66 PILGRIMAGE OF THE RUSSIAN ABBOT DANIEL
white resin. Twelve large rivers take their rise in Mount Lebanon, six flowing east and six south. The last six fall into the Lake of Genesaret, and the six1 others towards the greater Antioch. This country is called Mesopotamia, that is, the country situated between the rivers. Charran, from which Abraham went out, is between these rivers. These rivers largely feed the Lake of Genesaret, whence flows that large river which falls into the Sea of Tiberias and swells the volume of water of the lake from which, as I have said above, the Jordan flows.
I was not able to reach Mount Lebanon for fear of the infidels; but I got a good idea of it through my Christian guides who lived there, and would not allow us to go there because many infidels dwell in that mountain; we only saw it and the environs of the Lake of Genesaret from a distance. Between the Sea of Tiberias and the Lake of Genesaret it is about two versts. The latter is situated north-east2 of the town of Tiberias.
LXXXVI.–MOUNT TABOR.
Mount Tabor and Nazareth are situated to the west of the Sea of Tiberias. It is eight3 large versts to Mount Tabor. One has only to go over one mountain and climb another of slight elevation: all the rest of the road crosses the plain as far as Tabor. Mount Tabor is a marvellous work of God that one cannot describe, so beautiful is it, so lofty and so grand; it has the appearance of a haycock, and rises majestically in the midst of a magnificent plain; it is isolated from all other mountains, and a river flows through the plain at its feet. All sorts of trees grow upon its slopes–olive, fig, and carob trees in large numbers.
1
'Two,' D.2
Lit. the summer sunrising.3
'Fifty,' T. Ar. K. S.
67 IN THE HOLY LAND.
It is higher than the other mountains round, and is absolutely isolated from them; its circumference is considerable, and it rises majestically in the midst of a plain
like a carefully rounded haycock. Its height is such that it is four1 bow-shots from its summit to its base, and more than eight firing from the base to the summit. It is rocky, and this makes the ascent troublesome and difficult; it has to be climbed zigzag by a very arduous way. Starting at the third hour of the day, and climbing with vigour, we hardly reached the summit of this holy mountain at the ninth hour. On the highest point, to the south-east,2 is an elevated spot like a little rocky hill, terminating in a conical peak. This is the place of the Transfiguration of Christ our God. At the present day there is a fine church dedicated to the Transfiguration; and another at its side, to the north is dedicated to the Holy Prophets Moses and Elias.
LXXXVII.–THE PEACE OF CHRIST'S TRANSFIGURATION.
The place of the Holy Transfiguration is surrounded by solid stone walls with iron gates. It was formerly the seat of a bishopric and is now a Latin monastery. The top of the mountain affords a good but small level space in front of this enclosure, and it is truly a marvellous favour of God that abundant water is to be found at this altitude. The whole mountain is also covered with fields, beautiful vineyards, and numerous fruit trees; and the view from the summit is very extensive.
LXXXVIII.–THE CAVE3 OF MELCHISEDEK.
They show you upon Mount Tabor, at a level place, an extraordinary cave cut in the rock, like a cellar, which
1 'Nine,' Mo.; 'two,' S.
2
Lit. the winter sunrising.3
In D. Mac. Mo.; 'in the cave' in the other MSS. 5–2has a small window in the roof. At the bottom of the cave towards the east there is an altar. The door of the cave is very small, and you descend by steps from the west side. Small fig trees grow in front of the entrance, and around them are other kinds of trees; there was formerly a large forest there, but now there are only small shrubs. The holy Melchisedek1 dwelt in this small cave, and there Abraham visited him, and called him three times, saying, 'Man of God.'2 Melchisedek came out bearing bread and wine; and, erecting an altar3 in the cave, offered a sacrifice of bread and wine, which God carried up to heaven. There Melchisedek blessed Abraham, who cut his hair and nails, for Melchisedek was hairy. That was the beginning of the service with bread and wine, instead of with unleavened bread, as the prophet says, 'Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedek' (Psalm cix. 4).
This cave is a good bow-shot to the west of the place of the Transfiguration. In the Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration they showed us much respect. After resting and dining there we visited the Church of the Holy Transfiguration, and adored the sacred place where Christ our God was transfigured. Having kissed it with love and much joy, and having received the blessing of the Abbot and all the brethren, we left the sacred monastery, and made the tour of all the holy places of that holy mountain. The road leading to Nazareth, which is situated west of Mount Tabor, passes in front of the cave of Melchisedek. For a second time we visited with penitence this sacred cave, and bowed ourselves before the holy altar erected by Melchisedek and Abraham. That altar is to be found in this cave to the present day, and the holy
1
'King of Salim,' Mac. Mo.; ' the King,' F.2
'Come out here,' Mac. Mo.; 'come out,' T. Ar.Melchisedek often comes there to perform the service. All the faithful who live upon this mountain and who adore [the grotto] certified the truth of this to me. We praised God then that it had been permitted to us sinful unworthy ones to see these holy places, and to press them with our sinful lips. Afterwards we descended from Mount Tabor into the plain, and journeyed two versts towards the west in the direction of Nazareth.
From Mount Tabor to Nazareth it is five1 versts, two over the plain and three over the mountain, where the road is troublesome, narrow, and very arduous; impious Saracens, whose villages are scattered over the mountains and the plain, issue from their homes and massacre travellers on those terrible heights. It is
dangerous to go across without a good escort, which we lacked this time, for we were only eight persons, without arms. But having put our trust in God, protected by His mercy, and assisted by the prayers of Our Lady, the Holy Virgin, we arrived safe and sound at the holy city of Nazareth, where, by the interposition of the angel Gabriel, the Holy Annunciation of our Lady the Holy Virgin took place, and where Jesus was brought up.
