The ‘Feast of the Liberation of Jerusalem’: remembering and reconstructing the First Crusade in the Holy City, 1099–1187

A key insight from this study reveals that the 'Feast of the Liberation of Jerusalem,' celebrated annually on 15 July, was not only a commemoration of the First Crusade's capture of Jerusalem in 1099 but also a deliberate ritual reconstruction of biblical history. The feast, established within years of 1099, involved processions that mirrored the actions of the First Crusaders while aligning Latin Jerusalem with significant Old and New Testament sites. This alignment was intended to frame the Crusade as a continuation of biblical narrative, providing a unique lens through which the inhabitants of twelfth-century Jerusalem interpreted their historical moment. The study analyzes liturgical programs and ritual processes to uncover this interpretive framework.

John, S. (2015). The ‘Feast of the Liberation of Jerusalem’: remembering and reconstructing the First Crusade in the Holy City, 1099–1187. Journal of Medieval History, 41(4), 409–431. https://doi.org/10.1080/03044181.2015.1084353