This study aims to show, while making use of several new approaches, that medieval ideas survived in the cartography of the sixteenth century. The analysis is not only based on the mediaeval genre of the mappae mundi, but also on descriptive geographical texts. Since many descriptiones orbis can be considered as world maps in written form, it is important to take into account their meaning within the textual context where they appear, and to estimate the correspondences and the divergences that can be noticed between the two types of representation. On the other hand, even if the discovery of the New World introduced without any doubt important changes, the influence of the description of the mediaeval orbis tripartitus remains perceptible during the sixteenth century. Finally, as far as the relation between the figures and texts on the maps themselves is concerned, where traditionally the sixteenth century is identified as the birth of scientific cartography, this study makes clear that medieval mirabilia (exotic animals and monstrous races) survive well beyond the traditional boundaries of the Middle Ages, and so do the representations of two world rulers, Alexander the Great and Prester John. It follows from this richly documented study that pre-modern maps as the medieval mappae mundi were, in an undividable way, at the same time ?scientific? instruments, as well as documents that are open to allegorical meditations. Cet ouvrage a pour but de montrer la survivance des idees medievales dans la cartographie du xvie siecle, sous plusieurs aspects originaux. L?etude procede non seulement a partir du genre medieval des mappae mundi, mais encore des textes de geographie descriptive. En effet, comme nombre de descriptiones orbis peuvent etre considerees comme des cartes du monde sous forme ecrite, il importe d?apprecier leur signification dans le contexte textuel ou elles apparaissent et de mesurer les correspondances et les divergences qui s?apercoivent entre les deux types de representation. D?autre part, meme si la decouverte du Nouveau Monde introduisit d?evidents changements, l?influence de la description de l?orbis tripartitus medieval reste sensible au xvie siecle. Enfin, en ce qui concerne le rapport, au sein des cartes elles-memes, entre la figuration et le texte, la ou l?on percoit traditionnellement au xvie siecle la naissance de la cartographie scientifique, l?etude demontre la survivance des mirabilia (animaux exotiques et monstres humains) et de la figure de deux souverains frequemment representes sur les mappae mundi medievales, Alexandre le Grand et le Pretre Jean. Il ressort de cette monographie fouillee, appuyee sur l?examen approfondi de nombreux documents que, les cartes pre-modernes comme les mappemondes medievales etaient de facon indissoluble a la fois des documents ? scientifiques ? et des supports de nature religieuse invitant a la meditation allegorique. L?auteur Margriet Hoogvliet enseigne a l'universite d'Amsterdam (Pays-Bas); ses publications portent sur les aspects culturels de la cartographie medievale et premoderne et sur textes, images et medias de la fin du moyen age jusqu'au debut du xviie siecle, theme sur lequel elle a dirige une recente publication collective (Multi-Media Compositions from the Late Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period, 2004).