LXXXIX.–THE TOWN OF NAZARETH.2
Nazareth is a small town situated3 in a valley in the heart of the mountains, and can only be seen when one is just above it. A large and lofty church rises in the midst of the town. It has three altars.4 Upon entering it there is to the left side, before a little altar, a small but deep cavern with two small doors, one east and the other west, through which the grotto is reached; entering by the
1
In Mac. Mo., F. T. Ar. K. S. R.; 'fifteen' in the other MSS.3
'To the south' R.western door one has on the right hand a cell, with a narrow entrance, in which the holy Virgin lived with Christ. He was brought up in this sacred cell, which also contains the bed upon which1 Jesus lay; it is so low that it appears to be almost on a level with the ground.
XC.–THE TOMB OF JOSEPH THE BRIDEGROOM.
On entering the same cavern by the western door, one has on the left hand the sepulchre of St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, who was interred there by the sacred hands of Christ. A white water drops, like holy oil, from the wall near his sepulchre, and people collect it for healing the sick.
XCI.–THE CAVE WHERE THE HOLY VIRGIN SAT.
In the same cavern, near the west door, is the place where the holy Virgin Mary sat spinning purple, that is a scarlet thread,2 when the archangel Gabriel, sent by God presented himself before her.
XCII.–THE PLACE WHERE THE ARCHANGEL ANNOUNCED THE GOOD NEWS TO THE HOLY VIRGIN.
He appeared before her eyes a little way from the place where the holy Virgin was sitting. From the door to the place where Gabriel stood it is three sagénes.3 A small round marble altar has been erected upon a column at this place; and here service is held.
XCIII.–THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH THE BRIDEGROOM.
The site occupied by the sacred cavern was the 'House of Joseph,' and everything took place in that house. Above
1
'The child lay with its mother,' Mac.3
In Mac. Mo., F. K. S. R.; 'columns' in other MSS.the cave there is a church, dedicated to the Annunciation. This holy place was formerly destroyed, and it is the Franks who have restored the building with the greatest care. A very rich Latin Bishop lives there, and the holy place is under his jurisdiction. He received us cordially, and gave us meat and drink; and we passed the night in the town. Having well slept, and having risen next morning, we went into the church to do honour to the sanctuary, and passing into the cavern, we adored all the holy places in it. We afterwards left the town, and going north-east,1 came to a very deep well, with very cold water, to which one descends by several steps. This well is covered by a round church dedicated to the archangel Gabriel.
XCIV.–THE WELL OF THE FIRST ANNUNCIATION.2
It is a good bow-shot3 from the town of Nazareth to this sacred well. It is near this well that the holy Virgin received the first announcement from the archangel. She had come to draw water, and had filled her pitcher, when the voice of the invisible angel was heard, saying, 'I salute you, O full of grace, the Lord is with you.' Mary looked all round, and seeing no one, but having heard only the voice, took up her pitcher again and returned astonished, saying to herself, 'What does this voice mean that I have heard without having seen anyone?' On returning to her house at Nazareth she sat down at the spot previously mentioned, and began to spin purple; it is then that the archangel Gabriel appeared to her, standing on the place mentioned above, and announced to her the birth of Christ. They reckon five versts from Nazareth to the village of Esau.4
1 Lit. the summer sunrising.
2
'Of the archangel,' D. F.3
'About a verst and a half,' Mac. Mo.4
'Jacob,' D.; ' Isaac,' S. R. The place alluded to is the village of Meshed, between Nazareth and Kefr Kenna, where the tomb of Jonah is now shown.
72 PILGRIMAGE OF THE RUSSIAN ABBOT DANIEL
XCV.–CANA OF GALILEE.
From this village to Cana in Galilee the distance is a verst and a half.1 Cana in Galilee2 is situated upon the main road; there Christ changed the water into wine. We met there a large caravan going to Acre; we joined it gladly, and proceeded to Acre, which used to be a Saracen town, but it now belongs to the Franks. It is a fortified town, on the shore of the 'Great Sea,' and has a good harbour; the town is well provided with everything. Acre lies south of Nazareth, from which it is 28 large versts distant.
We remained four days at Acre, and having well rested, found a large caravan going to the holy city of Jerusalem, to which we joined ourselves. We journeyed together with much pleasure, and reached Caipha, whence we visited Mount Carmel. On that mountain is the cave of St. Elias3 the holy prophet, in which we worshipped, and then proceeded to Capharnaum. From this last town we went to Cæsarea Philippi. The road runs along the Great Sea, sometimes over the plain, sometimes over the sands, as far as Cæsarea. We passed three days in the town where Cornelius, who was baptized by the Apostle Peter, lived.
From Cæsarea we went to the left to visit Samaria; the distance between the two towns is 204 versts. On the morrow, about midday, we reached Samaria, having travelled slowly on account of the heat, which greatly troubled the footmen during their march. We passed the night in front of the town of Samaria, near Jacob's Well, where Christ spoke with the Samaritan woman.
1
'Two,' D.; 'half a verst,' K. S.; ' four,' Mac. T. Ar.2
In Mac. Mo.; F. K. S. R.; 'Galia' in other MSS. Guthe, Z. D. P. V. vii. 55, identifies Cana with Kh. Kana, or Kana el Jelíl.3
'Elisaeus,' R.4 'Fifteen,' Mac. Mo., F.
73 IN THE HOLY LAND.
XCVI.–JERUSALEM.
