Graffiti depicting the name of Knight Adrian von Bubenberg, an admired Swiss national hero, was discovered on the wall of King David's Tomb on Jerusalem's Mount Zion, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Thursday.
The discovery was made during an IAA project documenting graffiti and ancient inscriptions left on the walls by Christian and Muslim pilgrims. This project has revealed more than 40 inscriptions in different languages, as well as the family emblems of medieval knights.
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The inscription and family emblem of Adrian von Bubenberg in the Holy Complex on Mount Zion, Jerusalem, Israel
(Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority)
“The building served as a monastery and a hostel for the western pilgrims, who left their mark on the walls,” said Michael Chernin and Shai Halevi of the IAA, who lead the project. "Technological methods developed today enable reading the faded inscriptions.”
The researchers were surprised to discover a charcoal inscription with the name and family emblem of Adrian von Bubenberg, a Swiss military man and politician from the 15th century.
Von Bubenberg was born to a noble family in 1424. After his long service as mayor of Bern, he gained fame in 1476 when he led the Swiss Confederate army in the Battle of Murten and defeated the army of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who threatened the independence of Switzerland.
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Israel Antiquities Authority researchers Shai Halevi and Michael Cherchin documenting the pilgrims’ inscriptions on the walls of the complex
(Photo: Joshua Faudem)
“The research carried out in Jerusalem embraces religions and cultures worldwide. Believers, pilgrims and visitors seeking to make contact with sanctified Jerusalem, left traces that the Israel Antiquities Authority researchers reveal and record on a daily basis," said IAA Director Eli Escusido.
"All these remains contribute to the fascinating picture, a taste of which we present in today’s conference.”