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- The Lost De Angelis Map of Jerusalem, 1578
The Lost De Angelis Map of Jerusalem, 1578
- By Moldovan, MD. Alfred
- Published 1 September 1983
- Maps
- Unrated
Moldovan, MD. Alfred
Dr. Alfred Moldovan was born in New York, the eldest son of a family that had migrated from Hungary. After becoming a doctor, he went to work in East Harlem. A founder of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, Dr. Moldovan campaigned for equal rights for blacks in the South in the 1960s, during which time he served as the personal physician to Dr. Martin Luther King.
by Alfred Moldovan, MD.
Amongst Dr Moldovan’s collection of Holy Land material, which he has been amassing in America over the past ten years, is a sixteenth century plan of Jerusalem which scholars and collectors had thought was lost for ever. Here he discusses the early printed plans of Jerusalem, setting the stage for the De Angelis map and tracing the impact of his exciting find on later plans of the city.
IN A NUMBER of books on the Holy Land, published between 1584 and 1609. there are references to an accurate plan of Jerusalem made by a Franciscan, Antonio de Angelis, which was published in Rome in 1578.
In 1892, in an article on the maps and plans of Palestine, the famed bibliographer of Holy Land cartography, Reinhold Röhricht, wrote: 'Unfortunately, this work [of Antonio de Angelis] has to this time not been seen by any Palestinographer and we are therefore left only with conjectures . . . A great deal of light would be shed . . . if the plans of Antonio would for once become accessible to us.'
Hermann Meyer, a scholar of Jerusalem cartography, in his 1971 study of Jerusalem prints and views wrote: 'Not a single copy is at present known in any library or collection.' In a previous work he had written: 'It is not possible to offer definite proof of the conjecture, but it must be assumed that the design composed by an industrious and gifted Franciscan Father was not intended for sale but was one of the treasures which served as a special point of attraction for the guests who during their stay in Jerusalem lived in the "Casa Nuova" (the Franciscan Hostel).'
The map of Jerusalem by the friar, Antonio de Angelis, which was found two years ago although it had previously been believed to be lost completely. It is an attractive bird's eye view of the city seen from the east. On the right is a cartouche identifying the holy sites of the city and, on the left, a dedicatory cartouche (see detail). This map, which is a copper engraving on two sheets, was printed in Rome on September 8, 1578, in the convent of Santa Maria Araceli (From the Moldovan Family Collection. Photo by John Art Studio).
This 'lost' map of Antonio de Angelis was found two years ago in almost perfect condition in a large folio volume of English history printed in 1724. To understand its role in Jerusalem cartography, it is necessary to examine some of the history of the city's maps and prints .
Jerusalem occupies a central role in the three major Western religions. Each regards it as a Holy City with sites to be visited and venerated and each has a major point of reference. For the Christians it is the Holy Sepulchre, the site of the burial of Jesus; for the Jews it is the Western Wall, the remnant of the Holy Temple that stood in Jerusalem from 516 B.C. to 70 A.D. when it was destroyed by the Romans. The Mosque of Omar for the Mohammedans marks the place from which Mohammed was taken to heaven and also contains the rock on which Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac. These sites have inspired pilgrimages to Jerusalem from earliest times. Accounts of such journeys, from the first recorded in the year 300 A. D., an itinerary of Antonini Augusto, to the present time, have often contained maps and drawings done on the spot. Despite this, many arc imaginary. These numerous manuscripts and printed accounts of pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Jerusalem have been collated by several bibliographers, the most important of whom were Titus Tobler, and Reinhold Röhricht. Because of the anti-iconographic attitudes of the Moslem and Jewish religions, there is a paucity of illustration in the works of such pilgrims. Christians had no such interdictions, however, and there are illustrations and maps in numerous early manuscripts, such as those reproduced in the Saga of Jerusalem, the Holy City.
Jerusalem has been represented in views and maps as Jerusalem of the past, of the present and the future. In the past, as the site of the many holy places venerated by the religious; in the present, to describe and aid pilgrims in finding the shrines, to confirm the religious belief of those who made the maps, and to show the future city of the Messiah.