When we rose we rejoined the road by which we had come from Jerusalem, and at last reached the Holy City happy, and full of joy: God permitted us to make this journey without mishap, and granted us, at the same time, the favour of seeing, with our own eyes, all the holy places that Christ our God had visited for our salvation. We sinners were allowed to look upon those holy places and to travel over that marvellous land of Galilee, and all Palestine. Protected by the Divine goodness, and guarded by the prayers of the Holy Virgin, we travelled without molestation through all Palestine–a name by which the country round Jerusalem is known. Supported by the assistance of God, we visited all those places without meeting infidels or wild beasts; no evil befell me; I never had the least illness; but, like an eagle soaring aloft, I felt myself sustained by the Divine grace,1 and strengthened by the power of the Most High. If I may boast of anything, it is of the help of Christ, and of my own feebleness; as the Apostle says, 'My strength is made perfect in weakness' (2 Cor. xii. 9). How can I acknowledge, O Lord, all that Thou hast done for me, a wretched sinner, in thus permitting me to visit and see those holy places; and so, by God's aid, to carry out the wish of my heart, and investigate all that He might condescend to show me, His poor, unworthy servant.
Forgive me, my brethren, my fathers, and my lords! Do not despise the ignorance that has led me to describe the Holy Places, Jerusalem, and the Promised Land, in simple words, without literary skill. If I have written without scholarship, there is at least no lie; and I have described nothing that I did not see with my own eyes.
1
'Moving boldly forward like a stag, without fatigue, and without loitering,' Mac. Mo. F.
74 PILGRIMAGE OF THE RUSSIAN ABBOT DANIEL
XCVII.–THE HOLY LIGHT; HOW IT DESCENDS UPON THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
The following is a description of the Holy Light, which descends1 upon the Holy Sepulchre, as the Lord vouchsafed to show it to me, his wicked and unworthy servant. For in very truth I have seen with my own sinful eves how that Holy Light descends upon the redeeming Tomb of our Lord Jesus Christ. Many pilgrims relate incorrectly the details about the descent of that Holy Light Some say that the Holy Ghost descends upon the Holy Sepulchre in the form of a dove; others that it is lightning from heaven which kindles the lamps above the Sepulchre of the Lord. This is all untrue, for neither dove nor lightning is to be seen at that moment; but the Divine grace comes down unseen from heaven, and lights the lamps of the Sepulchre of our Lord. I will only describe it in perfect truth as I have seen it. On Holy Friday, after Vespers, they clean the Holy Sepulchre and wash all the lamps that are there; they fill the lamps with pure oil without water and after having put in the wicks, leave them unlighted they affix the seals to the Tomb at the second hour of the night. At the same time they extinguish all the lamps and wax candles in every church in Jerusalem. Upon that same Friday, at the first hour of the day, I, the unworthy, entered the presence of Prince Baldwin, and bowed myself to the ground before him. Seeing me, as I bowed, he bade me, in a friendly manner, come to him, and said, ' What dost thou want, Russian abbot?' for he knew me and liked me, being a man of great kindness and humility and not given
1
'From heaven,' Mac. Mo., K. S. The descent of the Holy Light or Fire, is first mentioned in 867 A.D. by Bernhard, Early Travels in Palestine, 27. An interesting summary of all that is known of the 'Holy Fire' is given by Tobler, Golgotha, 460-483. See also Appendix V.
75 IN THE HOLY LAND.
to pride. I said to him, 'My prince and my lord! for the love of God, and out of regard for the Russian princes, allow me to place my lamp on the Holy Sepulchre in the name of the whole Russian country.' Then with peculiar kindness and attention he gave me permission to place my lamp on the Sepulchre of the Lord, and sent one of his chief retainers with me to the custodian of the Resurrection, and to the keeper of the keys of the Holy Sepulchre. The custodian and the keeper of the keys directed me to bring my lamp filled with oil. I thanked them, and hastened, with much joy, to purchase a very large glass lamp; having filled it with pure oil, I carried it to the Holy Sepulchre towards evening, and was conducted to the afore-mentioned keeper, who was alone in the chapel of the Tomb. Opening the sacred portal for me, he ordered me to take off my shoes; and then, having admitted me barefooted to the Holy Sepulchre, with the lamp that I bore, he directed me to place it on the Tomb of the Lord. I placed it, with my sinful hands, on the spot occupied by the sacred feet of our Lord Jesus Christ; the lamp of the Greeks being where the head lay, and that of St. Sabbas and all the monasteries in the position of the breast; for it is the custom of the Greeks and of the Monastery of St. Sabbas to place their lamps there each year. By God's grace these three lamps1 kindled on that occasion, but not one of those belonging to the Franks, which hung above, received the light. After having placed my lamp on the Holy Sepulchre, and after having adored and kissed, with penitence and pious tears, the sacred place upon which the body of our Lord Jesus Christ lay; I left the Holy Tomb filled with joy, and retired to my cell.
On the morrow, Holy Saturday, at the sixth2 hour of the day, everyone assembles in front of the Church of the
1 'Which were below,' Mac. Mo., T. R.
