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Ignazio (Egnation or Egnazio) Danti, O.P. (April 1536 – 10 October 1586), born Pellegrino Rainaldi Danti, was an Italian Roman Catholic
prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
,
mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...
,
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, moons, comets and galaxies – in either ...
, and
cosmographer The term cosmography has two distinct meanings: traditionally it has been the protoscience of mapping the general features of the cosmos, heaven and Earth; more recently, it has been used to describe the ongoing effort to determine the large-scal ...
, who served as
Bishop of Alatri The former Italian Catholic diocese of Alatri existed until 1986, when it was united into the diocese of Anagni-Alatri.
(1583–1586). ''(in Latin)''


Early life

Danti was born in
Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part ...
in 1536 to a family of artists and scientists. As a boy he learned the rudiments of
painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...
and
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
from his father Giulio, an architect and engineer who studied under Antonio da Sangallo, and his aunt Teodora,Brock, Henry. "Ignazio Danti." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 15 December 2022
who was said to have studied under the painter
Perugino Pietro Perugino (, ; – 1523), born Pietro Vannucci, was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. ...
and also wrote a commentary on
Euclid Euclid (; grc-gre, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the '' Elements'' treatise, which established the foundations of ...
. His older brother
Vincenzo Danti Vincenzo Danti (1530 – 26 May 1576) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Perugia. His father was an architect and goldsmith, and Vincenzo developed an interest in drawing and goldsmithing. In 1545 he went to Rome to study sculpture and ...
became one of the leading court sculptors of late-sixteenth-century Florence, while his younger brother Girolamo Danti (1547–1580) became a local painter. Danti entered the
Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...
on 7 March 1555, changing his baptismal name from ''Pellegrino'' to ''Ignazio''. After completing his studies in philosophy and theology he spent some time preaching but soon devoted himself zealously to mathematics, astronomy, and geography.


In Florence

In 1562, he requested a transfer from the Dominican compound in Perugia to the monastery of San Marco in
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
. Soon after, he found work on the side tutoring the children of wealthy Florentines in mathematics and science. In September 1563, he was invited by
Cosimo I, Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Life Rise to power Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 ...
to participate in his cosmographical project, the Guardaroba in the
Palazzo Vecchio The Palazzo Vecchio ( "Old Palace") is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria, which holds a copy of Michelangelo's ''David'' statue, and the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi. Originally ...
. Over the next dozen years, Danti painted 30 maps of regions of the world (based largely upon published prints by Giacomo Gastaldi,
Abraham Ortelius Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the '' Theatrum Orbis Terraru ...
,
Gerardus Mercator Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a 16th-century geographer, cosmographer and cartographer from the County of Flanders. He is most renowned for creating the 1569 world map based on a new projection which represented ...
, and others) upon the cabinet doors of the Guardaroba. He also worked on many other significant scientific and cosmographic projects in Florence, including the large terrestrial
globe A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model glo ...
of the Guardaroba (1564–1568), and a number of brass scientific instruments (such as an astrolabe) today in the
Museo Galileo Museo Galileo, the former ''Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza'' (Institute and Museum of the History of Science) is located in Florence, Italy, in Piazza dei Giudici, along the River Arno and close to the Uffizi Gallery. The museum, dedica ...
in Florence. Between 1567 and 1569,
Pius V Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...
, who belonged to the Dominicans, is said to have commissioned Danti to furnish plans for the construction of a Dominican church and convent at Bosco Marengo in
Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...
; Danti acted mainly as an adviser. During his stay in
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
, Danti taught mathematics and published a number of scientific treatises, mostly commentaries on ancient and medieval astronomy and mathematics or explanations of how to use scientific instruments. For much of his time in Florence, Danti resided at the convent of
Santa Maria Novella Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. The chu ...
, and designed the quadrant and the
armillary sphere An armillary sphere (variations are known as spherical astrolabe, armilla, or armil) is a model of objects in the sky (on the celestial sphere), consisting of a spherical framework of rings, centered on Earth or the Sun, that represent lines of ...
that appear on the end blind arches of the lower facade of the church in 1572 and 1574, on the right and left respectively. He also designed a large-scale
gnomon A gnomon (; ) is the part of a sundial that casts a shadow. The term is used for a variety of purposes in mathematics and other fields. History A painted stick dating from 2300 BC that was excavated at the astronomical site of Taosi is the ...
for the church which allowed a thin beam of light to enter the church at noon each day through a hole just beneath the facade's rose window, although it probably was not completed by the time Danti left Florence. There were also discussions between the Duke and Danti about building a
canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface f ...
to place Florence in communication with both the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
and the
Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to the ...
. However, this ambitious plan was not started before Cosimo's death in 1574. In late September the following year, Cosimo's son, Grand Duke Francesco de' Medici, compelled Danti to leave Florence.O'Connor, John J, and Robertson, Edmund F., "Egnatio Pellegrino Rainaldi Danti", MacTutor, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland, November 2002
/ref> It is not known precisely why Francesco exiled Danti, but the Dominican had no trouble finding work or patrons anywhere else in Italy, although he never returned to Florence.


