Jerusalem Syndrome as reflected in the pilgrimage and biographies of four extraordinary women from the 14th century to the end of the second millennium

Abstract

A previous presentation surveyed a selection of descriptive accounts of the so-called Jerusalem Syndrome, as observed and documented by six different writers, from the 19th century to the end of the second millennium (Witztum & Kalian, 1999). The current presentation focuses mainly on the subjective religious and psychological experience of specific visitors, as reflected in their biographies. This paper presents the cases of four extraordinary women who lived in different ages and came from different countries, acting on the common basis of profound religious experiences. Three of them documented their unique experiences in their own words and one was immortalized in the writings of a famous female writer. An attempt is made to reach a deeper understanding of the dynamics of their eccentric behaviour. The current presentation elaborates the view that similarities among narratives of these four extraordinary women who lived in different ages emerged from similarities in cultural and religious constructions and in the symbolic domains used to cope with deep personal distress. It is suggested that in the majority of the cases the religious atmosphere of the Holy City was not the primary cause of the so-called 'Jerusalem syndrome'.