2
'Seventh,' Ar.Holy Resurrection; foreigners and natives people from all countries, from Babylon, from Egypt,1 and from every part of the world, come together on that day in countless numbers; the crowd fills the open space round the church and round the place of the Crucifixion. The crush is terrible, and the turmoil so great that many persons are suffocated in the dense crowd of people who stand, unlighted tapers in hand, waiting for the opening of the church doors. The priests alone are inside the church, and priests and crowd alike wait for the arrival of the Prince and his suite; then, the doors being opened, the people rush in, pushing and jostling each other, and fill the church and the galleries, for the church alone could not contain such a multitude. A large portion of the crowd has to remain outside round Golgotha and the place of the skull, and as far as the spot where the crosses were set up; every place is filled with an innumerable multitude. All the people, within and without the church, cry ceaselessly, 'Kyrie Eleison' (Lord, have mercy upon us); and this cry is so loud that the whole building resounds and vibrates with it. The faithful shed torrents of tears; even he who has a heart of stone cannot refrain from weeping; each one, searching the innermost depths of his soul, thinks of his sins, and says secretly to himself, 'Will my sins prevent the descent of the Holy Light?' The faithful remain thus weeping with heavy heart; Prince Baldwin himself looks contrite and greatly humbled; torrents of tears stream from his eyes; and his suite stand pensively around him near the high altar, opposite the Tomb.
Saturday, about the seventh hour, Prince Baldwin, with his suite, left his house, and, proceeding on foot2 towards the Sepulchre of our Lord, sent to the hospice of St. Sabbas for the abbot and monks of St. Sabbas; the abbot, followed
1 'And Antioch,' Mac. Mo.
2
'Barefooted,' D. O. F.by the monks, thereupon set out for the Holy Sepulchre, and I, unworthy, went with them. When we reached the Prince we all saluted him; he returned our salute and directed the abbot and me, the lowly one, to walk by his side, whilst the other abbots and the monks went in front, and the suite followed behind. We thus reached the western door1 of the Church of the Resurrection, but such a dense crowd obstructed the entrance that we could not get in. Prince Baldwin thereupon ordered his soldiers to disperse the crowd and open a way for us; this they did by clearing a lane to the Tomb, and we were able in this manner to pass through the crowd. We reached the eastern door of the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and the Prince, who came2 after us, took his post to the right, near the railing of the high altar, in front of the eastern door of the Tomb; at that spot there is a raised place for the Prince. The Prince ordered the Abbot of St. Sabbas to take up a position over3 (beyond?) the Tomb, with his monks and the orthodox priests; as for me, the lowly one, he directed me to place myself higher up, above (beyond?) the doors of the Holy Sepulchre, in front of the high altar, so that I could see through the doors of the Tomb; these doers, three in number, were sealed up with the royal seal. The Latin priests stood by the high altar.
At the eighth hour the orthodox priests, who were over (beyond?) the Holy Sepulchre, with the clergy, monks, and hermits, commenced chanting the Vespers; and the Latins, by the high altar, began to mumble after their manner. Whilst all were thus singing I kept my place and attentively watched the doors of the Tomb. When they
1
'The door at the back,' F. Ar.; 'the eastern door,' K. S.
78 PILGRIMAGE OF THE RUSSIAN ABBOT DANIEL
commenced reading the 'parśmia'1 for Holy Saturday during the reading of the first lesson, the bishop, followed by the deacon, left the high altar, and going to the doors of the Tomb, looked through the grille, but, seeing no light, returned. When they commenced reading the sixth lesson of the 'parśmia,' the same bishop returned to the door of the Holy Sepulchre, but saw no change. All the people, weeping, then cried out 'Kyrie Eleison ' which means, 'Lord, have mercy upon us!' At the end of the ninth hour, when they commenced chanting the Canticle of the passage (of the Red Sea), 'Cantabo Domino,'2 a small cloud, coming suddenly from the east, rested above the open dome of the church; fine rain fell on the Holy Sepulchre, and wet us and all those who were above (beyond?) the Tomb. It was at this moment that the Holy Light suddenly illuminated the Holy Sepulchre, shining with an awe-aspiring and splendid brightness. The bishop, who was followed by four deacons, then opened the doors of the Tomb, and entered with the taper of Prince Baldwin so as to light it first at the Holy Light; he afterwards returned it to the Prince, who resumed his place, holding, with great joy, the taper in his hands. We lighted our tapers from that of the Prince, and so passed on the flame to everyone in the church.
This Holy Light is like no ordinary flame, for it burns in a marvellous way with indescribable brightness, and a ruddy colour like that of cinnabar. All the people remain standing with lighted tapers, and repeat in a loud voice with intense joy and eagerness: 'Lord, have mercy upon us!' Man can experience no joy like that which every Christian feels at the moment when he sees the Holy Light of God. He who has not taken part in the
1
The {XXXX}, portions of Scripture appointed by the Greek Church to be read on Easter Eve.2
The Song of Moses and the Israelites. –Ex. xv.79 IN THE HOLY LAND.
glory of that day will not believe the record of all that I have seen. It is only wise, believing men who will plate complete trust in the truth of this narrative, and who will hear with delight all the details concerning the holy places. He who is faithful in little will also be faithful in much; but to the wicked and incredulous the truth seems always a lie. God and the Holy Sepulchre of our Lord bear witness to my stories and to my humble person; so do my companions from Russia, Novgorod, and Kief: Iziaslav1 Ivanovitch,2 Gorodislav3 Mikhailovitch,4 the two Kashkitch, nd many others who were there the same day.
