The ‘Feast of the Liberation of Jerusalem’

Remembering and reconstructing the First Crusade in the Holy City, 1099–1187

Bibliographic Data

ID11892159
AuthorsSimon John (0000-0003-0728-0175, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume41
Issue4
Pages409-431
Publication date2015-09-07
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Medieval History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0304-4181 • E-ISSN: 1873-1279
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03044181.2015.1084353
OpenAlexW1910603027
LanguageEN
Citations received3

Every year on 15 July the Latin inhabitants of twelfth-century Jerusalem celebrated a feast in remembrance of the capture of the Holy City by the forces of the First Crusade on that day in 1099. This article explores how the inhabitants of Jerusalem interpreted that day – the culminating events of the crusade – in the context of celebrating this 15 July feast. It examines the events which took place in Jerusalem as the city fell on 15 July 1099 and traces the establishment of the feast, showing that it was founded within a few years of 1099. It then considers the development of the feast over the course of the twelfth century and examines the ritual processions prescribed in one liturgical programme used in Latin Jerusalem. It argues that the route of these processions had two functions: firstly, it mirrored the actions of the First Crusaders in Jerusalem on 15 July 1099; and, secondly, it visibly aligned Latin Jerusalem with sites which were associated with the Old and New Testaments. The route of these processions in Jerusalem was intended to convey an interpretation of the First Crusade as the continuation of biblical history

Ancient history · Archaeology · Cartography · Context (archaeology · Fell · Geography · Interpretation (philosophy · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Byzantine Studies and History · Classics · History · Medieval History and Crusades · Philosophy

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