The Accademia Galileiana, or "Galilean academy", is a learned society in the city of
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
in Italy. The full name of the society is , "Galilean academy of science, letters and the arts in Padova". It was founded as the in Padua in 1599, on the initiative of a
Venetian
Venetian often means from or related to:
* Venice, a city in Italy
* Veneto, a region of Italy
* Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area
Venetian and the like may also refer to:
* Venetian language, a Romance language s ...
nobleman,
Federico Cornaro. The original members were professors in the
University of Padua
The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from ...
such as professor
Georgios Kalafatis;
one of its original members was
Galileo Galilei
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He ...
. In 1779 the academy merged with the Accademia di Arte Agraria (founded in 1769) and became the Accademia di Scienze Lettere e Arti; in 1949 it became the Accademia Patavina di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti; its name was changed to Accademia Galileiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Padova in 1997, in honor of Galileo. The academy is lodged in the
Carraresi
The House of Carrara or Carraresi (da Carrara) was an important family of northern Italy in the 12th to 15th centuries. The family held the title of Lords of Padua from 1318 to 1405.
Under their rule, Padua conquered Verona, Vicenza, Treviso, F ...
Palace in Padua.
The "Ricovrati"
The name "ricovrati" literally means "sheltered" and the academy took its name from a line from
Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480 – 524 AD), was a Roman senator, consul, ''magister officiorum'', historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages. He was a central figure in the t ...
, "Bipatens animis asylum" (Latin: "a sanctuary of the soul open at both ends"), related to a scene by
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
(
Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Iliad'', ...
, book 13) describing a cave, open at both ends, and sheltered by an olive tree. This image was used in their
heraldic badge
A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are ...
.
Female members
At the end of the 17th century, the Academy of the Ricovrati was one of the few in Europe which had female members. These included the first woman in Europe to receive a university diploma,
Elena Cornaro Piscopia
Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (, ; 5 June 1646 – 26 July 1684) or Elena Lucrezia Corner (), also known in English as Helen Cornaro, was a Venetian philosopher of noble descent who in 1678 became one of the first women to receive an academic ...
. Other female members included
Anne Dacier
Anne Le Fèvre Dacier (1647 – 17 August 1720), better known during her lifetime as Madame Dacier, was a French scholar, translator, commentator and editor of the classics, including the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey''. She sought to champion a ...
,
Madeleine de Scudéry
Madeleine de Scudéry (15 November 1607 – 2 June 1701), often known simply as Mademoiselle de Scudéry, was a French writer.
Her works also demonstrate such comprehensive knowledge of ancient history that it is suspected she had received inst ...
,
Maria Selvaggia Borghini
Maria Selvaggia Borghini (1656–1731) was an Italian poet and translator.
Works
*''Rime della Signora Lucrezia Marinella
Lucrezia Marinella (1571-1653) was an Italian poet, author, and an advocate of women's rights. She is best known for ...
, and
Marie-Catherine de Villedieu
Marie-Catherine de Villedieu, born Marie-Catherine Desjardins and generally referred to as Madame de Villedieu (1640 – 20 October 1683) was a French writer of plays, novels and short fiction. Largely forgotten or eclipsed by other writers of th ...
. Female membership in this period was only honorary and female members did not have the right to vote or occupy administrative posts in the academy. Of the 25 women admitted to the society between the 17th and 18th century, only four were Italian; the others were French and did not attend meetings.
The Enlightenment
Antonio Vallisneri
Antonio Vallisneri ( Trassilico,3 May 1661 – Padua, 18 January 1730), also rendered as ''Antonio Vallisnieri'', was an Italian medical scientist, physician and naturalist.
Life
Vallisneri was born in Trassilico, a small village in Garfagnana, ...
became president of the academy in 1722, and proceeded to enact a series of reforms based on the principles of the Enlightenment. He also instigated a series of debates on the education of women and their inclusion in such academies.
Notable members
Galileo Galilei
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He ...
•
Cesare Cremonini •
Fortunio Liceti
Fortunio Liceti (Latin: ''Fortunius Licetus''; October 3, 1577 – May 17, 1657), was an Italian physician and philosopher.
