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Durante deli Alighieri (May 26, 1265 – September 14, 1321) was a world-famous Italian thinker, poet, writer and theologian. Dante is considered not only a magnificent writer of his time, who created the famous "Divine Comedy", but also the founder of the Italian literary language, since it was he who first began to use stable literary expressions in his works.

Childhood

It is not known for certain to what noble and aristocratic family Dante belonged, since only a few manuscripts of that time have survived, and scientists have still not been able to determine the origin of the writer. The only known fact is that Alighieri’s ancestors were most likely the founders of Florence. In manuscripts that have survived to this day, there is a mention of Dante’s great-grandfather, Cacciagvide, ─ who was knighted and participated in the crusade of Conrad III.

He died in one of the battles against Muslims, after which he was posthumously ranked among the aristocrats. The personal life of Kacciagvida is also little known. According to scientists, the surname “Alighieri” was taken precisely from his wife, who belonged to a family of Lombard aristocrats. Initially, the surname was in the form "Aldighieri", but later, most likely due to difficulty in pronunciation, it was transformed into "Alighieri".

Durante's exact date of birth is also unknown. According to Boccaccio, great writer and the thinker was born on the night of May 13-14. Nevertheless, Alighieri himself never indicated the exact date of birth, but only casually mentioned that at birth he was under the sign of Gemini. That is why only the name is accurate, given to the child at birth - Durante.

From childhood, the child was taught everything necessary by his parents. At the age of five, a special teacher was hired - Brunetto Latini - who began to teach Dante not only reading and writing, but also a number of exact sciences. Besides homeschooling, Durante most likely attended ancient schools and adopted the experience of several teachers at once. But, unfortunately, about what educational establishments the boy went and who his teacher was is also unknown.

Youth and early career as a public figure

In 1286, Dante, leaving his family, left for Bologna, where he settled in a small house with best friend- poet Guido Cavalcati. Initially, it remained a mystery how Alighieri was able to leave the family that had cared for and cared for him for many years.

However, then notes from Durante were found that in 1285 a friend asked him to move with him to Bologna, where he planned to enter the university. In order to keep up with his comrade, the future poet decided not to notify his family about his departure, and summer night just disappeared from home, going to his first independent travel.

After graduating from university in 1296, Dante decides to become a public figure. At that time, he already had sufficient connections and spoke to the general public more than once, calling for certain actions. Many of Durante's friends testified that he young man was an exceptional talent oratory skills, despite the fact that he himself never recognized such a gift. However, Alighieri’s violent and stubborn character very often became the cause of conflicts between the speaker and the local authorities, which subsequently ended for Dante in exile from Florence, where he was no longer able to return.

In 1300, Dante Alighieri was elected prior. From this moment on, he receives quite extensive powers, including writing his own laws. The enthusiast decides to take the matter seriously and “slightly” remake the system that had existed for many years in Florence. Alighieri issues several decrees and laws, and begins to actively collect complaints from citizens, which, naturally, does not go unnoticed by the local authorities. A couple of months after his appointment, Dante and his party of white Guelphs, which consisted mainly of the writer’s loyal friends and comrades, were expelled in disgrace and forbidden to return to the city.

Writing career

After Dante said goodbye to his career public leader and speaker, the most difficult and depressive period in his biography begins. Being in exile, Dante feels not only humiliated, but also unnecessary to humanity. His poetry, which was previously light, airy and positive, takes on bitter notes of bondage, hatred and sadness for his hometown (and even family).

At this time, an allegorical scholastic commentary on the fourteen canons called “The Feast” appeared. In it, Dante not only openly criticizes the existing government system in Florence, but also blames the authorities for all the troubles of the people, mocking the stupidity and arrogance of officials. But, unfortunately, “Convivio” - this is how “The Feast” was translated into Italian - was never completed, because Alighieri considered it overly pretentious and rude. The work ends at the 14th chapter, after which there are only a few lines and an ellipsis.

