Virginio Cesarini

Cesarini, painting by Anton van Dyck

Virginio Cesarini (* 1595 in Rome , † April 1, 1624 in Rome) was an Italian nobleman, poet and friend of Galileo Galilei .

Life

Cesarini was of nobility. His father was Giuliano II. Cesarini, Duke of Civitanova , his mother Livia Orsini, daughter of Virginio Orsini . He proved to be intellectually precocious and was sent to Parma to study with his older brother Alessandro , where his health was impaired due to a fall from a horse and subsequent inadequate medical treatment - which later contributed to his premature death from tuberculosis . He continued his studies in Rome around 1610, in addition to law, philosophy (especially Aristotle ), literature and theology, he also studied mathematics and physics. He became friends with the Cardinals Robert Bellarmin and Maffeo Barberini (later Urban VIII) and was in contact with the founder of the Accademia dei Lincei Federico Cesi , through whom he also made contact with Galileo Galilei and his pupil Giovanni Ciampoli . Cesarini became a member of the Accademia dei Lincei in 1618. Especially Galileo and his experimental method had a great influence on him and led to his turning away from the Aristotelian doctrine. He defended Galileo when he was attacked in 1619 by the Jesuit Orazio Grassi (in his Libra astronomica under the pseudonym Lotario Sarsi Sölkeriano) - Galileo responded with his Il saggiotore (1623), which he dedicated to Cesarini.

Cesarini also dealt with poetry. During his lifetime he published only two Latin elegies and an Italian poem in the anthology of his friend Tommaso Stigliani . His works appeared posthumously in 1658.

He was on the secret council of Pope Gregory XV. and his successor Urban VIII , who made him chamberlain.

The Frasso Sabino observatory is named after him.

Cesarini, painting by Domenichino

Fonts

• Carmine, poetry lirice toscane. Rome 1658

literature

• Claudio Mutini:  Cesarini, Virginio. In: Alberto M. Ghisalberti (Ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 24:  Cerreto – Chini. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1980.