Ancient illustrated map of Jerusalem published in Civitates Orbis Terrarum by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg

Hierosolyma Urbs Sancta, Iudeae, Totiusque Orientis Longe Clarissima, Qua Amplitudine ac Magnificentia hoc Nostro Aevo Conspicua Est. map of Jerusalem by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg. This is a late 16th-century bird’s-eye map of Jerusalem, published in the renowned Civitates Orbis Terrarum atlas series. Engraved in an elaborate Renaissance cartographic style, it presents the Holy City with remarkable detail, depicting its walls, streets, sacred sites, and surrounding landscape. The map combines geographic observation with symbolic and religious significance, reflecting European interest in biblical history and pilgrimage during the period.

Georg Braun was a German cleric, cartographer, and principal editor of Civitates Orbis Terrarum, one of the most important city atlas projects of the Renaissance. He collaborated closely with Frans Hogenberg, a master engraver whose detailed plates brought many of the atlas’s city views and maps to life. Together, their work documented major cities across Europe and the Near East, blending artistic craftsmanship with geographical scholarship and becoming a landmark achievement in early modern cartography.