Most written in exile famous work thinker - “The Divine Comedy”. According to Boccaccio, Dante created it for a very long time, so there is no exact information and dating. The fact is that at that time Alighieri was forced to constantly travel around Italy in search of better life. It is known that he created the beginning of the Comedy in Verona, under the patronage of Bartolomeo della Scala, then moved to Bologna, where he heard the good news for himself: Henry VII was going to Italy. Deciding that now his life will improve, Alighieri returns to hometown and even manages to appear to the local authorities, declaring that now he will be able to regain all his civil rights. However, in 1313, Henry VII unexpectedly dies, and the authorities, taking advantage of the situation, confirm Durante’s exile, adding to it death penalty for the return to his homeland not only of the poet himself, but also of all his relatives.

Since 1316, Dante Alighieri has been under the patronage of the lord of the city of Ravenna. Here the poet is allowed not only to create and create new songs of the “Divine Comedy”, but also to act as public figure(naturally, under the supervision of the signor himself). Life begins to slowly improve, but in 1321, having gone as an ambassador to Venice to conclude a peace treaty with the Republic of St. Mark, Durante becomes seriously ill. Upon arrival in Ravenna, it turns out that the poet is sick with malaria, and on the night of September 13-14 of the same year he suddenly dies.

Personal life

In 1274, at the age of nine, Dante Alighieri saw the incredibly beautiful Beatrice Portinari, the daughter of a gardener, in the garden of his house. The aspiring poet fell in love with the young beauty so much that he even dedicated poems to her, but all this remained a strict secret, and the lovers met only nine years later, when Durante saw Peatrice already in the status of a married woman. Boccacce often mentioned young lovers in his treatises, calling them the Romeo and Juliet of their time.

Already in more mature age Alighieri married the daughter of his political opponent, Gemma Donati. The exact date of their marriage is unknown, so scientists do not undertake to say that the couple lived in marriage long years. However, what is known is that Gemma gave birth to the poet three children, whom he loved very much, unlike his own wife (the wife was never even indirectly mentioned in Dante’s works).

As a poet, Dante begins by imitating the most influential lyric poet of Italy at that time, Guittone d'Arezzo, but soon changes his poetics and, together with his older friend Guido Cavalcanti, becomes the founder of a special poetic school, which Dante himself called the school of the “sweet new style” (Dolce style nuovo ) Her main hallmark- the ultimate spiritualization of love feeling.

1292 – autobiographical story in verse and prose “ New life"(La vita nuova), telling about Dante's love for Beatrice (it is believed that this was Beatrice, the daughter of Folco Portinari) from the moment of their first meeting, when Dante was nine years old and she was eight, until Beatrice's death in June 1290. The poems are accompanied by prose inserts explaining how this or that poem appeared. In this work, Dante develops the theory of courtly love for a woman, reconciling it with Christian love for God. After the death of Beatrice, Dante turned to the consolation of philosophy and created several allegorical poems in praise of this new “lady.”

1295-1296 – Dante is summoned several times to public service, including participation in the Council of the Hundred, which was in charge financial affairs Florentine Republic.

1300 - as an ambassador, he travels to San Gimignano with a call on the citizens of the city to unite with Florence against Pope Boniface VIII. In the same year, Dante was elected a member of the government council of priors, a position Dante held from June 15 to August 15. By fulfilling it, he is trying to prevent the escalation of the struggle between the parties of the White Guelphs (who advocated the independence of Florence from the pope) and the Blacks (supporters of papal power).

Around this time, Dante marries Gemma Donati, whose family belongs to the Black Guelphs.

1301 - from April to September, Dante again enters the Council of Sta. In the autumn of the same year, he was part of the embassy sent to Pope Boniface in connection with the attack on Florence by Prince Charles of Valois. In his absence, on November 1, 1301, with the arrival of Charles, power in the city passed to the black Guelphs, and the white Guelphs were subjected to repression.

January 27, 1302 - Dante, whose sympathies were on the side of the white Guelphs, was sentenced to exile and deprived of civil rights. He never returns to Florence again.

1304-1308 - treatise “The Feast” (Il convivio), written, according to Dante himself, in order to declare himself as a poet who had moved from the glorification of courtly love to philosophical themes. "The Feast" is intended as a kind of encyclopedia in the field of philosophy and art, intended for a wide range of readers; The title “Feast” is allegorical: scientific ideas presented simply and clearly should satiate not just a select few, but everyone. It was assumed that the Symposium would include fourteen poems (canzons), each of which would be equipped with an extensive gloss interpreting its allegorical and philosophical meaning. However, having written interpretations of the three canzones, Dante leaves work on the treatise. In the first book of the Feast, which serves as a prologue, he ardently defends the right of the Italian language to be the language of literature.

