E00450: The Piacenza Pilgrim records his visit to the place from which the prophet *Elijah (Old Testament prophet, S00217) was taken into heaven, and mentions a miraculous cloud which travels from the river Jordan to sit over the basilica of *Mary (Mother of Christ, S00033), and of *Sophia (personified Holy Wisdom, S00705) in Jerusalem. Account of an anonymous pilgrim, written in Latin, probably in Placentia (northern Italy), c. 570.

Pilgrim of Piacenza, Itinerarium 9

First recension
Ex hoc uenimus in loco, ubi baptizatus est Dominus noster. In ipso loco transierunt filii Israhel; ibi et filii prophetarum perdiderunt securem et ex ipso loco adsumptus est Helias. In ipso loco est mons Hermon modicus, qui legitur in psalmo. A pede montis ipsius de fluuio ascendit nubes hora prima et exeunte sole uenit super Hierusolimam super basilicam, quae est in Sion, et super basilicam ad monumentum Domini et super basilicam sanctae Mariae et sanctae Sofiae, quae fuit praetorium, ubi auditus est Dominus.

'From there we arrived at the place where the Lord was baptised. This is the place where the children of Israel made their crossing, and also where the sons of prophets lost their axe-head, and where Elijah was taken up. In that place is the "little hill of Hermon" mentioned in the psalm. At the foot of the mountain itself, at the first hour after sunrise, a cloud forms over the river, and it arrives over Jerusalem at sunset, above the basilica on Sion and the basilica at the Lord's Tomb, the basilica of saint Mary and saint Sophia (once the praetorium where Lord was tried).'

The second recension follows the text of the first without important modifications.


Text: Geyer 1898, 165 and 199. Translation: Wilkinson 2002, 135, lightly modified.