But to return to my narrative. Directly the light shone in the Holy Sepulchre the chant ceased, and all, crying out ' Kyrie Eleison,' moved towards5 the church with great joy, bearing the lighted tapers in their hands, and protecting them from the wind.6 Everyone then goes home; and the people after lighting the lamps of the churches with their tapers, remain in them to terminate the Vespers; whilst the priests alone, and without assistance, finish the Vespers in the great Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Carrying the lighted tapers, we returned to our monastery with the abbot and the monks; we finished the Vespers there and then retired to our cells, praising God for having condescended to show us unworthy ones His Divine grace. The morning7 of Holy Sunday, after having chanted the matins,8 exchanged kisses with the abbot and monks, and received absolution, we started about the first hour of the day for the Holy Sepulchre;–the abbot cross in hand, and all the
1
'Sedeslav,' Mac. Mo., T. Ar.; 'Seslav,' F.6
'And the rain,' R.80 PILGRIMAGE OF THE RUSSIAN ABBOT DANIEL
monks singing the hymn, 'Immortal One, Thou hast deigned to go down into the Tomb.' Having entered the Holy Sepulchre, we covered the life-giving tomb of the Lord with kisses and scorching tears; we breathed with ecstasy the perfume which the presence of the Holy Ghost had left; and we gazed in admiration on the lamps which still burned with a bright and marvellous splendour The custodian and the keeper of the keys told us, and the abbot, that the three lamps [placed below on the Holy Sepulchre]1 had kindled.2 The five other lamps suspended above were also burning, but their light was different from that of the three first, and had not that marvellous brightness. We afterwards left the tomb by the west3 door, and, having proceeded to the high altar, kissed the orthodox4 and received absolution; we then, with the abbot and the monks, left the Temple of the Holy Resurrection, and returned to our monastery to rest until it was time for mass.
The third day after the Resurrection of our Lord I went, after mass, to the keeper of the keys of the Holy Sepulchre, and said, 'I wish to take away my lamp.' He received me kindly, and made me enter the Tomb quite alone. I saw my lamp on the Holy Sepulchre still burning with the flame of that holy light; I prostrated myself before the sacred Tomb, and, with penitence, covered the sacred place where the pure body of our Lord Jesus Christ lay with kisses and tears. I afterwards measured the length, width, and height of the Tomb as it now is–a thing which no one can do before witnesses. I gave (the keeper of the keys) of the Tomb of the Lord as much as I could, and offered him, according to my means, a small, poor gift. The keeper of
1
Interpolated from R.4
'The Christian priests,' Mac. Mo.the keys, seeing my love for the Holy Sepulchre, pushed back the slab that covers the part of the sacred Tomb on which Christ's head lay, and broke off a morsel of the sacred rock; this he gave me as a blessed memorial, begging me at the same time not to say anything about it at Jerusalem. After again kissing the Tomb of the Lord, and greeting the keeper, I took up my lamp, filled with holy oil,1 and left the Holy Sepulchre full of joy, enriched by the Divine grace, and bearing in my hand a gift from the sacred place, and a token from the Holy Sepulchre of our Lord.2 I went on my way rejoicing as if I were the bearer of vast wealth, and returned to my cell full of great joy.
God and the Holy Sepulchre are witnesses that in these holy places I did not forget the names of the Russian princes, princesses, and their children; of the bishops, abbots, and nobles; or of my spiritual children, and all Christians; I remembered every one, and prayed first for all the princes, and then for my own sins. Thanks be to the goodness of God, who permitted me, unworthy one, to inscribe the names of the Russian princes in the Laura of St. Sabbas, where they now pray, during the services, for them, their wives, and their children. Here are their names: Michel Sviatopolk, Vassili Vladimir,3 David Sviatoslavitsch,4 Michel Oleg Pancrace,5 Sviatoslavitsch,6 Gléb of Mensk; I have only preserved those names which I inscribed in the Holy Sepulchre, and
1
'Still lighted,' Mac. Mo.2
'I made this pilgrimage in the reign of the Russian Grand Duke Sviatopolk Iziaslavitch, grandson of Iaroslav Voldodimeritch of Kiev, Ar. F. The Grand Duke Sviatopolk reigned at Kiev 1093-1113 A.D.3
'Vladimeritch,' Mac. Mo.; 'Boris Vseslavitch,' Mac. Mo., F. R.4
'Vseslavitch,' Mac. F. R.5
'Jaroslav,' Mac. Mo. F.6
'Theodore Mstislav Volodimerovitch Andrea Vsevolodovitch,' Mac. Mo., F. R. See Appendix VI.in all the holy places, without counting all the other Russian princes and nobles.1 I celebrated fifty masses for the Russian princes,2 and all the Christians,3 and forty masses for the dead.4
May the blessing of God, of the Holy Sepulchre, and of all the holy places be with those who read this narrative with faith and love; and may they obtain from God the same reward as those who have made the pilgrimage to those holy places. Happy are those who, having seen, believe! Thrice happy are those who have not seen, and yet have believed! By faith Abraham obtained the Promised Land; for, in truth, faith is equal to good works. In the name of God, my brethren and lords, do not blame my ignorance and simplicity; for the sake of the Holy Sepulchre of our Lord do not abuse this narrative. May he who reads it with love receive his reward from Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour; and may the peace of God be with you all to the end of the world. Amen.
1
And all Russian Christians, for whom I celebrated ninety messes,' Mac. Mo. R.2
'All the nobles and my spiritual children,' Mac. Mo., F. R.
[From a French translation of the text established by M. A. Venevitinow.]
APPENDIX I.
THE CHURCH OF ST. STEPHEN.
THE traditions relating to the scene of Stephen's martyrdom, the place of his burial, and the church erected in his honour, are so contradictory that it will be convenient to bring together some of the more important notices before discussing the position of the church pointed out to Daniel.
The only statement in the Bible which bears upon the subject is that Stephen was cast out of the city and stoned (Acts vii. 58); the scene of the martyrdom must therefore be looked for outside the first and second walls of Jerusalem, for the third had not then been built.
