An international team of researchers uncovered medieval graffiti in the Last Supper Hall at the Cenacle of Jerusalem, revealing a variety of inscriptions, coats of arms, and drawings.
The research team led byby Shai Halevi included researchers from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). The findings were compiled in a study published in the journal Liber Annuus.
"These graffiti shed new light on the geographical diversity and the international pilgrimage movement to Jerusalem in the Middle Ages," said Ilya Berkovich, co-author from the Austrian Academy of Sciences, according to Scinexx.
One of the most intriguing discoveries is the identification of a shield belonging to the noble family of Tristram von Teuffenbach, originally from the Murau region in Styria, Austria. It was likely carved into one of the walls by a fellow traveler during a 15th-century pilgrimage. In 1436, Archduke Frederick of Habsburg, the future emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, traveled to the Holy Land accompanied by a large entourage of about 100 Austrian nobles.
Among other notable inscriptions, a charcoal drawing was located bearing the shield of the influential patrician family von Rümlingen from Bern. Signatures of once-known individuals were also found, such as Johannes Poloner from Regensburg, who documented his journey to Jerusalem in 1421–22.
Researchers discovered an Arabic inscription that reads "…ya al-Ḥalabīya," which is believed to belong to a Christian female pilgrim from Aleppo, Syria. This detail constitutes rare evidence of women's participation in premodern pilgrimages. The repertoire of inscriptions is not limited to the Germanic world; there are traces from Serbia, Bohemia, and Arabic-speaking Christian communities of the Levant.
An Armenian epigraphy dated to Christmas of the year 1300 was among the most revealing findings. The elevated location of this inscription, characteristic of Armenian nobles, adds credibility to the theory that King Het'um II of Armenia and his troops reached Jerusalem after the victory at the Battle of Wādī al-Khaznadār in Syria on December 22, 1299.
"These findings allow for a more accurate understanding of the profile of pilgrims who visited Jerusalem between the 13th and 15th centuries," a researcher said, according to labrujulaverde.com.
The documentation and analysis work was the result of extensive collaboration among academic institutions in Austria, Israel, and Armenia. The inscriptions, many of which were barely visible, were digitally processed in the laboratory of the Leon Levy Digital Library of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Most of the inscriptions, which are partly scratched and partly drawn, date from the late Middle Ages, starting around 1300, when the Upper Room was part of a Franciscan monastery.
On Mount Zion in Jerusalem, Jesus Christ is believed to have shared his last supper with his disciples, a site consecrated by Christian tradition as the location of the Last Supper. The Cenacle, also known as the Coenaculum, was built by the Crusaders in 1099 and has attracted pilgrims from around the world as the Last Supper Hall to this day. This site holds extraordinary religious significance for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, with Jews and Muslims venerating it as the tomb of King David, said to be located in the basement.
In total, some 40 epigraphic elements have been identified, including five heraldic shields. This discovery breaks with the exclusively Western approach that has dominated studies until now, showing the diverse backgrounds of the pilgrims.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system