Life and career
He was born prematurely at Rapallo, near Genoa to Giuseppe Liceti and Maria Fini, while the family was m ...
•
Elena Cornaro Piscopia
Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (, ; 5 June 1646 – 26 July 1684) or Elena Lucrezia Corner (), also known in English as Helen Cornaro, was a Venetian philosopher of noble descent who in 1678 became one of the first women to receive an academic ...
•
Clemente Sibiliato •
Antoinette Deshoulières
Antoinette is a given name, that is a diminutive feminine form of Antoine and Antonia (from Latin ''Antonius'').
People with the name include:
Nobles
* Antoinette de Maignelais, Baroness of Villequier by marriage (1434–1474), mistress of Ch ...
•
Anne-Marie du Boccage
Anne-Marie Fiquet du Boccage, née Le Page, (22 October 1710 – 8 August 1802) was an 18th-century French writer, poet, and playwright.
Life
Born in Rouen into the upper middle-class, she was educated in a convent in Paris. Anne-Marie Du Boc ...
•
Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier de Villandon
Marie-Jeanne Godwin (née Pelus, August 12, 1920 – December 27, 2007) was an American ballet dancer. She was one of the first students of George Balanchine's School of American Ballet. Her dance career started at the Ballet Caravan in 1937, fo ...
•
Catherine Bernard
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Chris ...
•
Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy
Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy (1650/1651 – 14 January 1705), also known as Countess d'Aulnoy, was a French author known for her literary fairy tales. When she termed her works ''contes de fées'' (fairy tales), sh ...
•
Marie-Catherine de Villedieu
Marie-Catherine de Villedieu, born Marie-Catherine Desjardins and generally referred to as Madame de Villedieu (1640 – 20 October 1683) was a French writer of plays, novels and short fiction. Largely forgotten or eclipsed by other writers of th ...
•
Charlotte-Rose de Caumont La Force
Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force or Mademoiselle de La Force (1654–1724) was a French novelist and poet. Her best-known work was her 1698 fairy tale ''Persinette'' which was adapted by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 as the story ''Rapunzel''.
...
•
Anne Dacier
Anne Le Fèvre Dacier (1647 – 17 August 1720), better known during her lifetime as Madame Dacier, was a French scholar, translator, commentator and editor of the classics, including the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey''. She sought to champion a ...
•
Madeleine de Scudéry
Madeleine de Scudéry (15 November 1607 – 2 June 1701), often known simply as Mademoiselle de Scudéry, was a French writer.
Her works also demonstrate such comprehensive knowledge of ancient history that it is suspected she had received inst ...
•
Maria Selvaggia Borghini
Maria Selvaggia Borghini (1656–1731) was an Italian poet and translator.
Works
*''Rime della Signora Lucrezia Marinella
Lucrezia Marinella (1571-1653) was an Italian poet, author, and an advocate of women's rights. She is best known for ...
•
Georgios Kalafatis (professor)
Georgios Kalafatis ( gr, Γεώργιος Καλαφάτης, it, Giorgio Calafatti, la, Georgius Calafattus; ca. 1652 – ca. 9 February 1720) was a Greek professor of theoretical and practical medicine who was largely active in Padua and Veni ...
Note and references
:''This article is based in part on the articles
Accademia galileiana di scienze, lettere ed arti and
Académie des Ricovrati from the
Italian Wikipedia
The Italian Wikipedia ( it, Wikipedia in italiano) is the Italian-language edition of Wikipedia. This edition was created on May 11, 2001 and first edited on June 11, 2001. As of , , it has articles and more than registered accounts. It is t ...
and
French Wikipedia
The French Wikipedia (french: Wikipédia en français) is the French-language edition of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. This edition was started on 23 March 2001, two months after the official creation of Wikipedia. It has articl ...
, retrieved on November 8, 2010.''
External links
Galileiana Academy of Arts and Science official page(in English)
{{coord, 45.4076, 11.8710, type:landmark_region:IT, display=title
Academies of sciences
1599 establishments in the Republic of Venice
Organisations based in Padua
Education in Padua
Libraries in Padua
Organizations established in the 1590s
Learned societies of Italy
Cultural institutions of Tuscany
1599 establishments in Italy
Galileo Galilei