont Ihesu Crist fust clavéz en la croiz, e apert uncore le lui. En aval ante sur la mer est Caïphas ke soleit iadis mut valer avant ke la cité d’Acre fust fête, kar auncienement soleit aver ausi grant renom cum Acre; kar iadis Acre soleit estre un casal e Caïphas fu la vile. E sachéz ke Acre n’est pas de Terre de promission ausi cum est Caïphas, kar un flum devise la Terre Seynr entre Acre e Caïphas, k’est apelé le Flum de Caïphas, ke ist de une fontaigne ke curt par de suth le Carmont e vent par de suth la montaigne de Seynt Margarete, k’a nun la Paumére e curt en la mer e part ensi la Terre de Promission, e ataunt i a d’Acre à Caïphas com de Acre à la montaigne. En après l’em veit de Caïphas à Chastel Pelrin où il i a .iij. liues, e est del Temple. En contre cel chastel est un seynt luy ke l’om apele Seynt Iohan de Tyr, e si ad un abeye de moygnes gris, où il i a bons seintuaires, e seynt Iohan Baptiste fist mut de miracles. En sus de cel liu haut sus la montaigne à main senestre est un beau liu e seint, où i a en hermitage de hermites Latins, ki s’apelent frères de Carme, e si a une eglise de Nostre Dame; e si a mut de bones fontaignes curantes e mut de bones herbes flairans. Del Chastel Pelrin l’om vet à Sesarie; la cité sis sur la mer, où l’om trove à main destre les salines de l’Hospital de Seynt Iohan. E puis sur la mer trove l’om Pan perdu, une tur de Seynt Lazare. D’autre part à mayne senestre dedeenz terre, est une eglise de Nostre Dame de Mareys, e iluec venent mut de gens en pelrinage de Sesarie del Chastel Pelrin e del païs. En cel mareys sunt mux de caucatris, unes féres bestes, les queles i mist un riche hom ky estoyt en Sesairie, e los fist norir, car il les quida fere devorer suen frére, pur un conteste ke aveit esté entre eus, e pur ceo les fist il les aporter de Egipte. E un iur amena on liu son frére pur baigner, pur covertement ocire. E sun frére su plus sachaunt de lui: si le fist primes descendre, e les bestes k’yl aveyt nori tantost le tirérent en parfund, si ke onkes puis ne fu trovéz; e fu aperceü la traïson par ceo ke esteynt consentaunt, e ensi fu perdu ly traïtres, e seon frére savé. De tel liu delés Sesarie, si à une liue de hors les murs un petit, est la sepulture de seynt Cornel, ke seynt Pére baptiza, cum il est escrit en fez des Apostles, e fu arcevekes de cel cité. Après un poi en avant si est une péce de marbre de la colur de propre, ke l’om apele la Table Nostre Seignur, la quele Sarasins trenchérent per mi. En coste cele table sunt deus autre grant péces de marbre, grosses e tute rundes par de suth, e lunges e greles par de lus, e sunt apelés les Chandelabres Nostre Seignur, e une fontaigne ke est murée tut entur, en ben haut. D’autre part fors de la cité à main destre en sus un poi de la mer si est une Chapele de Seynte Marie Magdalene, ky est seinte e vertuuse, e dyent ke là fist fa penaunce. (3) En après de Sesaire l’om vet à Asur, un chastel le quel si est sur un tertre de roche un poi en sus de la mer, sur le sablum à nef liues de Sesaire. En sus ausi vers la montaigne est un liu mult perillus, ke l’om apele Roche talie, kar la repeirent larrons e grant mal funt à pilrins e as autres.

[Ed. Michelant and Raynaud 1882] [Cambridge University Library, Gg VI, 28, folios 52a-57a (England, 15th century)] [Minor corr. J. L. Rife]