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Dante is also working on a treatise on Latin“On Popular Eloquence” (De vulgari eloquentia, 1304-1307), which was not completed: Dante wrote only the first book and part of the second. In it Dante talks about Italian as a means of poetic expression, sets out his theory of language and expresses the hope of creating in Italy a new literary language that would rise above dialectal differences and would be worthy of being called great poetry.

1307 - Around this time, Dante begins to write the Divine Comedy, interrupting work on the treatises “The Feast” and “On Popular Eloquence.” Dante calls his poem “Comedy” because it has a dark beginning (Hell) and a joyful ending (Paradise and the contemplation of the Divine Essence). In addition, the poem is written in a simple style (as opposed to the sublime style inherent, in Dante’s understanding, of tragedy), on in native language, “the way women talk.” The epithet “Divine” in the title was not invented by Dante, it was prefaced by Boccaccio’s Commedia, who expressed admiration for the artistic beauty of creation, and it first appears in the publication published in 1555. in Venice.

The poem consists of one hundred songs of approximately the same length (130-150 lines) and is divided into three cantics - “Hell”, “Purgatory” and “Paradise”, with thirty-three songs in each; The first song of “Hell” serves as a prologue to the entire poem. The size of the “Divine Comedy” is eleven syllables, the rhyme scheme, terza, was invented by Dante himself, who put deep meaning into it. “The Divine Comedy” is an unsurpassed example of art as imitation; Dante takes as a model everything that exists, both material and spiritual, created by the triune God, who left the imprint of his trinity on everything. Therefore, the structure of the poem is based on the number three, and the amazing symmetry of its structure is rooted in imitation of the measure and order that God gave to all things.

Although the narrative of the Comedy can almost always rest on the literal sense alone, this is far from the only level of perception. Following the medieval tradition, Dante puts four meanings into his work: literal, allegorical, moral and anagogical (mystical). The first of them assumes a “natural” description the afterlife with all its attributes. The second meaning involves the expression of the idea of ​​being in its abstract form: everything in the world moves from darkness to light, from suffering to joy, from error to truth, from bad to good. The main idea can be considered the ascent of the soul through knowledge of the world. The moral meaning presupposes the idea of ​​retribution for all earthly deeds in the afterlife. The anagogical meaning presupposes the comprehension of the Divine idea through the perception of the beauty of poetry itself, as a language that is also Divine, although created by the mind of the poet, an earthly man.

1310 – Emperor Henry VII invades Italy for “peacekeeping” purposes. Dante, who had by that time found temporary shelter in Casentino, responded to this event with an ardent letter “To the rulers and peoples of Italy,” calling for support for Henry. In another letter, entitled “The Florentine Dante Alighieri, unjustly expelled, to the wicked Florentines who remained in the city,” he condemns the resistance shown by Florence to the emperor.

1312-1313 – treatise-research “On the monarchy” (De monarchia). Here, in three books Dante seeks to prove the truth of the following statements:

1) only under the authority of a single universal monarch can humanity come to a peaceful existence and fulfill its destiny;

2) God chose the Roman people to rule the world (hence this monarch should be the Holy Roman Emperor);

3) the emperor and pope receive power directly from God (hence, the first is not subordinate to the second).

These views were expressed before Dante, but he brings to them the fervor of conviction. The Church immediately condemns the treatise and condemns the book to be burned.

1313 - After an unsuccessful three-year campaign, Henry VII suddenly dies at Buonconvento.

1314 - after the death of Pope Clement V in France, Dante issues another letter addressed to the conclave of Italian cardinals in the city of Carpentra, in which he calls on them to elect an Italian as pope and return the papal throne from Avignon to Rome.

For some time, Dante finds refuge with the ruler of Verona, Can Grande della Scala, to whom he devotes the final part of the Divine Comedy - “Paradise”.

The poet spent the last years of his life under the patronage of Guido da Polenta in Ravenna.