According to tradition, the chief priests did not wish Stephen to be buried, and his body lay for a day and a night on the spot where he was stoned, outside the gate, on the north, which leads to Cedar.l Gamaliel then took the body to Caphar Gamala, and buried it in a loculus on the eastern side of a new tomb. As years rolled on, the site was forgotten, and it remained unknown until Gamaliel appeared in a dream to Lucian, the priest of the village, and revealed to him the position of his own tomb, and of those of his son Abibas, of St. Stephen, and of Nicodemus. The tombs were opened on the 18th or 19th December, 415,2 in the presence of the Bishops of Jerusalem, Sebaste, and Jericho; when that of St. Stephen was opened the earth trembled, a delicious perfume filled the air, and many sick were restored to health. The body of the proto-
1
Stephanus, qui lapidatus est... foris portam, quæ est ad aquilonem, quæ ducit ad Cedar.'–Ep. Luc.2
The 'Invention of the body of St. Stephen' is now celebrated on the 3rd of August. 6–2
84 APPENDIX I.
martyr had crumpled to dust, but his bones were found, and these were carried, with much pomp, to Jerusalem, where they were placed in the mother of all churches on Mount Sion. Afterwards the relics are said to have been removed to a church built for their reception and endowed by Alexander, a councillor of the city, who on his death was buried near them.The invention and translation of the relics of St. Stephen was one of the most memorable events in the ecclesiastical history of the fifth century; Sozomen mentions it, and Lucian’s narrative, attested by Augustine and Gennadius, was extensively circulated and widely believed.1
In 439 the Empress Eudocia, during her first visit to Jerusalem, commenced the erection of a large and beautiful memorial church on the place of Stephen’s martyrdom, which was not quite a stadium (600 feet) from the city; she afterwards endowed the church, and appointed Gabriel, a monk of the Laura of Euthymius, superior of the monastery that seems to have been attached to it. The church, still unfinished, was consecrated on the 15th January, 460, and four months afterwards the Empress died and was buried within its walls.2 The church and monastery must have been of considerable size, for in 518 St. Sabbas and his numerous disciples ‘assembled in the Church of St. Stephen, the cathedral Church of the Resurrection being incapable of receiving so vast a multitude.’3 Theodosius (circ. 530) states that Stephen was stoned outside the gate of Galilee, and that there was a church on the spot which had been built by Eudocia, wife of the Emperor Theodosius. He also mentions a Gate of St. Stephen, without indicating its position, and a stone with which Stephen wa stoned that was kept in the Church of St. Sion.4 The next pilgrim, Antoninus (circ.
1
‘Luciani presbyteri epistola de inventione St. Stephani,’ apud Augustini Opp., ed. Benedict., Tom. vii., Appendix, quoted by Quaresmius. ii. 297; Tillemont, Mémoires, ii. 1-20.2
Cyrill de Vita Euthymii; Tillemont, Mémoires, ii. 24.3
Williams, Holy City, 1st edition, 191.4
Theodosiuis, De terra sancta, 6, 10, 20. The stone is mentioned as being in the Basilica of St. Sion in the Brevarius de Hierosol.
85 APPENDIX I.
570), says that eudocia built the basilica and tomb of St. Stephen, and that her own tomb was next to, and six paces distant from, that of St. Stephen. The tomb was a bow-shot beyond the gate of St. Stephen on the road, to the west, which went down to Joppa, Cæsarea Palæstina and Diospolis.1 In the basilica of St. Sion Antoninus saw many stones with which Stephen was stoned.2 Evagrius says the church was at least a stadium from the north wall of Jerusalem.3
Between 570 and 670, probably during the Persian invasion, the Church and Monastery of St. Stephen were completely destroyed, and the scene of the martyrdom was transferred to Sion. At the later date, the rock without the city upon which Stephen was stoned was shown to Arculfus in a chapel attached to the basilica on Mount Sion; whilst at the same time a gate in the north wall retained the name of the proto-martyr.4 Willibald (723-726) adored the archdeacon and proto-martyr Stephen in the Church of Mount Sion, to which place his remains had been translated.5 About 808 there were two clerks and fifteen lepers6 in the church or monastery of St. Stephen at the place where he was stoned; and there was also a Chapel of St. Stephen in the Valley of Jehoshaphat,7 which appears to have been connected with the Church of St. Mary, and was probably one of the numerous memorial chapels on the lower slopes of Olivet. A church in homour of St. Stephen, which was believed to stand on the spot where he was stoned, was shown to Bernhard (circ. 870) to the east of
1
Ant. Mart., De locis sanctis, xxv. In the sixth century the road to Joppa, Diospolis, and Cæsarea passed out of the present Damascus Gate, and for some distance followed the road to Bethel and the north.2
Ant. Mart., xxii.3
Hist. Eccl., i, 22.4
Arculfus, De locis sanctis, I, 19. A MS. of the twelfth century century has ‘tercia porta Sancti Stephani, ubi lapidatus est.’ S.O.L. Itin. Lat., 203.5
Itin. S. Willibaldi. S.O.L. Itin. Lat., 291.6
Eudocia built a hospital for 400 lepers at Jerusalem, and this place was possibly near the Church and Gate of St. Stephen, on the north side of the city, where there was a Leper’s House during the Frank kingdom. La citez de Iherusalem, xv.7 Commem. S.O.L. Itin. Lat., 302.
