Journey to Jerusalem (Ierosolymitana peregrination illustrissimi principis Nicolai Christophori Radzivili ducis Olicae et Niesvisii palatini Vilnensis militis Ierosolymitani, etc. [...])

The unique diary of Mikołaj Krzysztof ‘The Orphan’ Radziwiłł (1549–1616), the Marshal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in which he describes his trip to Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, Crete and the Apennine Peninsula in 1582–1584, known under the title ‘Journey to Jerusalem’, describes the history of the Near East, its customs, relations between people of different faiths, architecture, fine art, trade, climate, diplomatic services, and many other facts from that time. Published by Plantin-Moretus in 1614, ‘Journey to Jerusalem’ is distinguished by its careful editing, attractive design, and especially high printing quality. An illustration in the book depicts a ship on a stormy sea (symbolising the Church), which is reminiscent of an incident with a happy ending that ‘The Orphan’ Radziwiłł once experienced. Having bought mummies of a man and a woman in Egypt, he boarded a ship to cross the Mediterranean. Superstitious sailors believed that mummies caused storms to sink ships, so Radziwiłł transported them secretly. When a terrible storm arose, he ordered the mummies to be thrown into the sea, and the storm subsided. A symbol of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Jerusalem Cross, represented at the top of the title page, records the fact that, together with his travelling companions, ‘The Orphan’ Radziwiłł was made a Knight of the Order in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on 29 June 1583.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album ARS LIBRI (2022). Compiler Algimantas Muzikevičius, text authors Algimantas Muzikevičius, Rolandas Gustaitis

The unique diary of Mikołaj Krzysztof ‘The Orphan’ Radziwiłł (1549–1616), the Marshal of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in which he describes his trip to Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, Crete and the Apennine Peninsula in 1582–1584, known under the title ‘Journey to Jerusalem’, describes the history of the Near East, its customs, relations between people of different faiths, architecture, fine art, trade, climate, diplomatic services, and many other facts from that time. Published by Plantin-Moretus in 1614, ‘Journey to Jerusalem’ is distinguished by its careful editing, attractive design, and especially high printing quality. An illustration in the book depicts a ship on a stormy sea (symbolising the Church), which is reminiscent of an incident with a happy ending that ‘The Orphan’ Radziwiłł once experienced. Having bought mummies of a man and a woman in Egypt, he boarded a ship to cross the Mediterranean. Superstitious sailors believed that mummies caused storms to sink ships, so Radziwiłł transported them secretly. When a terrible storm arose, he ordered the mummies to be thrown into the sea, and the storm subsided. A symbol of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Jerusalem Cross, represented at the top of the title page, records the fact that, together with his travelling companions, ‘The Orphan’ Radziwiłł was made a Knight of the Order in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on 29 June 1583.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album ARS LIBRI (2022). Compiler Algimantas Muzikevičius, text authors Algimantas Muzikevičius, Rolandas Gustaitis