The political climate of Jerusalem in the seventeenth century was not always conducive to map making. When Cornelis de Bruyn set out for the Mount of Olives to 'sketch the city' he had to take two Franciscan fathers with him, 'who were always on guard to prevent anyone from observing my doings.' Despite these difficulties he managed to produce this lovely panoramic view published in Utrecht, 1698, in his book Reizen door . . . Klein Asia . . . en Palestine (From the Moldovan Family Collection. Photo by John Art Studio).
Apart from the religious interdictions, the political climate of Jerusalem was not always conducive to map making. The political and religious nature of the rulers of the Holy Land made accurate studies very difficult if not impossible at times. The corruption and intrigue of the local petty rulers appointed by the distant Sultans in Constantinople, made life in the Holy Land a hazardous enterprise for the non-Moslems from many countries. Cornelis De Bruyn in his book of travels (here in the English edition: A Voyage to the Levant . . . and the Holy Land, 1702) gives us a vivid account of the precautions that he had to take in preparing his panorama of the city: '[On the 3rd of November, 1682] I set out for the Mount of Olives in order to sketch the city. . . I was accompanied by two Franciscan Fathers who were always on guard to prevent anyone from observing my doings. As a matter of precaution we had a basket filled with provisions and wine in readiness in order to impress casual passers-by with the idea that we were having a picnic. But despite this I was sometimes compelled to discontinue my work and wait for another day because of the danger.' The first pilgrim to the Holy Land to give us an accurate depiction of Jerusalem was Bernhard von Breydenbach (1440-1497) a canon of Mainz. His pilgrimage was made in 1483, and included in his party was Erhard Reuwich, a professional artist hired to make sketches of the important sites on the trip. On his return to Germany, Reuwich published the itinerary as Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam (Mainz. 1486). It includes a very large woodcut map of Palestine as viewed from the west and an inset view of Jerusalem seen from the east (from the Mount of Olives). This remained a favoured viewpoint since it overlooks the most important places.
'Civitas Jerusalem', an inset from the large panorama made by Erhard Reuwich in 1483 and published in Bernhard von Breydenbach's Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam, Mainz, 1486. Although the entire Holy Land map is drawn as if seen from the west, Jerusalem is viewed from the east which makes it possible to see the most important sites of the city (Photo from a facsimile in Jerusalem Views and Maps by Hermann Meyer, Jerusalem, 1971).
Amongst Dr Moldovan’s collection of Holy Land material, which he has been amassing in America over the past ten years, is a sixteenth century plan of Jerusalem which scholars and collectors had thought was lost for ever. Here he discusses the early printed plans of Jerusalem, setting the stage for the De Angelis map and tracing the impact of his exciting find on later plans of the city.
IN A NUMBER of books on the Holy Land, published between 1584 and 1609. there are references to an accurate plan of Jerusalem made by a Franciscan, Antonio de Angelis, which was published in Rome in 1578.
In 1892, in an article on the maps and plans of Palestine, the famed bibliographer of Holy Land cartography, Reinhold Röhricht, wrote: 'Unfortunately, this work [of Antonio de Angelis] has to this time not been seen by any Palestinographer and we are therefore left only with conjectures . . . A great deal of light would be shed . . . if the plans of Antonio would for once become accessible to us.'
Hermann Meyer, a scholar of Jerusalem cartography, in his 1971 study of Jerusalem prints and views wrote: 'Not a single copy is at present known in any library or collection.' In a previous work he had written: 'It is not possible to offer definite proof of the conjecture, but it must be assumed that the design composed by an industrious and gifted Franciscan Father was not intended for sale but was one of the treasures which served as a special point of attraction for the guests who during their stay in Jerusalem lived in the "Casa Nuova" (the Franciscan Hostel).'
The map of Jerusalem by the friar, Antonio de Angelis, which was found two years ago although it had previously been believed to be lost completely. It is an attractive bird's eye view of the city seen from the east. On the right is a cartouche identifying the holy sites of the city and, on the left, a dedicatory cartouche (see detail). This map, which is a copper engraving on two sheets, was printed in Rome on September 8, 1578, in the convent of Santa Maria Araceli (From the Moldovan Family Collection. Photo by John Art Studio).