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the Church of St. Simeon on Mount Sion, and between that church and the Church of St. Peter.1 In the tract 'Qualiter site est civ. Ierusalem,' written before the capture of the city, Stephen is said to have been stoned outside the gate on the north side.2
In 1099 the Crusaders found on the north side of the city a Church or Oratory of St. Stephen, which was probably then in ruins, on the spot where the martyr was stoned without the walls; and the Counts of Normandy and Flanders camped near it during the siege.3 Sæwulf (1102) in his description of the church on Sion says, 'There the relics of St. Stephen, Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and Abido were honourably deposited by St. John the Patriarch after they were found. The stoning of St. Stephen took place about two or three arbalist-shots without the wall, to the north, where a very handsome church was built, which has been ntirely destroyed by the Pagans.'4 Raimond de Agiles, chaplain to the Count of Toulouse, also says that the tomb of St. Stephen was in the Church of Sion.5 The Russian Abbot Daniel was shown the church and tomb of St. Stephen at the place where he was stoned outside the north wall of the city.6
John of Wirzburg (1130) places the scene of Stephen's martyrdom and burial outside the western (Jaffa) gate, and says that the body was afterwards translated to Sion, and buried between Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and Abibon;7 his 'Gate of St. Stephen,' however, appears to have been the present Damascus Gate.8 Phocas (1185) says that Stephen was buried at the spot where Christ appeared to the disciples after the resurrection in the church on Sion.9
1 Itin. Bernardi Mon., xii.
2
S. O. L. Itin. Lat., 349.3
Orat. S. Stephani, Alb. Aq., vi. 9.4
Early Travels in Palestine, 43.5
Hist. Iher., 174.7
'Ante portam Jerusalem, quæ respicit ad occasum... saxis ohrutus beatus Stephanus proto-martyr occubuit.'–Descriptio Terr. Sanct., xvii.8
Id., xvi. Benjamin of Tudela (1163) calls the Damascus Gate the 'Gate of David.'9
Phocas, 14.
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William of Tyre (1182-85) gives the same tradition, and states that the 'Gate of St. Stephen,' near which the martyr was stoned, was on the north side of the city.l From the capture of the city by the Moslems in 1187 to the middle of the sixteenth century, the tomb of St. Stephen was shown on Mount Sion,2 and as late as 1673 large stone above the door of the Cśnaculum was pointed out as that upon which the proto-martyr was killed.3
Driving the Latin occupation of Jerusalem there was a difference of opinion as to the spot where St. Stephen was stoned; John of Wirzburg (1130) and Eugesippus (1140) place it outside the west (Jaffa) Gate; whilst Sæwulf, Raimond de Agiles, William of Tyre, the author of 'La Citez de Iherusalem,' and others, place it outside the north (Damascus) Gate.4 A few years before the fall of the city there was certainly a Church of St. Stephen, and perhaps a monastery, outside the Damascus Gate; it was on the right hand of a person entering Jerusalem by that gate, and so near the city walls that the Franks considered it advisable to level it to the grourd before the siege began, and so prevent its occupation by the besiegers. On the left hand, opposite the church, was the Asnerie; and on the right hand, by the wall, was the Leper's house.5 For more than a century after the capture of the city by the Moslems, the scene of the martyrdom was pointed out to the north of the city walls;6 but early in the fourteenth century the
1
Guil. Tyr., viii. 2, 5, 18; ix. 18. See also Gesta Franc. Expugn. Hierusalem, 24; and La Citez de lherusalem, 15.2
This is mentioned by Thetmar (1217), Rudolf van Suchem (1336), Sigoli (1384), Gumpenberg (1449), and Fabri (1480). The tomb, according to modern tradition, was thirty-seven métres south of the Sion Gate. Liévin, Guide Indic., 117.3
Legrenzi, i. III.4
Fetellus (1175) says, in one passage, that Stephen was stoned outside the west gate (17b) and in another, outside the north gate (21b).5
'Cele (porte) devers aquilon a a non la porte saint Estevene... Dehors cele porte, ains c'on i entre, a main destre, avoit un mossier de mon segneur saint Estene... Cel mostier de saint Estene abatirent li crestien de Iherusalem devant cou qu'il fussent asegié, por ço que li mostiers estoit pres des murs.' –La Citez de Iherusalem, xv.6
Mentioned by Willebrand (1212), who saw the church in ruins, and by Brocardus (1280).tradition began to waver. Marinus Sanutus (1310) says that the place where Stephen was bound before he was stoned was pointed out on the right hand side of the street, close to the modern St. Stephen's Gate;1 Pipin (1320) that the scene of the martyrdom was at the foot of Mount Olivet;2 Maundeville (1322) writes, 'Over against that vale of Jehoshaphat, out of the city, is the Church of St. Stephen, where he was stoned to death.'3 Baldensel (1336) fixes the site as between the present St. Stephen's Gate and the Cedron Valley;4 Sigoli (1384) in the Cedron Valley;5 Frescobaldi (1384) agrees with Sigoli, and says that the spot was marked by a stone;6 and the Baron d'Auglure (1395) places the scene of the martyrdom on the right bank of the Cedron, beneath St. Stephen's Gate, where it is now shown to pilgrims.7 From the end of the fourteenth century to the present day, the tradition as to the site has remained unchanged, but various particulars, such as the spot upon which Saul stood to receive the clothes, have been added to it. The 'Gate of St. Stephen' first appears on the east side of the city in the fifteenth century in the journals of Gumpenberg (1449).8 The object of the transference of the site of Stephen's martyrdom from the northern to the eastern side of Jerusalem is unknown; but it may perhaps have been due to vexatious regulations affecting the pilgrims who were obliged to lodge at the Asnerie, and enter the city by the Damascus Gate; to the unwillingness of the Moslems to allow the Christians to have a 'Holy Place' so near one of the principal gates of the city; and to the growing convenience, for quiet worship, of the small chapel of St. Stephen which existed in the early part of the ninth century in the Valley of Jehoshaphat.
