Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (1646-1684); - The First Woman in the World to Earn a Ph.D. degree in University.
17th-century Italy. On June 25, 1678, an enormous crowd that included nobles, knights, city officials, ladies, scholarly men, the diocesan vicar general, and the entire College of Philosophers and Physicians, gathered at the University of Padua to witness Elena Cornaro Piscopia stand for her oral doctoral examination: the first time in history that a woman had been accorded this privilege! So great was the crowd that the examination had to be moved from the University's College to the cathedral in the city.
Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia was born into a noble Venetian family on June 5, 1646 in Venice, Italy.
Her father was a man of great culture and he saw the abilities of his daughter who was seen as a prodigy.
Beginning at age seven, Elena received tutoring in the classical languages of Latin and Greek, as well as grammar and music. After mastering Greek and Latin, Piscopia also learned to speak Hebrew, Spanish, French, and Arabic, in addition to her native Italian.
She was a student of the sciences as well as of languages, and she studied mathematics and astronomy in addition to philosophy and theology.
Elena came to be an expert musician too, mastering the harpsichord, the clavichord, the harp and the violin. Her skills were shown by the music that she composed in her lifetime.
But Elena's greatest love was for philosophy and theology. In 1672 Elena's father sent her to the distinguished University of Padua to continue her studies.
Elena however did not seek degrees from the University; she simply wanted to continue her learning. But her father insisted that the world recognize his daughter's incredible knowledge. So Elena applied for a Doctorate of Theology degree from the University of Padua. But her application met with resistance. Officials in the Roman Catholic Church refused to confer the title of Doctor of Theology upon a woman, and the bishop of Padua claimed himself it was ‘a big mistake to allow a woman to obtain a Theological Title' and that ‘it would make fools of ourselves to the world'. The conflict ended with the compromise to allow Elena to graduate in philosophy.
So on June 25, 1678 Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia received her deserved Doctorate of Philosophy degree from the University of Padua.
Elena spoke for an hour in classical Latin, explaining difficult passages selected at random from the works of Aristotle.
At age thirty-two she was the first woman in the world to receive a doctorate degree.
Elena Piscopia was an esteemed member of various academies throughout Europe, and she received visits from scholars of all parts of the world. Elena enjoyed debating, giving lectures in theology, and composing music.
In "Hypatia's Heritage", Margaret Alic states that she became a mathematics lecturer at the University of Padua in 1678. Her writings were published in 1688 after her death. Even today Elena Piscopia is widely quoted by other scholars and writers.
After successfully receiving her degree from the University of Padua, Elena Piscopia devoted her life to charity. She abdicated her place in Venetian society and refused several important marriages, instead taking the habit of a Benedictine oblate. During the last seven years of her life, Elena focused on learning and ministering to the poor.
Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia died at age thirty-eight on July 26, 1684. Her death is believed to have been caused by tuberculosis. Her passing caused great mourning in Padua; a truly remarkable woman had died. Elena's last wish was to be buried in the Church of Santa Giustina at Padua, Italy.
In 1895 her tomb was opened. Her body was reburied in a new casket and a tablet, extolling her virtues and relating the story of her life was placed at her head.
Today Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia's statue sits in the esteemed University of Padua in Italy. She is remembered in the United States too by the stained glass window at Vassar College which depicts her defending her theses at the Cathedral of Padua.
kianamaiart
germansingergirl
gracieabrams
stormborns
andulkaphoto
2087
dailybridgerton
ellievsbear
snowghoul
yousharknotpass
baratheonpilled