In the last two years of his life, Dante wrote two eclogues in Latin hexameter. This was a response to Giovanni del Virgilio, professor of poetry at the University of Bologna, who urged him to write in Latin and come to Bologna to be crowned with a laurel wreath. The study “Questio de aqua et terra” (Questio de aqua et terra), dedicated to the much controversial question of the relationship between water and land on the surface of the Earth, Dante may have read publicly in Verona. Of Dante's letters, eleven are recognized as authentic, all in Latin (some have been mentioned).

September 13, 1321 - Dante dies in Ravenna, having completed the Divine Comedy shortly before his death.

Dante Alighieri - Italian poet and writer, theologian, political figure. His contribution to the development of not only Italian, but also world literature is invaluable. He is the author of The Divine Comedy and the creator of the nine circles of hell, heaven and purgatory.

Childhood and youth

Dante Alighieri was born in Florence. His full name Durante degli Alighieri sounds. Exact date The poet's birth is unknown; presumably, he was born between May 21 and June 1, 1265.

According to family tradition, his ancestors were from the Roman family of Elisei. They took part in the founding of Florence. His great-great-grandfather Kacciaguida was a knight under Conrad III, went with him on the Crusades and died in battle with the Muslims.

His great-great-grandmother was Aldighieri da Fontana, a woman from a wealthy family. She named her son Alighieri. Later this name turned into a well-known surname.


Dante's grandfather was expelled from Florence during the confrontation between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines. He returned to his homeland only in 1266. His father Alighieri II was far from politics, so he remained in Florence all the time.

Dante was an educated man, he had knowledge of natural sciences ah, in medieval literature. He also studied the heretical teachings of that era. Where he received this knowledge is unknown. But his first mentor was the then popular scientist and poet Brunetto Latini.

Literature

It is not known for certain when Dante became interested in writing, but the creation of the work “New Life” dates back to 1292. It did not include all the poems written by that time. The book alternated poetry and fragments of prose. This is a kind of confession written by Dante after the death of Beatrice. Also in “New Life” many poems were dedicated to his friend Guido Cavalcanti, by the way, also a poet. Later scholars called this book the first autobiography in the history of literature.


Like his grandfather, Dante at a young age became interested in politics. At the end of the 13th century, Florence was involved in a conflict between the Emperor and the Pope. Alighieri took the side of opponents of papal power. At first, luck “smiled” on the poet, and soon his party managed to rise above the enemy. In 1300 he was elected to the post of prior.

However, a year later the political situation changed dramatically - power passed into the hands of the Pope’s supporters. He was expelled from Florence on a fictitious bribery case. He was also accused of anti-state activities. Dante was fined 5,000 florins, his property was seized, and later a death sentence was imposed. At this time he was outside of Florence, so, having learned about this, he decided not to return to the city. So he began to live in exile.


For the rest of his life, Dante wandered around cities and countries, finding shelter in Verona, Bologna, Ravenna, and even lived in Paris. All subsequent works after “New Life” were written in exile.

In 1304, he began writing the philosophical books “The Feast” and “On Popular Eloquence.” Unfortunately, both works remained unfinished. This is due to the fact that Dante began work on his main work, The Divine Comedy.


It is noteworthy that the poet initially called his work simply “Comedy.” The word “divine” was added to the title by Giovanni Boccaccio, Alighieri’s first biographer.

It took him 15 years to write this work. Dante personified himself with the main lyrical hero. The poem is based on his journey through the afterlife, which he embarks on after the death of his beloved Beatrice.

The work consists of three parts. The first is “Hell,” consisting of nine circles, where sinners are ranked according to the severity of their fall. Dante placed political and personal enemies here. Also in “Hell” the poet left those who, as he believed, lived unchristianly and immorally.


He described “Purgatory” with seven circles that correspond to the seven deadly sins. “Paradise” is performed in nine circles, which are named after the main planets of the solar system.

This work is still shrouded in legends. For example, Boccaccio claimed that after his death, Dante's children could not find the last 13 songs of Paradise. And they discovered them only after the father himself came to his son Jacopo in a dream and told him where they were hidden.

