E00509: The Piacenza Pilgrim records his visit to oratories of *Moses (Old Testament prophet and lawgiver, S00241) and of *Elijah (Old Testament prophet, S00217), marking the places where the Israelites entered and left the Red Sea. Account of an anonymous pilgrim, written in Latin, probably in Placentia (northern Italy), c. 570.

Pilgrim of Piacenza, Itinerarium 41

Extract from the pilgrim's account of his journey from Mount Sinai to Egypt.

First recension
Et inde uenimus ad locum ad ripam, ubi transierunt filii Israhel. Ubi exierunt de mare, est oratorium Heliae, et transcendentes in locum, ubi intrauerunt in mare, ibi est oratorium Moysi.

'And there we came to the point on the shore where the children of Israel made their crossing. At the place where they came out of the sea is the oratory of Elijah, and, travelling on, we came to the place where they entered the sea. There is the oratory of Moses.'


Second recension
Inde uenimus ad locum, ubi filii Israhel transeuntes mare rubro castra metati sunt, et ibi similiter castellum cum synodochio. Et in loco, quo exierunt de mare, est oratorium Heliae. Et transcendentes uenimus in loco, ubi intrarunt in mare, ubi est oratorium Moysi.

'There we came to the point where the children of Israel, having made their crossing of the Red Sea, measured out a camp. There is a fort and a hospice there. At the place where they came out of the sea is the oratory of Elijah, and, travelling on, we came to the place where they entered the sea, and the oratory of Moses.'


Text: Geyer 1898, 187 and 215. Translation: Wilkinson 2002, 148, lightly modified.