On December 12, 1494, Girolamo Savonarola preached a sermon in Florence. He claimed to be a prophet. He urged the people to confess their sins and to work for the common good. If they did, their city would become glorious. It would be “richer and more powerful than [it] has ever been,” becoming an empire that would grow and expand. If they didn’t repent, God’s “sword of tribulations” was coming. He called out corrupt priests, oppressive taxes, abuse of the poor, greed. He told them to throw out whatever harms the soul.
His preaching was so influential that he was basically the ruler of the city. Over 1,000 boys became willing enforcers for the one they saw as a mouthpiece for God. They looked for sinners and informed on their families. They condemned people who were drinking or gambling. They ridiculed the overweight, swatting them with sticks, and calling them gluttons.
Three years later, on February 7, 1497, it was Mardi Gras – the last day before Lent. Since Lent is a season of repentance, fasting, and charity, Mardi Gras was a day to live it up while you still could. Before Savonarola came to Florence, their Mardi Gras was wild and drunken. Now it was a more sober affair. Savonarola told them the apocalypse was coming soon.
On Mardi Gras, the “blessed bands” of boys who followed Savonarola went from door to door, looking for things to add to a bonfire. They demanded that people surrender anything that led to sin–not just suggestive art and heretical books, but classical art, musical instruments, chess sets, carpets, mirrors, dolls, and false teeth. The worldly goods were piled up in the town square on a round wooden structure and set ablaze. Atop the structure’s seven tiers was a statue of Satan with smaller devils at his feet. As the bonfire burned, women with olive branch crowns danced around it. They saw it as a “purification of the city of God.” We call it the “bonfire of the vanities.”
The people of Florence wanted to be righteous, but they were also promised glory for their city. They wanted to get rid of sin, but they wanted to secure their own power, too. Overwhelmed with the thought that the apocalypse was only a few years away, Savonarola’s view of right and wrong became law. The fear, tension, and uncertainty were channeled into that bonfire – an explosive reassurance that they were being purged of sin.
References:
–https://traditio-op.org/biblioteca/Savonarola/Selected-Writings-of-Girolamo-Savonarola-Religion-and-Politics-1490%E2%80%931498.pdf
–https://www.historyhit.com/1497-bonfire-vanities/
–https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/original-bonfire-vanities
–https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/when-fanatical-monk-took-over-florence-and-burned-bunch-vanities-180962005/
–https://lexloiz.wordpress.com/2008/11/17/the-bonfire-of-the-vanities-%E2%80%93-the-amazing-story-of-savonarola/
–https://citybreakspodcast.co.uk/piazza-della-signoria
–https://www.davidteems.com/girolamo-savonarola