Personal life

Dante's main muse was Beatrice Portinari. He first saw her when he was only 9 years old. Of course, in such at a young age he was not aware of his feelings. He met the girl only nine years later, when she had already married another man. Only then did he realize how much he loved her. Beatrice was the poet's only love for the rest of his life.


He was such a shy and self-conscious young man that during the entire time he only spoke to his lover twice. And the girl didn’t even suspect his feelings for her. On the contrary, Dante seemed arrogant to her for not talking to her.

In 1290, Beatrice died. She was only 24 years old. The exact cause of her death is unknown. According to one version, she died during childbirth, according to another, she became a victim of a plague epidemic. For Dante this was a blow. Until the end of his days, he loved only her and cherished her image.


A couple of years later he married Gemma Donati. She was the daughter of the leader of the Florentine party, Donati, with whom the Alighieri family was at enmity. Of course, it was a marriage of convenience, and most likely political. True, the couple later had three children - sons Pietro and Jacopo and daughter Antonia.

Despite this, when Dante began to create the Comedy, he thought only about Beatrice, and it was written in glorification of this girl.

Death

The last years of his life, Dante lived in Ravenna under the patronage of Guido da Polenta, he was his ambassador. One day he went to Venice to conclude a peace treaty with the Republic of St. Mark. On the way back, the poet fell ill. Dante died on the night of September 13-14, 1321. The cause of his death was malaria.

Dante Alighieri was buried in the Church of San Francesco in Ravenna, on the territory of the monastery. In 1329, the cardinal demanded that the monks commit the poet's body to public burning. How the monks were able to “extricate themselves” from this situation is unknown, but no one touched the poet’s remains.


Sarcophagus of Dante Alighieri

For the 600th anniversary of the birth of Dante Alighieri, it was decided to restore the church. In 1865, builders discovered a wooden box in the wall with an inscription carved on it: “Dante’s bones were placed here by Antonio Santi in 1677.” This discovery became an international sensation. No one knew who this Antonio was, but some suggested that he might well be a relative of the artist.

Dante's remains were transferred to the poet's mausoleum in Ravenna, where they remain to this day.

Bibliography

  • 1292 – “New Life”
  • 1300 – “Monarchy”
  • 1305 – “On popular eloquence”
  • 1307 – “Feast”
  • 1320 – “Eclogues”
  • 1321 – “The Divine Comedy”

The name of the classic of world literature Dante Alighieri, Italian poet, author of The Divine Comedy, humanist philosopher late Middle Ages, the founder of the Italian literary language, is shrouded in mysticism. His whole life is a series of fatal events. On January 26, the birthday of the man who described the journey to the afterlife, we will talk about the secrets of his biography.

1. The exact date of birth of Dante is unknown, the official baptism record is May 26, 1265, recorded under the name Durante. The poet's ancestors came from the Roman family of Elisei, who participated in the founding of Florence. Cacciaguida, Dante's great-great-grandfather, participated in the crusade of Conrad III, was knighted by him and died in battle with the Muslims. Cacciaguida was married to a lady from the Lombard family of Aldighieri da Fontana. The name “Aldighieri” was transformed into “Alighieri” - this is how one of the sons of Cacciaguida was named. The poet’s parents were Florentines of modest income, but they were still able to pay for their son’s schooling, and then helped him improve in the art of versification.
2. In his childhood, Dante gained extensive knowledge of ancient and medieval literature, the basics of natural sciences, and was familiar with the heretical teachings of that time. He will carry his first love throughout his life. An 8-year-old boy, smitten by the beauty of the neighbor's girl Beatrice, he becomes fascinated by her already in his youth, calling then married woman"mistress of the heart."

This platonic love will last 7 years. Beatrice died in 1290, and this shocked the poet so much that his relatives thought that Dante would not survive it. “The days were like nights and the nights were like days. Not one of them passed without groans, without sighs, without copious tears. His eyes seemed to be two abundant sources, so much so that many wondered where he got so much moisture from to feed his tears... The crying and grief he felt in his heart, as well as the neglect of all concerns for himself, gave him an almost wild man…» He delved into philosophy, seeking answers from the ancient Romans. You can read about Dante’s love for Beatrice in the poet’s autobiographical story “New Life,” and he dedicated his sonnets to her.

