Bernard De Breydenbach Or Breidenbach

Place: Breidenstein (D)

Death: 1497

Biography:

Bernhard von Breydenbach, also known as Bernard de Breydenbach or Breidenbach, was a German ecclesiastic and explorer born in Breidenstein (d), Germany around 1440. He became a chanoine of the Cathedral of Saint-Martin in Mayence in 1450, obtained a doctorate in law, and held various positions in the Church, including treasurer of the urban court, bailli of the Chapter of Mayence in Bingen, and doyen of the Cathedral of Mayence. In 1484, he went to Rome to obtain the pallium for the Archbishop of Mayence, and in 1486, he accompanied the Archbishop to the coronation of Emperor Maximilian in Aix-la-Chapelle. In 1483, he embarked on a journey to the Holy Land, visiting Palestine, the Sinai, and Egypt. He is best known for his travel report, Peregrinatio in terram sanctam, published in Mainz in 1486, which was one of the first illustrated travel accounts of the Holy Land. He died in Mayence in 1497.