Later life and bishopric

After leaving Florence, Danti became a professor of mathematics at the
University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in contin ...
. While there he built a massive gnomon in the Bolognese church of
San Petronio The Basilica of San Petronio is a minor basilica and church of the Archdiocese of Bologna located in Bologna, Emilia Romagna, northern Italy. It dominates Piazza Maggiore. The basilica is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Petroni ...
, the meridian line of which is still visible on the church's pavement. He also spent some time in Perugia, at the invitation of the governor, where he prepared maps of the Perugian republic. On account of his mathematical skills,
Pope Gregory XIII Pope Gregory XIII ( la, Gregorius XIII; it, Gregorio XIII; 7 January 1502 – 10 April 1585), born Ugo Boncompagni, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 May 1572 to his death in April 1585. He is best known for ...
invited him to Rome, appointed him pontifical mathematician and made him a member of the commission for the reform of the
calendar A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is also a phy ...
. He also placed him in charge of the painters whom the Pope had summoned to the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
to continue the decoration of the palace, most notably to make a number of maps of the regions of modern Italy in the newly constructed
Gallery of Maps The Gallery of Maps (Italian: ''Galleria delle carte geografiche'') is a gallery located on the west side of the Belvedere Courtyard in the Vatican containing a series of painted topographical maps of Italy based on drawings by friar and geogra ...
along the
Cortile del Belvedere The (Belvedere Courtyard or Belvedere Court) was a major architectural work of the High Renaissance at the Vatican Palace in Rome. Designed by Donato Bramante from 1505 onward, its concept and details reverberated in courtyard design, formalized ...
. This project, begun in early 1580 and completed about 18 months later, mapped the entirety of the Italian peninsula in 40 large-scale frescoes, each depicting a region as well as a perspective view of its most prominent city. When the pontiff commissioned the architect
Domenico Fontana Domenico Fontana (154328 June 1607) was an Italian architect of the late Renaissance, born in today's Ticino. He worked primarily in Italy, at Rome and Naples. Biography He was born at Melide, a village on the Lake Lugano, at that time join ...
to repair the Claudian harbour at
Portus Portus was a large artificial harbour of Ancient Rome. Sited on the north bank of the north mouth of the Tiber, on the Tyrrhenian coast, it was established by Claudius and enlarged by Trajan to supplement the nearby port of Ostia. The archa ...
, it was Danti who furnished the necessary plans. While at Rome Danti published a translation of a portion of
Euclid Euclid (; grc-gre, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the '' Elements'' treatise, which established the foundations of ...
with annotations and wrote a life of the architect
Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola ( , , ; 1 October 15077 July 1573), often simply called Vignola, was one of the great Italian architects of 16th century Mannerism. His two great masterpieces are the Villa Farnese at Caprarola and the Jesuits' Churc ...
, preparing also notes for the latter's work on perspective. In 1583, in recognition of his work, Gregory made him
Bishop of Alatri The former Italian Catholic diocese of Alatri existed until 1986, when it was united into the diocese of Anagni-Alatri.
in the
Campagna Campagna (Italian: ) is a small town and '' comune'' of the province of Salerno, in the Campania region of Southern Italy. Its population is 17,148. Its old Latin name was Civitas Campaniae (City of Campagna). Campagna is located in one of th ...
. He was appointed on 14 November 1583, and
consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different gro ...
as bishop on 30 November 1583 by
Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti de Nuce Pope Innocent IX ( la, Innocentius IX; it, Innocenzo IX; 20 July 1519 – 30 December 1591), born Giovanni Antonio Facchinetti, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 October to 30 December 1591. Prior to h ...
