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The Burning of the Books

openDemocracy, 30 - 04 - 2007
Truth, heresy and repression in thirteenth-century Europe.
30 - 04 - 2007


The Burning of the Books or St. Dominic De Guzman and the Albigensians, 15th-century panel by Pedro Berruguete.


Detail from The Burning of the Books or St. Dominic De Guzman and the Albigensians, 15th-century panel by Pedro Berruguete.

The panel portrays the disputation between Saint Dominic (Santo Domingo de Guzmán) and the Albigensians (the Cathars).

Pope Innocent III had declared the Albigensians heretics in the early thirteenth century. When the books of the both the Saint and the Albigensians were thrown on a fire Dominic's books were miraculously preserved from the flames (see the book floating above the fire), thus proving his teaching to be true and that of the Cathars false.

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Mon, 2008-06-30 14:03

By the way, the incident pictured occurred in the 13th century. The painting was created in the 15th century.

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alfredo.bremont said:



Tue, 2007-05-01 22:20
well how about Fahrenheit 411 in the 15 century. no wonder men is such a mess it keeps doing the same thing over and over again. what is this error persistence that does not allow this human to evolve. what a sad predicament to such beautiful organism. it has everything to become sublime, but on the other hand it does everything on his power to attain the opposite. men the wonder of the universe
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