his book is the result of the international academic conference Niccolò Copernico, Ferrara e l’università nel Rinascimento: studenti, docenti, eredità, held on November 17–18, 2023, at the University of Ferrara. The event was co-organized by the University of Ferrara and Nicolaus Copernicus Academy, which also co-financed this publication.
The conference opened with a keynote lecture by professor Krzysztof Górski, titled Nicolaus Copernicus: life as a manifestation of virtues. Representing Nicolaus Copernicus Academy, lectures were also delivered by professor Andrzej Rynkiewicz, MD, PhD, Chair of the Academy’s Chamber of Medical Sciences, and professor Mirosław Lenart, Dean of the College of Philosophy and Theology at the Copernicus University.
Organized to mark the 550th anniversary of Nicolaus Copernicus’s birth, the conference was held in Ferrara, the city where Copernicus studied canon law. It also served as the occasion for the official opening of the Nicolaus Copernicus Academy’s exhibition “Niccolò Copernico – a pilgrimage to the stars.”
About the Publication
This post-conference volume is a unique collection of essays, published in Italian and edited by Marco Bresadola, a historian of science at the University of Ferrara.
The book offers a fascinating exploration of the life and work of the renowned astronomer, with a particular focus on his studies and academic connections in Italy. The contributors examine, among other topics, the intellectual climate of Ferrara at the turn of the 16th century and the role played by the University of Ferrara—then under the Este family—where Copernicus earned his doctorate in canon law in May 1503.
Subsequent chapters delve into Copernicus’s studies in Bologna and Padua, where he deepened his knowledge in medicine, the sciences, and law. The final section of the volume addresses the reception of Copernicus’s work and its impact on the development of modern scientific thought, with references to figures such as Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galilei, Immanuel Kant, and the Enlightenment encyclopedists.
On March 25, 2025, the volume was officially presented to the public by scholars from the University of Ferrara during an online session, available at the following link:
Book Details:
Title: Niccolò Copernico, Ferrara e le università nel Rinascimento: studenti, docenti, eredità
Editor: Marco Bresadola
Pages: 240
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-88-15-39104-9
Year of Publication: 2024
Publisher: Il Mulino
book available on the website of il Mulino publishing house: https://www.mulino.it/isbn/9788815391049
About the Editor:
Marco Bresadola is a full professor of the history of science at the University of Ferrara. He chairs the Department of Humanities and is actively involved in promoting science and cultural heritage. His research focuses on the history of modern biology and medicine, particularly the work of scientists such as Marcello Malpighi and Luigi Galvani.
