Return to the index of "Other Women's Voices."
Updated 11-20-08
Maria Celeste Galilei /Virginia
Galilei (1600-1634)
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"IF YOU COULD PENETRATE MY HEART AND DESIRE AS YOU PENETRATE
THE HEAVENS...."
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Virginia was born at Padua, "daughter by fornication of Maria [Gambia] of Venice" and 36-year-old Galileo Galilei, a teacher at the university. A sister was born a year later, a brother five years after that. Although Galileo apparently never lived with this family, he supported them. When Virginia was 10 years old, Galileo won an appointment to the court of Duke Cosimo de' Medici; he took with him to Florence his two daughters (his son remaining in Padua for a few more years), where they lived with Galileo's mother while arrangements were made to put them into a monastery.
In 1613 the sisters were placed at San Matteo monastery near Florence, about 45 minutes from Galileo's home. San Matteo generally followed the rule of St. Clare, but it was under the jurisdiction of local ecclesiastics instead of the Franciscan order. When she was 16, Virginia made vows as Sister Maria Celeste; a year later, her sister did the same, as Sister Arcangela. Their mother would die in 1619; we don't know if she had seen her daughters after they left Padua.
We know of Maria Celeste because from 1623 Galileo began to save most of the letters she sent him (his responses appear not to have survived). Maria Celeste's 124 extant letters, written over 11 years, reveal much about the problems of a poor group of nuns in the 1600s --- non-aristocratic, with no generous endowment. They also reveal the changing relationship between an illegitimate child and the father on whom she and her invalid sister wholly depended.
Because of the monastery's poverty, each member had in many ways to fend for herself, soliciting gifts from family and friends in order to buy such things as a private room. Galileo was generous (unlike other parents who never paid their daughters' promised dowries), but for years Maria Celeste seemed to feel uncertain that her father's generosity would continue. Her letters to him show that early lack of certainty gradually changing into a confidence in his reliability and --- more important to Maria Celeste --- into a conviction that Galileo valued her and (during his trial in 1633) needed her.
On tis page you'll find:
Links to helpful sites online.
Excerpts from a translation in print.
Information about secondary sources.
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1.In English:
(a) Links to each of Maria Celeste's 124 extant letters, translated by Dava Sobel. You can also link to three essays (note those on "The Status of Women" by Mark Covington and Amit Mistry; and "The Convent of San Matteo" by Ellen Hickman), and to Maria Celeste's horoscope, written by her father.
(b) Another version of one of the letters of 1623, in which Maria Celeste asks for her father's most recently published book; the translation is by Mary Allan-Olney. Also shown are a portrait (now lost) believed to be of Maria Celeste and a horoscope designed for her by her father.
(c) A link to the text of Allan-Olney's 1870 study The Private Life of Galileo, which includes extracts of Marie Celeste's letters (usually undated); you can also download the work as a PDF file. And at another site, a contemporary review (on three pages) of Allen-Olney's book (for more on the study, see below, under "Secondary sources").
2. The Italian originals of the 124 letters (from a 1983 edition), grouped by year.
3. Dava Sobel's views on Maria Celeste (for more on Sobel's books, see "In print" and "Secondary sources"):
(a) Part of the introduction to the 2003 translation, To Father: The Letters of Maria Celeste to Galileo, 1623-1633
(b) Chapter 1 of the 1999 study, Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love.
4. Reviews (for excerpts from the translation, see "In print"; for more on the study, see"Secondary sources"):
(a) Maria C. Pastore on Rinaldina Russell's 2000 translation, Maria Celeste's Letters to Her Father, Galileo; elsewhere, another review, this by Maria C. Pastore Passaro.
(b) Marge Murray on Sobel's study Galileo's Daughter.
5. A timeline of Galileo Galilei's life (and so, from 1600, of Maria Celeste's), with links to essays relevant to Galileo's work.
6. To show that Maria Celeste had reason to worry about her father in the spring of 1633, Galileo's words in the transcripts of his interaction with the Roman Holy Office: (1) the four depositions he gave between April and June, translated by Maurice A. Finocchiaro; (2) the written "defense" he read and submitted in May, translated by Giorgio de Santillana (chronologically the "defense" belongs after the third deposition); (3) his June recantation, translated by De Santillana.
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[There are two complete print translations of Maria Celeste's letters, one by Dava Sobel (see below), and this by Rinaldina Russell. Rinaldina's introduction and notes are thorough, as is the bibliography. The book has no index:]
Sister Maria Celeste's letters to her father, Galileo: edited,
translated, with an introduction and notes by Rinaldina Russell.
San Jose: Writers Club Press, 2000.
(xxxi, 277 p.)
LC#: QB36.G2; ISBN: 0595162797
Includes bibliographical references (p.253-259)
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"We have no one else in the world but you."
