The Triumph of the Cross

by Girolamo Savonarola

The Triumph of the Cross was a favorite book read often by St Philip Neri. Of St. Philip Neri, the Apostle of Rome, who was ever staunch in his loyalty to the memory of the one who, for a time at least, was the Apostle of his own native Florence, it is said, that this was one of his favorite books. The Saint's biographer. Cardinal Capecelatro, writes :"It is well known that Philip often read the writings of Savonarola, especially The Triumph of the Cross, and that he used them for the instruction of his spiritual children. There are still preserved in the Vallicella, among the books which belonged to St. Philip, and which were given by him to the Congregation, five of Savonarola's works."

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Catholic, Christian, Theology, Christianity

248 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2009

About the author

Girolamo Savonarola (Italian: [savonaˈrɔːla]; 21 September 1452 – 23 May 1498) was an Italian Dominican friar and preacher active in Renaissance Florence. He was known for his prophecies of civic glory, the destruction of secular art and culture, and his calls for Christian renewal. He denounced clerical corruption, despotic rule and the exploitation of the poor. He prophesied the coming of a biblical flood and a new Cyrus from the north who would reform the Church. In September 1494, when Charles VIII of France invaded Italy, and threatened Florence, such prophesies seemed on the verge of fulfillment. While Savonarola intervened with the French king, the Florentines expelled the ruling Medici and, at the friar's urging, established a "popular" republic. Declaring that Florence would be the New Jerusalem, the world center of Christianity and "richer, more powerful, more glorious than ever",[1] he instituted an extreme puritanical campaign, enlisting the active help of Florentine youth.

In 1495 when Florence refused to join Pope Alexander VI’s Holy League against the French, the Vatican summoned Savonarola to Rome. He disobeyed and further defied the pope by preaching under a ban, highlighting his campaign for reform with processions, bonfires of the vanities, and pious theatricals. In retaliation, the Pope excommunicated him in May 1497, and threatened to place Florence under an interdict. A trial by fire proposed by a rival Florentine preacher in April 1498 to test Savonarola's divine mandate turned into a fiasco, and popular opinion turned against him. Savonarola and two of his supporting friars were imprisoned. Under torture, Savonarola confessed that he had invented his visions and prophecies. On May 23, 1498, Church and civil authorities condemned, hanged, and burned the three friars in the main square of Florence.

Savonarola's devotees, the Piagnoni, kept his cause of republican freedom and religious reform alive well into the following century, although the Medici—restored to power in 1512 with the help of the papacy—eventually broke the movement.

Reviews

[Jo Walton]

I can't think of any reason anyone in their right minds would read this, unless they're researching Savonarola, which is why I read it. And indeed, it seems that nobody has read it, nobody on Goodreads at least. It's a surprisingly solid and well written defence and explication of pre-Reformation Christianity. If you want to know what orthodox believers believed in 1495, this is it, neatly laid out. In the bit against astrology, there's a sudden and unexpected burst of enthusiasm about Pico.

Skip the insanely obsessive introduction.

[Hannah Trower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. If you want to know the arguments and theology of pre-Reformation Christianity, this is a well-formulated and succinct place to start. I did not find the arguments compelling for the most part, as Savonarola presupposes as fact things that I would not, and science has discovered things in the intervening years. Definitely anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim, but not more than expected for a theologian of his era. Savonarola is extremely orthodox, whatever his detractors might say. Read on the 527th anniversary of his martyrdom.

[LittleFlowerEnjoyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding apologetic for the Catholic Faith. It touches on all of the major dogmas from the perspective of reason and proves that none of the Church's teachings are unreasonable in themselves. It also proves the orthodoxy of that holy martyr Girolamo Savonarola, contra the claims of heresy that were levelled at him leading up to his martyrdom.

Worth reading if you enjoy late medieval/Renaissance-era Catholic works and also serves as a great introduction for those who may be interested in the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith who have a firm grasp of Scholastic principles.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The arguments are well and good, reminiscent of early apologetics. However, there is a noticeable degree of grammatical and spelling errors in this print.