Riccoldo da Monte di Croce, Book of Pilgrimage 6.23-6.28
created: This entry is taken from Book of Pilgrimage 6.23-6.28 written by Riccoldo da Mon
edition published: 2023-06-30-05:00
language: la; la
availability: Except for materials quoted from other sources, this entry is copyright 2023 by the contributors (Joseph L. Rife, et al.) and the Caesarea City and Port Exploration Project. It is licensed under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Some texts quoted in this entry may be in the public domain in the United States. No copyright is asserted for these quotations. Some texts quoted in this entry may have copyright restrictions and are reused under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/233

Cesaream

,

Cesarea

, and

Caesarea

are directly attested at Riccoldo da Monte di Croce, Book of Pilgrimage 6.23-6.28. This passage was written ca. 1288-1291 C.E. possibly in Baghdad. Riccolde da Monte di Croce was a learned Dominican friar with a varied career. He taught in Tuscany; took a post under papal commission in Acre (1286/1287); traversed the Holy Land as a pilgrim (1288); and traveled across the Middle East as missionary (1288-1291), ending up in Baghdad under Mongol rule, where he challenged the local adherents of Nestorianism. His account of pilgrimage begins with an annotated itinerary from Acre to Galilee, Judaea, and Phoenicia (1-7), and ends with several essays on the culture, religion, cities, and practices of the peoples of western Asia (8-36). In this passage, he describes the northward journey through Caesarea, not without some confusion over historical toponymy. This story of the Cave of the Virgin along the coastal road between Caesarea and Athlit, undoubtedly a local folk tradition, is uniquely attested here.

(23) Redeuntes inde venimus iuxta Ramam, civitatem Ioseph, qui sepelivit Christum. (24) Et inde iuxta decem miliaria Cesaream Philippi, que est super mare. (25) Inde viginti miliaria ad Cacho castellum. (26) et inde appropinquantes Castro Peregrini decem et octo miliaria venimus ad caveam virginis. (27) Est autem cavea virginis fovea iuxta mare in via, que venit ex Egipto in Iudeam vel Galileam. (28) Voluit enim Ioseph declinare Iudeam et ire in Galileam, et cum esset iuxta in via, que venit de Cesarea Philippi, et quiesceret super lapidem, lapis quasi liquatus et per semet ipsum lectum et concavum se faciens occultavit puerum et Mariam et Ioseph, ut non viderent eos quidam insequentes et volentes eos ledere, ut dicunt.

[Ed. Laurent 1873]

(23) Starting again from there (sc. Emmaus) we came to Rama, city of Joseph, who buried Christ. (24) And then after close to 10 miles (we came) to Caesarea Philippi, which is on the sea. (25) From there after 20 miles (we came) to the castle Cacho. (26) And then approaching Pilgrim’s Castle after 18 miles we came to the Cave of the Virgin. (27) The Cave of the Virgin is a pit near the sea on the road that goes from Egypt into Judaea or Galilee. (28) For Joseph wanted to turn away from Judaea and go into Galilee. When he was nearby on the road that goes from Caesarea Philippi, and he was resting upon a rock, the rock, as though melted, turning itself into a bed on its own, hollowed out, hid the Child and Mary and Joseph, so that anyone pursuing and wanting to harm them could not see them, as the story goes. [Trans. J. L. Rife]

Works Cited

[...] 113 6.23-6.28

Additional Bibliography

[...] 361-375

[Arimathea

Athlit (Castellum Peregrinorum, Castrum Peregrinorum, Petra Incisa, Pilgrims’ Castle, Château Pélérin)

Egypt

Emmaus

Galilee

Judaea

Kakun (Cacho)

Ramla (Ramleh, Rama)]

[Jesus Christ

Joseph of Arimathea

Joseph, father of Jesus

Mary, mother of Jesus]

[Christian Bible

Christianity

Crusades

Geography

Medieval History

Military

Natural Environment

Pilgrimage

Roman History

Travel]