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[The exact dates are given for the excerpts below so that you can see online both the English of the full letter online (in Sobel's translation) and the Italian original. From the earliest extant letter (May 10, 1623), on the death of Maria Celeste's aunt, Galileo's sister:]
...[W]e cannot help feeling very downcast whenever we hear that you are in distress and out of sorts, for we have no one else in the world but you. [p.4]
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"I read them again and again with the utmost pleasure."
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[From the start, Maria Celeste made sure her father knew of her interest in his correspondence and in his work. The opening of the second letter, August 10, 1623:]
It is impossible to describe the delight Your Lordship gave me in letting me read the letters you received from that renowned cardinal, now pope [Urban VIII].... I have read and reread the letters with special pleasure, and now I am sending them back to you....
I expect that on this occasion Your Lordship will have written a very beautiful letter to His Holiness..., and I would be grateful if it might please you to let me see a copy, for I am rather curious about it. [p.5]
[And a few days later (August 13):]
...I put away all Your Lordship's letters in a safe place, and, when I am not busy, I read them again and again with the utmost pleasure. So you can imagine how pleased I am to read those you received from people so virtuous and so well disposed toward you. [p.7]
[On November 21, the day Galileo's book, The Assayer, was published:]
...I would greatly appreciate your letting me have that book of yours that is just off the press, for great is my wish to see it and read it. [p.20]
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"I do not want to jeopardize your loving disposition toward
me."
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[During the first years shown in the letters, Maria Celeste was unsure of herself and of her ability to hold Galileo's affection. On July 8, 1629, she asked for money to secure a "cell of my own":]
I am presenting my need to you with filial self-assurance and without ceremony, because I do not want to jeopardize your loving disposition toward me, which I had so often occasion to put to the test. [p.65]
[And on November 22:]
The truth is that I do not have anyone else to whom to turn, nor do I want to. I only have you and Sister Luisa, my very faithful friend, who puts herself out for me as much as she can. Unfortunately we are both locked in this convent and lack the mobility we could need to take care of ourselves.
...I pray you to forgive me if I am being a nuisance.... [pp.71-72]
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"Your very loving letter... left me speechless."
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[In 1630 the relationship began to change. On February 19:]
In the past few years you have been spoiling me and made me think that I can openly say what I wish. [p.77]
[And on July 21; Galileo apparently had written a letter that at least temporaily assured Maria Celeste of his affection:]
...I received your very loving letter, which put an end to my doubts and in fact left me speechless. I can only reproach myself for being too insecure and suspicious. I was afraid that the love you bear for those near to you might have cooled or diminished your affection for us who are absent.
...I should rather harbor generous thoughts and be persuaded that you love us, your daughters, more than anyone else, just as I yield to no one in loving you. [p.85]
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"I see no way out."
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[The dismal poverty of the monastery and of many of its members shows throughout the letters. Maria Celeste accepted it, regretting only that she can do nothing to help her father place a young girl, his great-niece, there. On March 11, 1631:]
I deeply regret not being able to please you in the matter of having Virginia here, as much as I would like to for the love I owe her, because she is such an amusement and comfort to you. Our superiors have clearly stated that they will in no way allow us to take in girls, neither as nuns nor as novices, because the convent is very poor, as Your Lordship knows well, and we can hardly provide the living necessities for ourselves who are already here, let alone adding more mouths to feed. The scarcity of food must be the reason for their refusal and for the warning they gave to all relatives and friends. Consequently, I dare not to ask for an exception, either to Mother Superior or anyone else.
You can be sure I feel a keen regret for not being able to comply with your wishes; on the other hand, I see no way out. [p.115]
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"...in performance of your duty."
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[From late 1631 to the beginning of 1633, Galileo lived at Arcetri, very near San Matteo, visiting regularly so that no letters were needed. After these months of regular contact, when the letters resume during Galileo's harrowing time in Rome and Siena, Maria Celeste is much more confident, but still aware that her father has gone beyond his duty of supporting his children, and so needed to be treated with care. On April 19, 1633:]
Certainly, it is because of your love that, in addition to finding, in performance of your duty, a place for us to live, you never forgot to satisfy all our needs in a most benign manner, whenever we asked for it, and whatever it might have entailed. [p.153]
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"I do not wish to disturb your peace, as you asked me not
to."
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[Galileo's manner was perhaps not always benign; in asking for help for her brother Vincenzo four months later (August 6), Maria Celeste wrote cautiously:]
I would only add that getting my nose in this business has caused me no small distress, first of all because in general I do not wish to disturb your peace, as you asked me not to, and then, because at present you do not seem to be inclined to any new purchase, and therefore I fear I have been a bother to you. [p.201]
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"Your lady mule... is behaving in a very haughty manner."
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[When Galileo was in Rome in 1633 and at risk of prison or worse, Maria Celeste became his chief conduit of information about his home and farm. She tried to make him laugh. On June 18:]
Your lady mule, by the way, is behaving in a very haughty manner and does want to carry anyone any longer. A couple of times she bounced poor Geppo off the saddle into a somersault, but she did it gently and he was not hurt.... It seems that in the absence of her master, the mule does not want to be ridden by anyone....
