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chrysanthos notaras the Patriarch of Jerusalem... 409
first is necessary to learn and suppose the order that the universe presents
according to the ptolemaic system”. 39
“In the measure in which the science of education was interested in the
theoretical knowledge of geography, it limited itself to the principles of
ptolemaic cosmology and for a very long time insisted stubbornly on the
geocentric conception of the universe. this opinion continued to dominate
the school curricula, still controlled by the Church, even in the days of
flourishing enlightenment. the hardship and contradiction of transition to
a different consciousness about space got an expression in the editing at
the beginning of the 18 th century of the astronomical work of Chrysanthos
notaras, in which the author put an effort into the scientific exposing of the
principles of theoretical cosmography, insisting however on the geocentric
opinion”. 40
until the very end of the 17 th century, Walachia and Moldavia never had
proper cartography and mapping. prior the beginnings of the 18th century,
the only known maps of the Danubian principalities were mostly inspired
from travelers’ stories, from ancient history sources or simply from the
imagination of the authors.
Chrysanthos’ maps were that of Walachia, published in padua in
1700 (a World Map “rendered for the first time in Greek” and dedicated
to prince Brâncoveanu), another World Map similar to the previous but of
smaller dimensions, attached to his main scientific work Introduction on
Geographical and Spherical, and a map of Jerusalem with a plan of the
holy Sepulcher published in 1728 in Venice (benefiting from the financial
support of the patriarchate of Jerusalem). In his correspondence, we found
a reference about five geographical maps he sent in 1715 to Scarlatos
Mavrokordatos. 41
the map of Walachia, published in 1700, now in the British Museum,
bears an annotation of Chrysanthos referring to the latitude of Bucharest:
“in Bucharest the elevation of the pole is 45° 40’ ”. he was probably
the first to measure these data on Bucharest – 45° 40’ latitude and 47°
longitude – and also Târgovişte, the former capital, for which Notaras gives
48° longitude and 46° latitude. chrysanthos’ readings about Târgovişte are
completely wrong however, the city being placed by his determinations on
the eastern side of Bucharest instead of the western! though his technical
means are not known, Chrysanthos supposedly made use of a drawing
39 Chrysanthos notaras in his Introduction on Geographical and Spherical, chapter
4 (Δ). 40 KItroMIlIDeS 2005: 116.
41 G. AuJAC 2002: 170.