1
Mar. San., 3, 14, 9.2
Pipin, 75a.3
Early Travels in Palestine, 168.4
Baldensel, 129. Rudolf von Suchem, 846, who lived at the same period, places the scene of the martyrdom north of the city.5
Sigoli, 157.6
Frescobaldi, 144.7
Liévin, Guide Indic., 144. It is a white rock sixty métres west of the stone bridge over the Cedron.8
Robinson, Bibl. Res., ii. 476, note in the 1st edition.
89 APPENDIX I.
The ancient tradition which places the scene of Stephen's martyrdom outside the Damascus Gate is not improbably correct, for according to Dr. Chaplin,1 the Jews still point out the knoll above Jeremiah's Grotto as 'the Place of Stoning,' and state it to be the ancient place of public execution mentioned in the Mishna. The question of the site of the church and monastery built by Eudocia, and alluded to by various pilgrims, is more difficult. The remark of Antoninus that it was a bow-shot from the gate, seems to indicate that it was at the point (4) where excavations were made in 1878-79, and a large sarcophagus found, which Dr. Chaplin suggests may have been that of Eudocia.2 The later church mentioned in 'La Citez de Iherusalem,' and by Theodericus, was almost certainly on this spot, which is a little nearer the city walls than the ruins of the Asnerie (2) that were uncovered in 1875.3 On the other hand, the statement of Sæwulf that the church was two or three arbalist-shots from the wall, and the fact that the Counts of Normandy and Flanders camped near it during the siege, are in favour of its identification with the church discovered in 1881 at the point marked (T) on the sketch. At this place extensive ruins, apparently those of a monastery, were found in connection with the church, and the whole group of buildings is on an extensive scale. It is apparently this last church to which Abbot Daniel alludes; approaching Jerusalem by the road frown the north (a) he would have the church on his left hand, and shortly before (a, d, b) or after (a, c, b) passing it, he would turn off to the right to reach the Jaffa Gate, through which visitors and pilgrims entered the city during the Latin occupation. It may be suggested, as a possible solution,
1
Quoted by Conder, Tent Work, i. 374; P. F. Q. S., 1881, 319.2
P. F. Q. S., 1876, 9; 1879, 198.3
Theodericus, Lib. de Loc. Sanct., xxvi. P. F. Q. S., 1877, 143. The questions connected with the site of St. Stephen's Church are discussed by Revs. A. Frei and Dr. Riess, in Z. D. P. V., viii. 50-59, and 162-170.4
P. F. Q. S., 1882, 116, and 1883, 238-242, where Dr. Merrill argues that parts of the church and other buildings are older than the period of the Crusades. See also P. F. Mem. Jerusalem, 380-393.
90 APPENDIX I.
that the Church of Eudocia was at or near the point (4), about a bow-shot from the Damascus Gate; that, when this church was destroyed, between 570 and 670, a new group of buildings was erected at the point1 (I), near which the Counts of Normandy encamped; and that, during the Frank occupation, a new church, destroyed before the city was besieged by the Moslems, was built at or near point (4). It is to be regretted that no serious attempt has been made to ascertain by excavation the site of Eudocia's great Church of St. Stephen.
Daniel's curious allusion to the ground above Jeremiah's Grotto as 'a flat rocky mountain, which split up at the time of Christ's crucifixion,' and the name 'Gehenna' which he gives to it, cannot be passed without remark. This tradition is mentioned by no other pilgrim, and it may possibly be derived from the native name of the place, El Heidhemíyeh (`the rent,' or 'torn down'). It has been suggested that this word is a corruption of the name Adhemíyeh, used by Mejr ed Din, and that it is derived from the tomb of a son of Edhem;2 but it is quite as likely that Mejr ed Din's name is a corruption of El Heidhemíyeh, which may refer to the excavations, or falling in of the roof of the quarries, that separated Jeremiah's Grotto from the rock to the south. The term 'Gehenna' may be compared with the name 'Es Salura,' applied by Mejr ed Din to the ground immediately to the east of the grotto, and to the valley which runs down through the Birket Israil to the Cedron Valley; it was a place connected, in Moslem imagination, with death and the last judgment; and the native tradition may be a reminiscence of the time when the place of public execution was in this locality.3
1 This spot may have been that at which stood the 'Column of the Flagellation' mentioned by Antoninus (xxv.) as being 'in the very middle of the road, not very far from the city.'
2
Conder, Tent Work in Palestine, i. 373; P. F. Q. S., 1881, 201. If Edhem had been buried in the cemetery above Jeremiah's Grotto there would be little doubt as to the derivation of the name, but it is unusual to name the place where a man is buried after his father.3
P. F. Q. S., 1881, 201.
APPENDIX II.
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
DANIEL'S description of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and of the buildings and 'Holy Places' connected with it, is of great interest, for he saw them before the Crusaders had carried out those changes which gave the church its present form. A few years previously, in l102, the church had been visited by Sæwulf, whose remarks on the buildings and sacred sites (p. 100) may be compared with those of Daniel.
At the commencement of the twelfth century the Shrine or Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre appears to have presented a form not unlike that shown in Fig. I. It was protected by a wall of enclosure, and in close contact with this wall there was an arcade having twelve columns and twelve arches; in three of the intercolumnar spaces, at the east end, the masonry of the wall seems to have been partially replaced by grilles, or screens of open ironwork, in each of which there was a door giving access to the tomb.1 The wall of enclosure was cased with marble; and above it, resting on pillars, there was an upper pavilion with a dome which was surmounted by a silver image of Christ.2 In the interior of the chapel, and on its northern side, there was a bench upon which the body of Christ was laid; this bench, cut in the rock of the cavern, was covered by marble slabs in which there were three small openings that permitted Christians to touch and kiss the sacred
1
See pp. 12,13.2
Compare the description of the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre by John of Wirzburg, given pp. 103, 104.