Iter Hierosolymitanum

Prince Nicholas Christopher Radziwiłł (1549-1616) published in 1601 a unique Latin book which soon became famous and was translated into multiple languages: a description of the pilgrimage he undertook to Jerusalem in 1582 and successfully finished in 1584. It was a grand tour indeed. Nicholas Christopher visited not only the Holy Land, but also Italy, Crete, Cyprus, Egypt, and in his book described it all as a vivid adventure full of learned detail. Pyramids, mummies, robbers, miracles, marvellous plants and animals, ancient monuments, cities, peoples and religions, narrow escapes from death – the pages of the Hierosolymitana Peregrinatio abound with extraordinary things that inevitably draw the excited reader in medias res.

In this course, which will be delivered wholly in Latin, after introducing the author, the historical context, and the general contents of the work, we will read and comment selected passages of  the Hierosolymitana Peregrinatio, which taken together will provide us with a broad panorama of the Near East in 16th century as seen through the eyes of our learned traveller.

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Last Day to Register: 8 November, 2026