Virginio Cesarini (20 October 1595, in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
– 1 April 1624, in Rome) was an Italian poet and intellectual.
Youth and Education
The son of Giuliano Cesarini, duke of Civitanova, and his wife Livia Orsini, he was sent together with his brother Alessandro to study at Parma, where he was hosted by duke
Ranuccio I Farnese
Ranuccio I Farnese (28 March 1569 – 5 March 1622) reigned as Duke of Parma, Duke of Piacenza, Piacenza and Duchy of Castro, Castro from 1592. A firm believer in absolute monarchy, Ranuccio, in 1594, centralised the administration of Parma and ...
. During this period, as a result of a fall from a horse and an inept operation, his health, already delicate, became even more fragile. He returned to Rome in 1610, and pursued a range of interests including theology, jurisprudence, mathematics and astronomy, as was consistent with prevailing ideas about a cultural education, founded on Aristotelian philosophy.
Career in Rome
He was on friendly terms with Cardinal
Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine (; ; 4 October 1542 – 17 September 1621) was an Italian Jesuit and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was canonized a saint in 1930 and named Doctor of the Church, one of only 37. He was one of the most important figure ...
and Maffeo Barberini (later
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...
) as well as with Prince
Federico Cesi
Federico Angelo Cesi (; 26 February 1585 – 1 August 1630) was an Italian scientist, naturalist, and founder of the Accademia dei Lincei. On his father's death in 1630, he became briefly lord of Acquasparta.
Biography
Federico Cesi was ...
, patron of the
Accademia dei Lincei
The (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed"), anglicised as the Lincean Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy. Founded in ...
. In 1618, Cesarini became a member of the Accademia. It was here that he encountered both
Galileo
Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...
and
Giovanni Ciampoli. Thus he became familiar with Galileo’s experimental methodology, which had a profound influence on him.
He served as chamberlain to
Pope Gregory XV
Pope Gregory XV (; ; 9 January 1554 – 8 July 1623), born Alessandro Ludovisi, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 February 1621 until his death in 1623. He is notable for founding the Congregation for the ...
, and was confirmed in his post by his successor, Urban VIII and promoted to Chief Chamberlain.
In the Accademia dei Lincei he served as a link between scientists who were working in different cities of Italy, and encouraged Galileo, who was facing criticism from conservative circles.
Friendship with Galileo
In 1619, the Jesuit
Orazio Grassi, writing under the pseudonym Lotario Sassi, published ''Libra Astronomica ac Philosophica'', which attacked Galileo. In May 1622, Cesarini wrote to Galileo asking him to publish a reply to Sarsi, which he owed to the world to write. In October of the same year, Galileo’s response, ''
The Assayer
''The Assayer'' () is a book by Galileo Galilei, published in Rome in October 1623. It is generally considered to be one of the pioneering works of the scientific method, first broaching the idea that the book of nature is to be read with mathem ...
'', was ready. It was published the following year, in the form of a letter to Cesarini.
See also
*
Ferdinando Cesarini, Virginio Cesarini's brother.
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cesarini, Virginio
Scholars from the Papal States
Italian poets
1595 births
1624 deaths
Galileo Galilei
Members of the Lincean Academy
Italian Baroque writers