Category: 15th century

Marco di Bartolomeo Rustici (1392-1457), Dimostrazione dell’andata o viaggio al Santo Sepolcro (1442-1455)

On February 23, 2021

In 15th century, Italian, Pilgrimage account, Travel account

The book from which the following two texts come is rather unique: it is the fictitious account of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Mount Sinai which the Florentine goldsmith Marco di Bartolomeo Rustici is presumed to have undertaken. Starting with a detailed description of his hometown – extensively illustrated with drawings – Rustici begins an imagined itinerary that leads him along the Ligurian and Tuscan coast, across the Mediterranean and finally to the Holy Land. The Camposanto is mentioned at two points: when the group stops at Pisa at the beginning of their journey, and when Rustici gives a description of the Christian pilgrim cemetery in Jerusalem, the Akeldama. Interestingly, this text which Rustici obviously compiled from other pilgrim accounts at his disposal, indicates two different sites from where the Pisans had taken the holy earth: the Holy Sepulchre and the Akeldama, which also appears in the travel and pilgrim accounts of Pero Tafur, Felix Fabri and Fadrique Enríquez de Ribera. / DG

Rustici_Akeldama_markiert

Source: Manuscript, 1442-1455, Florence, Biblioteca del Seminario Arcivescovile Maggiore, Codice Rustici

Edition: Kathleen Olive and Nerida Newbigin, eds., Il Codice Rustici. Edizione critica, in: Dimostrazione dell’andata, o viaggio al Santo Sepolcro e al Monte Sinai di Marco di Bartolomeo Rustici (Florence: Leo S. Olschki, 2015), 1:95-298.

Il secondo libro del Santo Sepolcro e del monte Sinai
9. Partìmoci de la cità di Firenze, io Marco con mia compagnia, per montare in galea

“Dirimpetto, a non tropi pasi, v’è un cimitero, chiamasi il Campo Santo, magnifico e bello, coperto di piombo; e nel mezo è pieno di sipulture di rilievo, intagliate di nobile istorie, il quale i Pisani dificorono e fondorono della terra la quale egli arecorono per zacora da’ navili di Gerusaleme dal Santo Sipolcro.” (171 (fol. 89v))

The second book of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Sinai
9. We depart from the city of Florence, me, Marco, and my company, in order to board the ship.

In front of this, in a distance of not too many footsteps, there is a cemetery which is called Camposanto, magnificent and beautiful, covered with lead. And in the center it is full of sculptured sepulchres, incised with noble stories. The Pisans built it and founded it with the earth that they brought with [??] ships from the Holy Spulchre of Jerusalem.

2. Istoria del santo viagio in Gerusaleme ed al monte Sinai e in Arabia
49. I dodici apostoli feciono il Credo

“Salendo sù pel muro inverso levante, sendo in cima èvi piano coperto di terra. Ha di sopra VI finestre; guatando di quindi ivi si vede quel campo il quale i Giudei comperarono de’ XXX danari di Cristo che Giuda il vendé e quel campo è pien di sipulture di pelegrini. Chiamasi il detto campo Acheldama. Tutti i pelegrini vi sono sopeliti. Chi vàe in detto campo si dice sua orazione co riverenzia e co requiem etternam per l’anime di coloro che sopeliti vi sono Cristiani. Chiamasi Campo Santo. Ècci di perdono anni VII dìe LXX.

E i Pisani anticamente signoregiorono il Sipolcro e per vettoria e trionfo recorono di quella terra di quello campo; con divozione dificorono nella città di Pisa uno cimitero chiamato Campo Santo magnifico e bello, coperto di piombo, a grolia di Dio.” (264 (fol. 237v))

History of the holy travel to Jerusalem, to mount Sinai and to Arabia
49. The twelve apostles did the Creed

Climbing up on the wall towards the east, there is on top an area which is covered with earth. There are six windows, and from there the field can be seen which the Jews bought with the 30 coins of Christ when sold him. And this field is full of sepulchres of pilgrims. And this field is called Acheldama. All the pilgrims are buried there. Whoever goes to this field says his prayer with reverence and with requiem aeternam for the souls of the Christians who are buried there. It is called Campo Santo. And the indulgence is seven years and seventy days.

In ancient times the Pisans ruled over the Sepulchre and, as a sign of victory and triumph, they brought some earth from that field. In Pisa, they devoutly built up a wonderful and beautiful, lead-covered cemetery called Campo Santo for God’s glory.

