(Death, Heaven, Purgatory, Hell)
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
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Rome, 1616‑1633
Paper volume, 338x225 mm, ff. 228: modern green cardboard binding, with a
parchment back.
ASV, Misc., Arm. X, 204, ff. 84r, 207r
Despite all the long and extensive researches conducted by many scholars in the past, to “discover” or better find again the proceedings of the inquisitorial trial against Galileo Galilei, until now we only have a poor part of the original documents, which was extracted from the voluminous inquisitorial files of the period of the trial (1633) against Galileo or shortly after. This “abstract” was kept for many centuries in the archives of the Index Congregation (which asked the Holy Office for those documents), then it went to Paris after the sad seizure of the Vatican Archives in 1819 by Napoleon, then it passed into the hands of the Duke of Blacas and it was finally sent to the Secret Vatican Archives by the Duke’s widow in 1843.
The volume, which was for a long time has been erroneously called “the trial of Galileo Galilei”, is actually a group of documents collected after Galileo’s conviction by the Index Congregation, in order to deal with, on the basis of the trial evidences and confessions, the prohibition of his books and the teaching of his doctrine (it contains many letters of bishops or papal representatives who certify the notification of this prohibition). Some of these documents were taken from the lost papers (seemingly there were many volumes) on Galileo’s trial, of which we still keep the foliation (one of these volumes had at least 560 folios, that is 1120 pages).
In document (a), you can see one of the original interrogations of Galileo Galilei before the Inquisition (ff. 78r-87r). In particular, it is the final part of Galileo’s testimony, given on the 12th April 1633 with his signature, according to the rule (line 8: Io Galileo Galilei ho deposto come di sopra) and the beginning of the next interrogation (line 9: Die sabbathi 30 aprilis 1633. Constitutus personaliter Romae in aula congregationum, coram et assistente quibus supra, in meique <etc.> Galileus de Galileis de quo supra [...]).
After the condemnation of Galileo’s scientific theses, there was, as everyone knows, the abjuration pronounced by the famous native of Pisa in the Church of the Minerva on the 2nd June 1633. In the months that followed, Galileo obtained from Pope Urban VIII the possibility to serve the imprisonment sentence in his villa at Arcetri (1st December 1633). From there, on the 17th December 1633, he sent an entirely holograph letter to his “patron” Cardinal Francesco Barberini. In fact, it was thanks to his intervention that Galileo obtained this favour (b).
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