, Patriarch of Jerusalem. with
Giovanni Battista Santorio Giovanni Battista Santorio or Giovan Battista Santoro (died 29 February 1592) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Tricarico (1586–1592) ''(in Latin)'' and Bishop of Alife (1586–1592). ''(in Latin)'' Biography On 19 November ...
,
Bishop of Alife The Diocese of Alife-Caiazzo ( la, Dioecesis Aliphana-Caiacensis o Caiatina) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Campania, southern Italy, created in 1986. In that year the historic Diocese of Alife was united with the Diocese of Cai ...
, and Gerolamo Mazzarelli,
Bishop of Nona This is a list of the bishops of Nin, named after the town of Nin, Croatia. The Bishopric was most likely founded in the middle of the 9th century. Fine, 1991, p. 254co-consecrators 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 ...
. Danti showed himself a zealous pastor in his new office. As Bishop of Alatri, Danti convoked a diocesan
synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...
, corrected many abuses, and showed great solicitude for the poor. 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, ...
of
Marco Pedacca Marco Pedacca, O.S.B. (died 27 January 1602) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Lacedonia (1584–1602). ''(in Latin)'' Biography Marco Pedacca was ordained a priest in the Order of Saint Benedict. On 14 March 1584, he was ap ...
,
Bishop of Lacedonia The Italian Catholic diocese of Lacedonia (Laquedonia, Cedonia), a suffragan of the archdiocese of Benevento in Campania, existed until 1986 when incorporated into the reorganized Roman Catholic Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia.
(1584); and
Basilio Gradi Basilio Gradi, Order of Saint Benedict, O.S.B. (died 1585) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Diocese of Ston, Bishop of Ston (1584–1585).Bishop of Stagno The Diocese of Ston (also Diocese of Stagno or Diocese of Sagona) was a Roman Catholic diocese in Croatia, located in the city of Stagno. In 1828 it was suppressed to the Archdiocese of Dubrovnik.Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...
summoned him to Rome to assist in the erection of the grand
obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...
in the piazza of the Vatican. Besides the works already mentioned, Danti was the author of ''Trattato del'uso e della fabbrica dell'astrolabo con la giunta del planifero del Raja''; ''Le Scienze matematiche ridotte in tavole'', also a revised and annotated edition of ''La Sfera di Messer G. Sacrobosco tradotta da Pier Vincenzio Danti''. The first mentioned work deals with the use and construction of the astrolabe and is one of the oldest instructions for scientific instruments. Danti wrote the first Italian treatise on this topic to accompany the book.Ralf Kern, ''Wissenschaftliche Instrumente in ihrer Zeit'', Vol. 1, Cologne: Koenig, 2010, p. 318. Danti died at Alatri on 10 October 1586,"Bishop Ignazio (Pellegrino) Danti, O.P."
''
Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...
''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 4, 2017
three years into his service.


Works

* *


See also

*
List of Roman Catholic scientist-clerics A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...


References


External links and additional sources

* (for Chronology of Bishops) * Egnatio Danti, ''Les deux règles de la perspective pratique de Vignole'', 1583, Pascal Dubourg Glatigny, Paris, 2003, . *
Mark Rosen, ''The Mapping of Power in Renaissance Italy'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015)

Online Galleries, History of Science Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries
High resolution images of works by and/or portraits of Ignazio Danti in .jpg and .tiff format. {{DEFAULTSORT:Danti, Ignazio 1536 births 1586 deaths People from Perugia 16th-century Italian mathematicians 16th-century Italian cartographers 16th-century Italian astronomers Italian Dominicans 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops Bishops in Lazio Catholic clergy scientists Italian scientific instrument makers Bishops appointed by Pope Gregory XIII