Symon Semeonis
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Síomón Mac Síomóin
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| Nationality | Irish (Lordship of Ireland) |
| Other names | Simon FitzSimon(s) |
| Citizenship | Lordship of Ireland |
| Occupation | Franciscan friar |
| Years active | 1320s |
| Notable work | Itinerarium Symonis Semeonis ab Hybernia ad Terram Sanctam |
Symon Semeonis (fl. 1322–24; also Simon FitzSimonorSimon FitzSimmons) was a 14th-century Irish Franciscan friar and author.
OfHiberno-Norman origin, Semeonis was the author of Itinerarium fratrum Symonis Semeonis et Hugonis illuminatoris (The Itinerary of Brother Symon Semeonis and Hugo Illuminator).[1] In 1323 he and his companion friar, Hugo Illuminator (Hugh the Illuminator), undertook a pilgrimage from Clonmel in Ireland to Jerusalem. In his manuscript account, he described his experiences and encounters during that journey.[citation needed]
His encounter with a migrant group he called ‘the descendants of Cain’ outside the town of Heraklion (Candia) in Crete is probably the earliest surviving description by a Western chronicler of the Romani people in Europe. The account of his experiences in what is now Greece is also one of the earliest written reports of that land to reach Britain.[2]
He received a special passport for mendicants from Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad at a reduced fee. This passport was apparently authenticated by the application of the Sultan's fingerprints.[3] The original manuscript is currently held as MS 407 in the Library of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.[citation needed]
His surname is now rendered FitzSimon, FitzSimmonds, or Simmonds, and still found in Ireland.[citation needed]
Fitzsimons described a detailed itinerary. Starting from Clonmel, he did not say how he left Ireland, but the fact that he entered WalesatHolyhead makes his departure via Dublin a near-certainty; even today, Dublin–Holyhead is an active ferry route. From Clonmel, the road went north to Roscrea, and then Fitzsimons could follow the Slighe Dála ("Way of the Assembly") east to Abbeyleix, and then northeastwards through Naas, Tallaght and Dublin.[4]
From Holyhead, his party continued eastwards across North Wales. They then followed Watling Street down through England to Canterbury, leaving via Dover — not to Calais, but to Wissant. They continued south across FrancetoParis, then down the SeinetoChâtillon, crossing overland to Beaune and then down the Saône and RhônetoMarseilles.
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 Romani people who he encountered in Crete.[1] This is the first known mention of the Romani people in Europe.[5]
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Es-Salahieh Bir Qatia | |
| The pilgrimage of Symon Semeonis. Towns and cities are called by their modern names. | |
Authority control databases: People  |
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| Cartography |
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| Late Roman and Byzantine period |
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| Early Islamic period |
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| Crusader period |
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| Later Islamic period |
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Many of these texts have been translated and published by the Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society. | |
