It seems that Gerolamo Savonarola (1452-1498) conquered Florentine’s hearts with the prophecies pronounced in his furious preaches, some of which become reality. Admired and feared by the Greats of his age, from Lorenzo the Magnificent to pope Alexander VI, from Ludovico il Moro to Charles VIII king of France, the Dominican friar of Ferrara played an important role in the revolution that bring the fall of the Medici and the birth of the first Republic of Florence. From the convent of Saint Mark in Florence (in which there’s still his cellar), Savonarola started his crusade that eventually ended on the stake in Piazza della Signoria, in May 1498. Savonarola became synonymous of intransigence: notorious was his “Bonfire of Vanities”, in which were destroyed artworks and books. But he crossed an age of political and religious complexity, not only in Florence. Savonarola was admired by personalities very different from him, like Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola, but also was hit by the eternal hate of the family of Medici and the other nobles of Florence, which sparked off against him the same people that until that time was charmed and captivated by Savonarola’s preaches. But the Republic carried on after his death. And so his myth. Five centuries after the death of this alleged heretic, even the Church started a process of canonization.
Year of production: 2011
Running time: 56’ – HD
Original language: italian – Subtitles: english