This 'lost' map of Antonio de Angelis was found two years ago in almost perfect condition in a large folio volume of English history printed in 1724. To understand its role in Jerusalem cartography, it is necessary to examine some of the history of the city's maps and prints .
Jerusalem occupies a central role in the three major Western religions. Each regards it as a Holy City with sites to be visited and venerated and each has a major point of reference. For the Christians it is the Holy Sepulchre, the site of the burial of Jesus; for the Jews it is the Western Wall, the remnant of the Holy Temple that stood in Jerusalem from 516 B.C. to 70 A.D. when it was destroyed by the Romans. The Mosque of Omar for the Mohammedans marks the place from which Mohammed was taken to heaven and also contains the rock on which Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac. These sites have inspired pilgrimages to Jerusalem from earliest times. Accounts of such journeys, from the first recorded in the year 300 A. D., an itinerary of Antonini Augusto, to the present time, have often contained maps and drawings done on the spot. Despite this, many arc imaginary. These numerous manuscripts and printed accounts of pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Jerusalem have been collated by several bibliographers, the most important of whom were Titus Tobler, and Reinhold Röhricht. Because of the anti-iconographic attitudes of the Moslem and Jewish religions, there is a paucity of illustration in the works of such pilgrims. Christians had no such interdictions, however, and there are illustrations and maps in numerous early manuscripts, such as those reproduced in the Saga of Jerusalem, the Holy City.
Jerusalem has been represented in views and maps as Jerusalem of the past, of the present and the future. In the past, as the site of the many holy places venerated by the religious; in the present, to describe and aid pilgrims in finding the shrines, to confirm the religious belief of those who made the maps, and to show the future city of the Messiah.
The political climate of Jerusalem in the seventeenth century was not always conducive to map making. When Cornelis de Bruyn set out for the Mount of Olives to 'sketch the city' he had to take two Franciscan fathers with him, 'who were always on guard to prevent anyone from observing my doings.' Despite these difficulties he managed to produce this lovely panoramic view published in Utrecht, 1698, in his book Reizen door . . . Klein Asia . . . en Palestine (From the Moldovan Family Collection. Photo by John Art Studio).
Apart from the religious interdictions, the political climate of Jerusalem was not always conducive to map making. The political and religious nature of the rulers of the Holy Land made accurate studies very difficult if not impossible at times. The corruption and intrigue of the local petty rulers appointed by the distant Sultans in Constantinople, made life in the Holy Land a hazardous enterprise for the non-Moslems from many countries. Cornelis De Bruyn in his book of travels (here in the English edition: A Voyage to the Levant . . . and the Holy Land, 1702) gives us a vivid account of the precautions that he had to take in preparing his panorama of the city: '[On the 3rd of November, 1682] I set out for the Mount of Olives in order to sketch the city. . . I was accompanied by two Franciscan Fathers who were always on guard to prevent anyone from observing my doings. As a matter of precaution we had a basket filled with provisions and wine in readiness in order to impress casual passers-by with the idea that we were having a picnic. But despite this I was sometimes compelled to discontinue my work and wait for another day because of the danger.' The first pilgrim to the Holy Land to give us an accurate depiction of Jerusalem was Bernhard von Breydenbach (1440-1497) a canon of Mainz. His pilgrimage was made in 1483, and included in his party was Erhard Reuwich, a professional artist hired to make sketches of the important sites on the trip. On his return to Germany, Reuwich published the itinerary as Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam (Mainz. 1486). It includes a very large woodcut map of Palestine as viewed from the west and an inset view of Jerusalem seen from the east (from the Mount of Olives). This remained a favoured viewpoint since it overlooks the most important places.
'Civitas Jerusalem', an inset from the large panorama made by Erhard Reuwich in 1483 and published in Bernhard von Breydenbach's Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam, Mainz, 1486. Although the entire Holy Land map is drawn as if seen from the west, Jerusalem is viewed from the east which makes it possible to see the most important sites of the city (Photo from a facsimile in Jerusalem Views and Maps by Hermann Meyer, Jerusalem, 1971).