(1) Whoever wants to go to Jerusalem properly must first go from Acre to Caïphas. On the road on the left is the mountain of St. Margaret of Carmel, which is 4 leagues from Acre. On one summit of the mountain is Freetown [Franche vile], where St. Denys was born in a small church, in a small cave toward the bottom. In that cave the place is visible as a crib cut in the rock, and behind that church, to the right, is the fountain that Denys found and made with his own hands; and know that this is one of the healthiest places for the human body in all the mountain. Then one goes to a little village there, a little further down. (2) On the other high summit of that mountain is an abbey of the Greeks, black monks, where St. Margaret performed many miracles and there are some good sanctuaries there. On the way down from that abbey, towards the bottom, is a chapel in the cave of St. Elias the Prophet, where her performed many miracles; and in the chapel is a good spring of cold water, which he found and made. At the bottom to the left is a village called Capharnaüm. Nearby and a little further up is Anne, a village where the nails with which Jesus Christ was nailed to the Cross were forged; and the place may still be seen. Further down on the sea is Caïphas, which formerly was very strong, before the city of Acre was built; for in ancient times it used to have as much renown as Acre; for formerly Acre was a village and Caïphas was the city. And know that Acre is not in the Promised Land and Caïphas is, because a river defines the Holy Land between Acre and Caïphas. It is called the Caïphas River, and it arises from a spring that flows below the Carmont and comes beneath the mountain of St. Margaret, where it is named the Palm Grove [la Paumére], and runs into the sea and thus divides the Promised Land. And it is as far from Acre to Caïphas as from Acre to the mountain. And afterwards one goes from Caïphas to Pilgrims’ Castle [Chastel Pelrin], which is 3 leagues away and belongs to the Temple. Facing the castle is a holy place that is called St. John of Tira, and there is an abbey of Greek monks, where there are good sanctuaries and St. John the Baptist performed many miracles. Above that place, high up on the mountain to the left, is a beautiful and holy place where there is a hermitage of Latin hermits who are called the Friars of Carmel, and there is a Church of Our Lady; and there are many good running springs and many good flowering herbs. From Pilgrims’ Castle one goes to Caesarea. The city is situated on the sea, where one finds on the right side the salt marsh of the Hospital of St. John. And then on the sea one finds the Lost Bread [Pan perdu], a tower of St. Lazarus. On the other side inland to the left is a Church of Our Lady of the Marsh, and many people come there on pilgrimage from Caesarea and from Pilgrims’ Castle and from the countryside. In that marsh are many crocodiles, ferocious beasts, which a rich man who was in Caesarea put there. And he had them fed, because he wanted them to eat his brother over a dispute between them, and for that reason he had brought them from Egypt. One day he brought his brother to bathe in order to kill him in secret. But his brother was more clever than he: he made him go down first, and the beasts that he had raised immediately dragged him to the deep, so that he was never found again. And the plot was seen through by those who were complicit, and thus the traitor was lost and his brother saved. From that place beside Caesarea, at a place a little way outside the walls, is the tomb of St. Cornelius whom St. Peter baptized, as it is written in the Acts of the Apostles, and he was archbishop of that city. A little further on there is a piece of marble, purple in color, called the Table of our Lord, which the Saracens cut in half. Beside that table are two other great pieces of marble, thick and quite round at the bottom and long and thin at the top, and they are called the Candlesticks of Our Lord; and a spring that is walled all around and very high. On the other side, outside the city to the right, a little above the sea, is a chapel of St. Mary Magdalene, which is holy and righteous, and they say that there she did her penance. (3) After Caesarea one goes to Asur, a castle that stands on a rocky knoll a little above the sea, on the beach 9 leagues from Caesarea. Up from there toward the mountain there is also a very dangerous place called Cut Rock [Roche talie], for there thieves convene and cause much harm to pilgrims and others.

[Rev. Pringle 2018]

Works Cited

[...] 189-191 1.1-1.3
[...] 209-213

Additional Bibliography

[...] 69-79

[Acts 10:1-48

Holy Pilgrimages 8

Pilgrimages and Pardons of Acre 1.1

Pilgrimages to Jerusalem 1-4

Rorgo Fretellus 430-431

Ways and Pilgrimages of the Holy Land A 1.1-1.3]

[Acre (Acco)

Anne (Bi’r Bayt Ḥanūn)

Asur (Arsuf, Assur)

Capharnaüm (Khirbat al-Kanīsa)

Carmel, Mount

Carmont (Caymont, Tel Yoane’am)

Caïphas (Haifa)

Chastel Pelrin (Athlit, Castellum peregrinorum)

Cut Rock (Roche talie)

Egypt

Franche vile (Freetown)

Jerusalem

Lost Bread (Pan Perdu)

St. Johan of Tira (al Tira, Tirat al-Lawz)]

[Carmelites

Cornelius, early Christian at Caesarea

Dionysius (Denys), pope [AD 250-268]

Elijah the Prophet (St. Elias)

Jesus Christ

John the Baptist

Knights Hospitallers

Knights Templar

Knights of St. Lazarus

Mary Magdalene

Mary, Mother of Jesus

Peter the Apostle

St. Margaret]

[Christian Bible

Christianity

Crusades

Geography

Government and Law

Hebrew Bible

History of Israel

Medieval History

Military

Natural Environment

Pilgrimage

Roman History

Society and Culture

Urban Topography]