Giovanni Inghirami,
Sch.P., (April 16, 1779 – August 15, 1851) was an Italian
astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
, as well as being a
Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...
and
Piarist. There is a
valley on the moon named
Vallis Inghirami
Vallis Inghirami (latin for Inghirami Valley) is a valley on the Moon. Diameter of the valley is about 145 km. It is named after Giovanni Inghirami, and the name was approved by IAU
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; , UAI) is an in ...
after him as well as a
crater
A crater is a landform consisting of a hole or depression (geology), depression on a planetary surface, usually caused either by an object hitting the surface, or by geological activity on the planet. A crater has classically been described ...
.
Life
Inghirami was born in
Volterra
Volterra (; Latin: ''Volaterrae'') is a walled mountaintop town in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its history dates from before the 8th century BC and it has substantial structures from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods.
History
...
,
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
, in 1779. His family produced two other distinguished scholars,
Tommaso Tommaso is an Italian given name. It has also been used as a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name A
* Tommaso Acquaviva d'Aragona (1600–1672), Roman Catholic prelate
* Tommaso Aldrovandini (1653–1736), Italian painter of ...
(1470–1516) (a
humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...
scholar), and his brother,
Francesco
Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...
(1772–1846), an
archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
.
Inghirami's education was received in his native city at the College of Saint Michael. He joined the religious Order of the
Piarist Fathers at the age of 17, and later became professor of mathematics and philosophy at the Pious Schools of Volterra, where one of his pupils was the future
Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...
. In 1805 he traveled to the north of Italy, and was engaged for some months in scientific work at
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. He was called to
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
to fill the twofold office of professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Piarist College there.
Inghirami's first publications were articles on hydraulics, statics, and astronomy, astronomical tables, and elementary text-books on mathematics and mathematical geography. In 1830 after observations extending over fourteen years, he published, with the patronage of the Grand Duke
Ferdinand III of Tuscany, a "Carta topografica e geometica della Toscana" on the scale of 1:200,000.
When the Berlin Academy of Sciences undertook the construction of an exhaustive astronomical atlas, Inghirami was assigned a section. His performance of this task won great praise. he became successively
Provincial Superior
A provincial superior is an officer of a religious institute (including religious orders) acting under the institute's Superior General. A provincial superior exercises general supervision over all the members of that institute in a territorial ...
and
Superior General
A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of an 'order' of religious persons (nuns, priests, friars, etc) or, in other words, of a 'religious institute' in the Catholic Church, and in some other Christian denominations. The super ...
of his Order, but his failing health and his love for scientific work caused him to resign the latter office, which had required his taking up residence in Rome, and to accept the position of
Vicar General
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...
of the Order. He returned to Florence and, although almost blind for some years, continued his teaching until a few months before his death in that city.
Notable scientific literature
*Several articles published in the "Astronomische Nachrichten" and in Zach's "Monatliche Correspondenz zur Beförderung der Erd- u. Himmelskunde"
*"collezione di opusculi e notizie di Scienze" (4 vols., Florence, 1820–30)
*"Tavole Astronomiche universali portatili" (ibid., 1811)
*"Effemeridi di Venere e Giove ad uso di naviganti pel meridiano di Parigi" (ibid., 1821–24).
See also
*
List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inghirami, Giovanni
1779 births
1851 deaths
People from Volterra
Piarists
19th-century Italian Roman Catholic priests
19th-century Italian astronomers
Catholic clergy scientists