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Map of the Holy Land, from Chronica majora, vol. I

Author Written and illustrated by Matthew Paris British
ca. 1240–53
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
The port of Acre, a principal arrival point for European Christian pilgrims, dominates this map of the Holy Land, created by an English monk, Matthew Paris. Other sites shown include the city of Tyre, famous for its glassware, in the lower left corner and Mount Ararat in Armenia, where Noah’s ark was believed to have landed, beneath the fold-up flap at the top left. The square, walled city of Jerusalem appears on the right page, with the Dome of the Rock, the Aqsa Mosque, and the Tomb of Jesus all highlighted. Matthew’s vividly detailed journey to Jerusalem was one of the imagination: an armchair traveler, he never ventured to the Holy Land.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Map of the Holy Land, from Chronica majora, vol. I
  • Author: Written and illustrated by Matthew Paris (British, ca. 1200–1259)
  • Date: ca. 1240–53
  • Geography: Made in Saint Albans, England
  • Medium: Opaque watercolor and ink on parchment; 151 folios
  • Dimensions: 14 1/4 × 9 3/4 in. (36.2 × 24.8 cm)
  • Classification: Manuscripts and Illuminations
  • Credit Line: The Master and Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (MS 26)
  • Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters