Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Vera, e distinta relazione di quanto accadde in Gerusalemme il dì 31. Maggio [..]

8vo; 210x150 mm.; [2] leaves. Disbound, as issued, but with traces of having been in a binding for some time. Some browning. Untrimmed copy.

Very rare edition. Account of the restoration of the Church of Jerusalem in 1719, and of the disturbances which followed. Custodia Terrae Sanctae: “In 1719, after long negotiations, the Franciscans [who in 1644 had purchased the spaces abandoned by the other communities] began the restoration of the dome of the Anastasis. Fearing that the work would be blocked without reason, 500 workers were employed and supervised by 300 soldiers. The dome and tympanum with blind windows were rebuilt, but the ancient mosaics which were too damaged were lost. The Armenians rebuilt the staircase of the chapel of Saint Helena and the Greeks demolished the unsafe levels of the bell tower. The aedicule, however, was restored in 1728.” (translated). The report given in the present publication gives a much less peaceful version of the restoration: on 31 of May, a crowd of about 500 attacked the convent but, after a few attempts, forced the door of the nearby dragoman's house instead and ransacked it. The pasha of Damascus promptly went to Jerusalem and had the chief responsible arrested, two of whom were sentenced to death. The number of victims, including the two condemned men, amounted to sixteen. Three hundred soldiers were assigned to the convent so that the work could safely proceed. It is of course unknown if the author was actually an eye-witness and how trustworthy was his report.