Ascanio Piccolomini (1596–1671) was the

archbishop of Siena In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

from 1629 to 1671. Ascanio was a mathematics pupil of

Bonaventura Cavalieri Bonaventura Francesco Cavalieri ( la, Bonaventura Cavalerius; 1598 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian mathematician and a Jesuate. He is known for his work on the problems of optics and motion, work on indivisibles, the precursors of infi ...

. He hosted

Galileo 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 was ...

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

. According to

Dava Sobel Dava Sobel (born June 15, 1947) is an American writer of popular expositions of scientific topics. Her books include ''Longitude'', about English clockmaker John Harrison, and '' Galileo's Daughter'', about Galileo's daughter Maria Celeste, and ' ...

's ability "to rise from the ashes of his condemnation by the Inquisition" and complete perhaps his most influential book, the

Two New Sciences The ''Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations Relating to Two New Sciences'' ( it, Discorsi e dimostrazioni matematiche intorno a due nuove scienze ) published in 1638 was Galileo Galilei's final book and a scientific testament covering muc ...

, was "due in large measure to Piccolomini's solicitous kindness".Dava Sobel, '' Galileo's Daughter'' (2000), p. 287 He was an elder brother of the Imperial general

Ottavio Piccolomini Ottavio Piccolomini, 1st Duke of Amalfi (11 November 1599 – 11 August 1656) was an Italian nobleman whose military career included service as a Spanish general and then as a field marshal of the Holy Roman Empire. Early life Ottavio was born ...

. While bishop, he was the

principal co-consecrator A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

Carlo Fabrizio Giustiniani Carlo Fabrizio Giustiniani (12 December 1621 – 1 September 1682) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Accia and Mariana (1656–1682). ''(in Latin)''Bishop of Accia and Mariana The Diocese of Mariana and Acci or Diocese of Accia and Mariana (''Latin: Dioecesis Acciensis et Marianensis'') was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory.

(1656).

Notes and references

Sources

* *Suter, Rufus (1965). "A Note on the Identity of Ascanio Piccolomini, Galileo's Host at Siena," ''Isis'' Vol. 56, No. 4 (Winter, 1965), p. 452. 1596 births 1671 deaths People from Siena Archbishops of Siena Bishops in Tuscany Ascanio II 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops {{RC-archbishop-stub