[Flower logo of the Medieval History Course]Galileo Galilei


Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was denounced for heresy in advocating the Copernican system and admonished by Pope PaulV in 1616 to no longer defend that system. However, in 1632 he published his "Dialogo dei due Massimi Sistemi del Mondo", again commending the heliocentric system; for this offense he was tried by the Inquisition and forced, for the sake of his life, to renounce the system he had championed.


Robert-Fleury (Joseph Nicolas Robert Fleury). Galileo Devant le Saint Office (Galiloe Before the Inquisition). 1847. Oil on canvas.77 3/8 X 121 1/4 (196.5 X 308cm). Lourve,Paris.