Saint Maurand

Jérôme Maurand was a 16th-century French priest from Antibes who accompanied Captain Polin on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople as part of the Franco-Ottoman alliance in 1544. The French fleet, including five galleys with the Réale, joined Barbarossa's Ottoman fleet for a campaign that devastated cities along the west coast of Italy and took about 6,000 captives. Maurand wrote an account titled 'Itinéraire d'Antibes à Constantinople,' detailing their journey from Marseille to Constantinople, where they met with Suleiman I. The expedition left Toulon in May 1544 and returned by October of the same year. Maurand's writings reflect his sorrow over the enslavement of Christian captives, particularly mentioning the plight of children and families torn apart during the campaign.