Symon Semeonis (''fl.'' 1322–24; also Simon FitzSimon or Simon FitzSimmons) was a 14th-century Irish

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friar and author.

Biography

Of Hiberno-Norman origin, Semeonis was the author of ''Itinerarium fratrum Symonis Semeonis et Hugonis illuminatoris'' (''The Itinerary of Brother Symon Semeonis and Hugo Illuminator'').''Itinerarium Symonis Semeonis''
22. In 1323 he and his companion friar, Hugo Illuminator (Hugh the Illuminator), undertook a pilgrimage from Clonmel in Ireland to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. In his manuscript account, he described his experiences and encounters during that journey. His encounter with a migrant group he called ‘the descendants of Cain’ outside the town of

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...

(Candia) in

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

is probably the earliest surviving description by a Western chronicler of the

Romani people The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...

in Europe. The account of his experiences in what is now

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

is also one of the earliest written reports of that land to reach Britain. He received a special passport for

mendicants A mendicant (from la, mendicans, "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many ins ...

from Sultan

Al-Nasir Muhammad Al-Malik an-Nasir Nasir ad-Din Muhammad ibn Qalawun ( ar, الملك الناصر ناصر الدين محمد بن قلاوون), commonly known as an-Nasir Muhammad ( ar, الناصر محمد), or by his kunya: Abu al-Ma'ali () or as Ibn Qal ...

at a reduced fee. This passport was apparently authenticated by the application of the Sultan's fingerprints. The original manuscript is currently held as MS 407 in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. His surname is now rendered FitzSimon, FitzSimmonds, or Simmonds, and still found in Ireland.

Journey

Fitzsimons described a detailed itinerary. Starting from Clonmel, he did not say how he left

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, but the fact that he entered

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

at Holyhead makes his departure via

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

a near-certainty; even today, Dublin–Holyhead is an active ferry route. From Clonmel, the road went north to

Roscrea Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland, which in 2016 had a population of 5,446. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Saint Crónán of Roscrea, parts of which rem ...

, and then Fitzsimons could follow the Slighe Dála ("Way of the Assembly") east to

Abbeyleix Abbeyleix (; ) is a town in County Laois, Ireland, located around south of the county town of Portlaoise. Abbeyleix was formerly located on the N8, the main road from Dublin to Cork. At one point, up to 15,000 vehicles passed along the town' ...

, and then northeastwards through

Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...

Tallaght ) , image_skyline = TallaghtDublinD24.jpg , image_caption = Tallaght, Dublin , image_flag = , flag_size = , pushpin_map = Dublin#Ireland , pushpin_label_position = left , ...

and

. From Holyhead, his party continued eastwards across

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

. They then followed

Watling Street Watling Street is a historic route in England that crosses the River Thames at London and which was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the Middle Ages. It was used by the ancient Britons and paved as one of the main ...

down through England to

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, leaving via Dover — not to Calais, but to

Wissant Wissant (; from nl, Witzand, lang, “white sand”) is a seaside commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Wissant is a fishing port and farming village located approximately north of Boulog ...

. They continued south across

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, then down the Seine to Châtillon, crossing overland to

Beaune Beaune () is the wine capital of Burgundy in the Côte d'Or department in eastern France. It is located between Lyon and Dijon. Beaune is one of the key wine centers in France, and the center of Burgundy wine production and business. The annua ...

and then down the

Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name ...

and

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

to Marseilles. During his journey through Eastern Europe, Symon Semeonis started to pay more attention to inhabitants and local customs, which led him to mention and briefly describe

who he encountered in

. This is the first known mention of the Romani people in Europe.

References

Sources

''Itinerarium Symonis Semeonis Ab Hybernia Ad Terrum Sanctam''
ed. and translated by Mario Esposito,

, 1960.
''A New History of Ireland'', volume one
pp. 453, 460.

by Conn Murphy, UCC, a
Classics Ireland

The itineraries of Fr. Simon Fitzsimons-1322-23
and others. Thomas Brygg. (Scroll to last PDF entry)
Two Irish Travellers in Albania in 1322
*M. Esposito, ''Itinerarium Symonis Semeonis ab Hybernia ad Terram Sanctam,'' Dublin, The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1960 *G.Golubovich, ''Biblioteca Bio-bibliografica della Terra Santa e dell’Oriente Francescano'', III, Florence, Collegio di S. Bonaventura, 1919 *Agustí Justicia Lara (2020).
The Corpus Islamolatinum as Auctoritas in the Polemical Discourse of Symon Semeonis
in ''Propaganda and (un)covered identities in treatises and sermons: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the premodern Mediterranean'' (ed. Cándida Ferrero). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Servei de Publicacions, Bellaterra. pp. 41-54 *Agustí Justicia Lara (2020).
The ''mirabilia'' of the Mediterranean Basin in the ''Itinerarium Symonis Semeonis''
in ''The mirabilia of the Mediterranean Basin'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Semeonis, Symon 14th-century writers 14th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests 14th-century travel writers Irish travel writers Irish explorers Pilgrimage accounts Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown People from County Tipperary Irish Franciscans

Biography

Journey

See also

References

Sources