Monument to Giordano Bruno

The monument to the philosopher - pantheist Giordano Bruno was commissioned by the Freemasons in response to the encyclical " Humanum Genus " ^[1] , which was published on April 20, 1884 by Pope Leo XIII . In this encyclical, Freemasonry was referred to as “ sects in which the rebellious demonic spirit was revived ” ^[2] . The monument to the condemned by the Catholic Church and burned for heresy Giordano Bruno was proposed to create a sculptor- freemason Ettore Ferrari .

The installation of the monument was considered in the municipal council of Rome. His conservative Catholic majority rejected this offer and did not agree to the installation of the statue. Part of the student body at the University of Rome took this decision very negatively ^[3] .

Ettore Ferrari did the job for free. In connection with the ban on the construction of the monument to Bruno, the sculpture lay in the workshop for several years. After the re-election of the municipal council, its new composition gave permission to erect a statue on one of the central squares of Rome - Campo dei Fiori square , on which Giordano Bruno was burned for heresy on February 17, 1600 ^[4] . At the opening of the monument on June 9, 1889, the square was decorated with flags of many public organizations.

Professor Giovanni Bovio prepared an appeal that said ^[3] :

Whoever goes to Rome to celebrate the monument being erected, he will feel that he has left the distinction of nations and languages ​​behind and entered the fatherland, where these partitions do not exist. Those present at the opening of the monument, erected with the consent and money of all peoples, will testify to the fact that Bruno raised his voice for freedom of thought for all peoples and consecrated this freedom with his death in a world city.

Today, the site of the installation of the monument on Campo dei Fiori is the center for the annual holding of various events by atheists and freethinkers ^[5] .

Monument Description

The statue is full-sized, Giordano Bruno is depicted standing upright, with his arms crossed in which he holds a book, his head is covered with a hood. The statue is mounted on a high pedestal.

On the top of the pedestal, on each side, there are two bas-reliefs framed with garlands depicting historical personalities who, according to the sculptor, were either followers of Bruno, or were executed or killed for religious reasons, or were persecuted for their views and beliefs - Miguel Servet , Peter Ramus , Tomaso Campanella , John Wycliffe , Jan Gus , Aonio Paleario , Paolo Sarpi and Giulio Cesare Vanini ^{[3] [6]} . Under them, on the front side, there is a signed board, and on the other three sides of the monument are bas-reliefs that depict the key moments of Bruno's biography: a debate in Oxford , the death penalty and burning at the stake ^[6] .

Other statues of the same name

Another statue depicting the death of Bruno at the stake was erected by the project of Alexander Polzin (Polzin) on March 2, 2008 at the metro station " Potsdamer Platz "In Berlin , in Germany . The statue is an elongated figure standing on its head ^{[7] [8]} .

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  Sculptor Ettore Ferrari

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  Statue of giordano bruno

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  Bas-relief of Giulio Vanini

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  The signature on the board under the statue: "June 9, 1889. Giordano Bruno - from the century that he foresaw, in the place where the fire was lit ”

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  The trial of Giordano Bruno

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  The opening of the monument. Flags of organizations.

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  Rome. Campo dei Fiori Square

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  Giovani Bovio (1837-1903)

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