Going back to the orchard, the vines are showing up very nicely. I wonder whether they will continue to do so, after the affront of being tended to by Piera's hands instead of yours. [pp.180-81]
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"But, for Heaven's sake...."
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[And she assumed the role of advice-giver. The end of a May 21 letter to Rome:]
Guiseppe is here waiting to take this letter with him, so I cannot write anything else, I only want to beg you not to drink to excess, as I hear you are doing. [p.171]
[And on July 28, to Siena, where Galileo was under house-arrest:]
I'm glad that you are keeping in good health and I beg you to take care of yourself and be moderate in your drinking, for it is so bad for you. I am afraid that this terrible heat and the pleasant company you enjoy may be the reason for you to go overboard, thus running the risk of getting ill and postponing your return to Florence again. [p.197]
[While in Siena, Galileo had begun to work again. Maria Celeste is pleased but cautious. On October 8:]
I am also glad to learn that you are in good health and in excellent mood. And also that you are busy with something consonant to your liking, that is, with writing. But, for Heaven's sake, let it not be about subjects that are going to encounter the same lucky reception as those that kept you occupied in the past and about which you have already written. [p.224]
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"Your liking them pleases me enough."
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[Part of Maria Celeste's increase in self-confidence lay in her realization that her letter-writing was valued --- by her community and, of greater importance to her, by her father. On March 14, 1630, speaking of the monastery's superior:]
Whenever she has some important letter to write, to the governor, for instance, or to the men who work for us here, or such like people, she gives the task to me....
So, to make my task easier and in order to get better results, I would very much like you to provide me with a primer of correspondence, as you once said you were going to do. I know you would have done so, had it not slipped your mind. [p.79]
[Later that year, on November 2:]
Please forgive me if my prattle gets to be wearisome, but I am encouraged to go on by some signs indicating to me that you take pleasure in my letters. [p.97]
[And on February 8, 1631:]
I am rather embarrassed to be told that you save my letters. I am afraid the great affection you have for me may make them seem to you more skilled than they really are. But let that be; your liking them pleases me enough. [p.111]
[By August 3, 1633, when Galileo was in Siena:]
I am jotting down these few lines because I do not wish to disobey your order not to let one week go by without writing to you. [p.198]
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"I see the excess of affection that motivates it."
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[On November 5, waiting for Galileo to finally return to Florence, Maria Celeste rejoiced in her father's complaint that she had not written often enough. He did return in December, so the two probably saw each other before Maria Celeste's death in April:]
If you could penetrate my heart and desire as you penetrate the heavens, surely you would not complain about me as you do in your last letter. You would see and be persuaded that I would love to receive your letters every day, if possible, and answer them every day, for this is the greatest pleasure I can give you and receive from you, until the time comes when God will let us enjoy each other's presence....
Last Saturday, especially, I had no time whatsoever and I could not send you my report, as I ought to have done. With your permission I can say that I am pleased that this happened, because in your present lamentation I see the excess of affection that motivates it and feel flattered. [p.235]
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[In the print version of Dava Sobel's translation of all of Maria Celeste's letters, the Italian originals are given on facing pages. The introduction is brief and the notes limited; for more detailed information, you are referred to Sobel's 1999 study, Galileo's daughter, (below). This book also gives a partial list of the nuns at San Matteo monastery and a table of Florentine measures and currency. There is no index. (See the book's table of contents online.):]
Galilei, Maria Celeste. To father: the letters of Sister Maria
Celeste to Galileo, 1623-1633 / translated and annotated by Dava
Sobel. London: Fourth Estate, 2001.
(xiv, 377 p.)
LC#: QB36.G2 A4 2001; ISBN:1841157244, 0142437155
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[The focus of Dava Sobel's 1999 study is equally on Galileo's scientific work and on his relationship to his elder daughter. She gives translations, in whole or in part, of over 55 of Maria Celeste's 124 surviving letters to her father, from 1623 to the end of 1633. The sources of other quotations are given in endnotes, although no superscript in the text leads to them. The book has a useful index , chronology and a detailed bibliography. (See the book's table of contents online.):]
Sobel, Dava. Galileo's daughter: a historical memoir of science,
faith, and love. New York: Walker & Co., 1999. (ix, 420 p.:
ill., map)
LC#: QB36.G2 S65 1999; ISBN: 0802713432
Includes bibliographical references (p. [376]-382) and index
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[Later research has made some of this 1870 study by Mary Allan-Olney outdated, but the book gives extracts of Marie Celeste's letters (usually undated) and letters written by Galileo Galilei and others. There is no index. The book is available online:]
Galilei, Galileo. The private life of Galileo. Comp. principally
from his correspondence and that of his eldest daughter, Sister
Maria Celeste. Boston, Nichols and Noyes, 1870. (xi, 300 p. 19
cm)
LC#: QB36.G2 G2 1870
Compiled by Mary Allan-Olney. Other auth: Galilei, Virginia,
in religion Maria Celeste, 1600-1634
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Updated 11-20-08