A Medieval Dominican Maritime Missionary

Extract

Thanks’ to the preservation of an exceptionally detailed and graphic journal, kept by a certain German Dominican for the entertainment and edification of his brethren, it is possible to form a clear idea of what seafaring conditions were like on the Mediterranean towards the close of the fifteenth century. What is more, we learn that the spiritual welfare of both passengers and crews was not neglected, at least in ships carrying pilgrims to the Holy Land.

Brother Felix Fabri was a member of the community of the Dominican Priory at Ulm. In 1480 he managed to obtain permission from the Master General of the Friars Preachers to make a pilgrimage to Palestine. Four years later he repeated this journey. His travel diaries are remarkable for their wealth of topographical detail, but even more for the subtle humour that creeps in on every page.