Pero Tafur (c. 1410-c. 1484), Andanças é viajes (c. 1453/54)

By camposanto

On February 20, 2021

In 15th century, English, Spanish, Travel account

Pero Tafur (c. 1410 –c. 1484) was a nobleman from a Castilian family who participated in military campaigns of the Reconquista before he undertook a long journey around the Mediterrenean and across several parts of central Europe and Italy between 1436 and 1439. Although he visited Jerusalem and Palestine in the first part of his trip, his principal interest was more as an adventurer and religious themes played no particular role. Tafur composed the written account of his journey only several yeas later, in 1453/54. While he visited Pisa on the way to Rome, at the very beginning of his trip, the lengthy description of the city that we reproduce here is included in the very last chapters of the book, when Tafur was en route to Spain. His account of Pisa’s history is very characteristic for the entire book, as it relies exclusively on heresay and is full of phantastic and historically impossible claims. The central aim of this highly ficticious narrative is to give an explanation for Pisa’s decline, from a powerful sea republic to a satellite of Florence. In this framework, Pisa’s decision to sell Jerusalem is seen as the principle reason for its ultimate defeat. Therefore, the Camposanto plays a prominent role here, as a “container” of the holy earth. / DG

Ms_1985_excerpt Source: Manuscript copy, eighteenth century, Salamanca, Biblioteca Universitaria de Salamanca, Ms. 1985.

Edition: Pero Tafur, Andanças é viajes de Pero Tafur por diversas partes del mundo avidos (1435-1439), ed. Marcos Jiménez de la Espada, Colección de libros españoles raros ó curiosos, 8 (Madrid: Miguel Ginesta, 1874), 294-295.

Translation: Pero Tafur, Travels and Adventures 1435-1439, transl. Malcolm Letts (London: Routledge, 1926), 228-229.

“Esta çibdat de Pisa dizen que señoreó antiguamente la isla de Çeçilia, é Çerdeña, é Córçega é otras, é en la tierra firme grandes provinçias; é dizen que porque una vez pasó una nao que levava un cardenal é çiertos perlados de embaxada del Papa al rey de Françia, é porque non fezieron çierta salva acostumbrada, armaron luégo é pelearon con la nao, é dizen que la quemaon é el Papa, de que lo supo, indignado contra ellos, mandóles fazer guerra, é dió cruzada sobrellos, é fiziéronlos muy grant dapño. Mas, á ruego de algunos reyes é prinçpes, ovo el Papa de mitigar su furia, con condiçion que para que ellos fuesen asueltos, que ganasen la Casa Santa de Ierusalem. É ellos disposieron é fizieron una grant flota, é pasaron Ultramar é ganaron á Ierusalem con su terretorio, é la poseyeron çierto tiempo, é al fin, dízese, que porque les costaba mucho tenella, que la vendieron, donde se cree que les ha venido quanto mal tienen, que es dubda si en toda Pisa ay un natural della; é los sobrados les fezieron abaxar, é áun dizen, que, por desonrra, la barreta les fazen traer al revés, é son vituperio de la gente é sojudgados de aquellos que eran sus siervos. En aquella vez que ganaron á Ierusalem, dizen que ansimesmo fueron veneçianos é ginoveses, é quando ganaron á Ierusalem, al partir de aquel tesoro que allí ovieron, fizieron tres partes: en la una pusieron el Santo Grial, que es de una esmeralda, en la otra posieron dos colupnas, en las quales dizen que se veye cada uno el mal que le tractavan é lo que queríe él, en la otra pusieron todo el tesoro; é dizen que echaron suertes é cupo el Santo Vaso á Génova, do agora está, el qual yo ví, é las colupnas con Ierusalem á los pissanos, la quales truxeron á Pisa, é el tesoro á Veneja, é desto dizen que es toda su riqueza; é las colupnas que vinieron á Pisa, despues que vendieron á Ierusalem, perdieron su virtud. É está aquí una yglesia muy notable, é una claustra quel suelo della es de la tierra de aquel Campo Santo que fué comprado por los treynta dineros, que es en Ierusalem, é ainsí le llaman aquí en Pisa el Campo Santo, é dizen que persona que entierren allí non tura más de treynta dias, que la tierra lo gasta; sin dubda, grant fecho era esta çibdad antiguamente.”

