Sister Maria Celeste (born Virginia Galilei; 16 August 1600 – 2 April 1634) was an Italian nun. She was the daughter of the scientist Galileo Galilei and

Marina Gamba Marina Gamba of Venice ( – ) was the mother of Galileo Galilei's illegitimate children. Marina Gamba was born around 1570 in Venice. Relationship with Galileo Galilei During one of his frequent trips to Venice, Galileo met a young woman named ...

Biography

Virginia was the eldest of three siblings, with a sister Livia and a brother Vincenzio. All three were born out of wedlock, and the daughters were considered unworthy for marriage. Troubled by monetary problems, Galileo placed them in the San Matteo convent shortly after Virginia's thirteenth birthday. When she took the veil in 1616, Virginia chose her religious name, Maria Celeste, in honour of the Virgin Mary and her father's love of astronomy. From her cloister, Maria Celeste was a source of support not only for her Poor Clares sisters, but also for her father. Maria Celeste served as San Matteo's apothecary (herself being of frail health). She sent her father herbal treatments for his maladies while additionally managing the convent's finances and staging plays inside the convent. There is evidence she prepared the manuscripts for some of Galileo's books. Maria Celeste was also a mediator between her father and her brother. Maria Celeste frequently asked her father for help for the convent, and kept it afloat through his influence. Galileo helped repair its windows and made sure its clock was in order. In 1633, the Inquisition tried Galileo for heresy. He was forced to recant his views on

heliocentrism Heliocentrism (also known as the Heliocentric model) is the astronomical model in which the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun at the center of the universe. Historically, heliocentrism was opposed to geocentrism, which placed the Earth at ...

, and was sentenced to house arrest for life. Shortly after Galileo returned to

Arcetri Arcetri is a location in Florence, Italy, positioned among the hills south of the city centre. __TOC__ Landmarks A number of historic buildings are situated there, including the house of the famous scientist Galileo Galilei (called ''Villa Il Gio ...

in disgrace, Maria Celeste contracted dysentery and died on 2 April 1634, aged 33. Galileo described Maria Celeste as "a woman of exquisite mind, singular goodness, and most tenderly attached to me".

Work

After Galileo's death, 124 letters from Maria Celeste written between 1623 and 1633 were discovered among his papers. Galileo's responses have been lost. Maria Celeste's letters have been published: * Virginia Galilei, '' Lettere al padre'' on Wikisource * Galilei, Maria Celeste, and Sobel, Dava. ''Letters to Father: Suor Maria Celeste to Galileo, 1623-1633''. New York: Walker & Co., 2001 Als
online

Legacy

* Maria Celeste appears as a character in the play ''

Life of Galileo ''Life of Galileo'' (), also known as ''Galileo'', is a play by the 20th century German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and collaborator Margarete Steffin with incidental music by Hanns Eisler. The play was written in 1938 and received its first theatri ...

'', by Bertold Brecht and Margarete Steffin. The play does not give an accurate portrayal of her life as it depicts her becoming engaged, rather than as a nun. * The International Astronomical Union has named the impact crater Maria Celeste on the planet Venus after her.

Notes and references

* Favaro, Antonio. , Florence: G. Barbèra, 1891 * Sobel, Dava. '' Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love'', Penguin Group, 1999, . Numerous formats and translations.
Galileo Project

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Celeste, Maria 1600 births 1634 deaths 17th-century Italian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Galilei family