El mapamundi de Herefod

Abstract

The best preserved and most widely studied big mediaeval map of religious origin is this kind of altarpiece in Hereford cathedral, placed there at the end of the 13th century and found near the grave of Saint Tomas de Cantilupe, a distinguished point of pilgrimage. The map is more or less oval, measuring 1.6 m high and 1.1 m wide and is a cultural, geographical and biblical encyclopaedia that reflects the majority of mediaeval knowledge. The city of Lincoln, realistically represented, confirms the direct or indirect authorship of the Canon Richard de Haldingham.