Estoire d'Eracles page with Bernard of Clairvaux preaching the Second Crusade in the initial (Walters W.137, fol. 180v)
Page of a late 13th-century French crusade history. The initial shows a tonsured preacher in a long habit addressing listeners under a starred sky; the red rubric announces the sermon of Saint Bernard through the land of Syria, and a later pen caption at the head names the preaching as made for Pope Eugenius III, so the page ties the preacher's authority to the pope's.
- Date
- 1275
- Period
- Pre-1914
- Made by
- Scribes and illuminators of a northern French (possibly Paris) manuscript of the Estoire d'Eracles, the French version and continuation of William of Tyre's history
- Country
- France
- Medium
- Books and pamphlets
- Issuer type
- Media
- Regime
- Papal States Crusades
- Leader
- Eugenius III
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Commemorate
- Themes
- Religion, War and the military
- Techniques
- Testimonial
- Leader
- Urban II
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- The Walters Art Museum (Digital Walters), retrieved October 2, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain (Digital Walters images released by the Walters Art Museum under CC0; manuscript about 700 years old)
The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MS W.137, fol. 180v (Digital Walters, CC0)
Text on the object
St Bernard prêche la nouvelle Croisade, de la part du Pape Eugène III le sermon saint bernart par la terre de surie.
Saint Bernard preaches the new Crusade, on behalf of Pope Eugenius III. The sermon of Saint Bernard through the land of Syria.
The first line is a later pen caption in modern French at the head of the page; the second is the red rubric in Old French. 'bernart' is read from a small script and is slightly uncertain. The main text columns are not transcribed.
