Das Dritte Buch / Adrianus Bischoff zu Sitten. / Munsteri bildnuß.

Title

Das Dritte Buch / Adrianus Bischoff zu Sitten. / Munsteri bildnuß.

Portrait of Adrianus, Bishop of Sitten, above, and a portrait of Sebastian Münster below. Back side with German text. Sitten is the capital of the canton of Valais and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Switzerland. Its history dates back to the Neolithic period. Even before the Romans, the area around Sitten was settled by Celtic tribes. In the 6th century, Sitten became the seat of a bishop; the Bishop of Sitten later became not only the spiritual leader but also the secular ruler of the Valais region. The city was strongly influenced by the power of the prince-bishops, who played a significant role until the 18th century. In the 19th century, Sitten became the capital of the canton as part of the establishment of the modern Swiss federal state.

ca. 1574

Artist

Münster (1489-1552)

Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) was a leading Renaissance cosmographer. His most famous work, the Cosmographia (1544), was a comprehensive description of the world with 24 maps, based on research dating back to 1528. Continuously revised, the 1550 edition already included many new maps. It was the first scientific yet accessible world description published in German, illustrated with numerous woodcuts by artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger. Between 1544 and 1650, the Cosmographia appeared in 46 editions (27 in German) and was translated into several languages. Münster’s work combined the knowledge of scholars, artists, and travelers and remained influential long after his death.

Historical Description

Adrianus was a Bishop of Sitten in the 7th century. He is regarded as an important religious leader of the region. There are few historical sources about his life, but he is often associated with the Christianization and the strengthening of ecclesiastical authority in the Valais region. He was a strong supporter of the monastic movement and promoted the founding of monasteries. His death is dated to 740, and he is venerated as a saint in the region. There is a church and a sanctuary in his honor, which are still visited by many believers today.