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Heraclius, patriarch of [the Church of] the Resurrection [of Jerusalem], requests the help of Christians (prayers, weapons, ecclesiastical ornaments, books, beasts of burden, alms, etc…) to free the city of Jerusalem from the Arabs, and grants indulgences to those who collaborate.

Date
1180 - 1187
Archive
Library of Catalonia
Document type
Textual
Reference code
CAT XXX BARCELONA, BIBLIOTECA DE CATALUNYA, Perg. 309, Reg. 15211
Link to the online document
Description

This document, issued by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem between 1180 and 1187, is a call to European Christians to help recover the holy city from Muslim hands. The petition includes prayers, weapons, books, ornaments and alms, and offers indulgences to collaborators. Preserved in the Library of Catalonia, this parchment is witness to the connection of the Catalan counties with European religious movements, especially the Crusades. It reflects the importance of the religious documentary heritage in Catalonia and its active participation in the spiritual geopolitics of medieval Europe. It is an example of how faith, diplomacy and written culture are intertwined in the construction of a shared European identity.