Across the road from the Feather Market Hall, between the City Hall and the Old Post Office in Port Elizabeth is an amazing statue dedicated to the seafarers who searched for Prester John between 1145 and 1645.
The statue was commissioned by a Port Elizabeth businessman Johan Eggers and sculptured by local sculptor Phil Kolby. I remember Johan waxing eloquently about his vision for this statue and eventually turning this into a reality. The result is a brilliant work of art.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, Prester John was believed to be the ruler of a vast and powerful empire in the interior of Asia. From the 14th to the 16th century, he was believed to be the king of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) in northeast Africa.
It all started in 1165 with a letter supposedly written by Prester John, describing his country as a land of natural riches, marvels, peace and justice. It was given to the Byzantine emperor and to the Holy Roman emperor Frederick Barbarossa. It told of a magical kingdom in the East that was in danger of being overrun by infidels and barbarians.
Thus began the quest for the wealth of Prester John.
It was his reputation that helped drive explorers to find the sea route to India. King John II of Portugal specifically instructed the expeditions of his time to discover this fabulous kingdom. The legend endured until the 18th century and died after the Scottish explorer James Bruce had travelled through Ethiopia.
Though some scholars think that the basis for Prester John came from the great empire of Genghis Khan, others believe it was merely a fantasy. Whatever it was, the legend of Prester John profoundly affected the geographical knowledge of Europe by stimulating interest in foreign lands and sparking expeditions outside of Europe, which is what this statue is all about.