“This city of Pisa, they say, owned at one time the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, with vast provinces on the mainland. But once a ship passed which carried a cardinal and certain prelates, ambassadors from the Pope to the King of France, without giving the accustomed salute. Thereupon the Pisans flew to the arms, and captured and burnt the ship, and the Pope, when he heard of it, was so incensed that he ordered war to be declared and proclaimed a crusade against them, and did them great damage. But on the entreaty of certain kings and princes, the Pope made an end of his wrath, on condition that the culprits should be absolved if they set out and captured the Holy City. Then the Pisans prepared a great fleet and passed over the seas, and took Jerusalem with its dependencies, and remained there some time, but finally they found it was too costly to retain the city and they sold it, from which act all their evils are believed to have come. It is to be doubted if there is now a single natural-born Pisan in the city. They had also to pull down their buildings, and, further, as a mark of dishonour, to wear their helmets reversed. Thus they are disdained by all men and are subjugated to those who were their servants.
It is said that when they captured Jerusalem, the Venetians and Genoese were also there, and after the city was taken they divided the treasure which they found into three parts. In one they placed the Holy Grail, which is made of a single emerald, in the second they placed two columns, in which each one can foresee the evils which are to befall him and whatever he desires, and in the third they placed the treasure. They then threw lots, and the Holy Grail fell to Genoa, where it now is, as I myself have seen, the columns, with the city of Jerusalem, came to the Pisans, which columns they brought to Pisa, and Venice took the treasure which is the foundation of all its wealth, but the columns which were brought to Pisa lost their virtue when Jerusalem was sold.
There is a very notable church and a cloister, the soil of which is from the holy field (Campo Santo) at Jerusalem, which was purchased with the thirty coins, and therefore they call it here in Pisa the Campo Santo. And they say that bodies interred here do not endure more than thirty days, as the earth consumes them. Without doubt, Pisa was formerly a great place.”

Anonymous, Historia di Pisa di Ranieri Sardo Cittadino Pisano (c. 1430)

By camposanto

On February 16, 2021

In 15th century, Chronicle, Italian

This text is the continuation of Ranieri Sardo’s chronicle finished in 1399, though it was composed by another writer at a somewhat later date (ca. 1430). Instead of a chronological series of historical events, it presents an abridged building history of the city since biblical times, a detailed description of the major buildings on the Piazza del Duomo, and then a sort of inventory of other buildings in the four quarters of the city. Clearly, the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Camposanto and the Leaning Tower are highlighted because they represent the symbolic center of the city and are visual reminders of its glorious past during a historically difficult moment, when Pisa had come under Florentine dominion. As one of the main monuments of the Piazza, the Camposanto is praised for its marble walls, its sarcophagi, and its wall paintings. As in the older chronicles, the name of the Camposanto is explained by the origin story of its holy earth, here said to have been taken from Jerusalem in the crusader period. / DG

Source: Unpublished manuscript, fifteenth century. Florence, Bibliotheca Nazionale, Codice Magliabechiano, Classe XXV, ms. 491, fol. 196-207.

Edition: Igino Benvenuto Supino, Arte Pisana (Florenz: Fratelli Alinari, 1904), 307.

Transcription
“E apresso tra l’ Duomo e San Giovanni sì v’è il Chanpo Sancto, choperto di piombo, dove sono grandissime quantità di sepolture in sul piano di marmo, chon meravigliose istorie nelle mura dipinte ed èvi grandi quantità di sepolture di rilievo.

E nel mezo di decto luogho, allo scoperto, in sul piano della terra, vi sono grandi quantità di sipolture di rilievo sopresse da terra; le quali, innanzi che Chanpo Santo fusse facto, le dicte sepolture stavano dintorno dintorno dal Duomo di fuori, di sopra a cierti muricciuoli di marmo achosta alla chiesa; dapoi furono messe in decto luogho.

La lungheza di questo Chanpo Sancto si è passi 200 per lo lungho, et per lo largho passi 67; et vi sono 5 altari murati dove si dicie messa: 3 altari sono in testa et due in due chapelle. El dicto Chanpo Sancto da’ pisani si fu messo della Terra Sancta asai quantità quando acquistorono Gerusalem; ed à due porti, l’una istà senpre serrata ed è chosa di marmo choperta di pionbo, ed è chosa maravigliosa.”

Translation
And close to the Cathedral and San Giovanni there is the Camposanto, covered with lead, where huge numbers of tombs can be found inserted into the floor from marble, and marvellous scenes painted on the walls, and huge numbers of sculpted tombs [= the antique sarcophagi] raised above the earth.

Before the Camposanto was built, the foresaid tombs stood outside around the Duomo, on certain small walls along the church. Later they were put in the aforementioned place.

The measures of this Camposanto are 200 footsteps on the long side, and 67 footsteps on the narrow side, and there are 5 altars where masses are celebrated: three altars are on the front side [= the wall of the eastern gallery] and two in two chapels [= the Cappella Ammannati and the Cappella Aulla in the north gallery]. The Pisans put a huge amount of Holy Earth [Terra Sancta] in the foresaid Camposanto when they conquered Jerusalem. And it has two gates of which one is always locked. And it is made of marble and covered with lead, and a marvelous affair.