3. However, Dante did not become a reclusive monk. It is known that he entered into a marriage of convenience (political). His wife Gema belonged to the Donati clan, which was at enmity with the Cerchi party, whose supporters were the Alighieri family. It is unknown when Dante walked down the aisle; it is documented that in 1301 he was the father of three children (Pietro, Jacopo and Antonia). During these years, he showed himself in the public sphere, he was elected to the city council, openly opposed the Pope, for which he later paid.

4. In 1302, Dante was expelled from his hometown on a fabricated case of bribery and for participating in anti-state activities; his wife and children remained in Florence. A very impressive fine was imposed on Alighier - five thousand florins and his property was seized, and then a harsher verdict was handed down - “burning by fire to death.”
5. During the years of exile, the poet writes “Comedy” to all human life, which is subsequently no less famous writer Giovanni Boccaccio will call it “Divine”. It was with this epithet that she entered the world classics. With his work, Dante wanted to help people, intimidated by medieval scholasticism, cope with the fear of death. The poet believed in afterlife, into the existence of heaven and hell, into the possibility of purifying the soul.

Dante wandered around Italy for a long time, finding refuge first with the ruler of Verona, Can Grande della Scala (he dedicated part of “Paradise” to him), visited France in 1308-1309, heated philosophical debates fascinated him. Dante writes a treatise “On the Monarchy” - a kind of “Message to the Peoples and Rulers of Italy”. Returning to Italy, he settled in Ravenna under the patronage of Guido da Polenta, where he completed his life's work.
6. Dante's death is shrouded in mysticism. As an ambassador of the ruler of Ravenna, Dante went to Venice to make peace with the Republic of St. Mark. Returning back, on the way he fell ill with malaria and died on the night of September 13-14, 1321. The poet was buried in the Church of San Francesco on the territory of the monastery “with great honors.”

And this is where the most mysterious thing begins. In 1322, eight months after his death, the poet made the return journey from the afterlife to ours. At that time, his family lived in poverty and hoped to earn at least some money for The Divine Comedy. Dante's sons could not find their father's manuscript, which he completed shortly before his death. The poet lived in exile and in constant fear of arrest, so he hid his creation in a safe hiding place. According to the memoirs of Jacopo Alighieri's eldest son: “Exactly eight months after my father’s death, at the end of the night, he himself appeared to me in snow-white robes... Then I asked... where are the songs hidden that we have been searching in vain for so long? And he... took me by the hand, led me into the upper room and pointed to the wall: “Here you will find what you are looking for!” Waking up, Jacopo rushed to the wall, threw back the mat and discovered a secret niche where the manuscript lay.
7. Years passed, and the Pope’s supporters remembered the worst apostate Dante. In 1329, Cardinal Bernardo del Poggetto demanded that the monks publically burn Alighieri’s body. How the monks got out of this situation is unknown, but the poet’s ashes were not touched.

8. When, two centuries later, Dante’s genius was recognized by the Renaissance, it was decided to rebury the poet’s remains in Florence. However, the coffin turned out to be... empty. Probably, the prudent Franciscan monks secretly buried Dante in another place, presumably in the monastery of their order in Siena. But nothing was found there either. In a word, Dante’s Florentine reburial had to be postponed. Pope Leo X was given two versions of what happened: the remains were stolen by unknown people or... Dante himself appeared and took his ashes. Incredibly, the enlightened dad chose the second version! Apparently, he also believed in the mystical nature of the poet Dante.

9. But the miracles did not end there. To celebrate the 600th anniversary of the birth of the brilliant Dante, it was decided to restore the Church of San Francesco in Ravenna. In the spring of 1865, builders broke through one of the walls and found a wooden box with a carved inscription: “Dante’s bones were placed here by Antonio Santi in 1677.” Who this Antonio was, whether he was related to the family of the painter Raphael (after all, he was also Santi, although he died back in 1520), is unknown, but the find became an international sensation. Dante's remains in the presence of representatives different countries They were transferred to Dante's mausoleum in Ravenna, where they still rest.

10. Mysticism continued in the twentieth century: during the reconstruction of the National Library in Florence in 1999, among rare books workers discovered an envelope with... Dante's ashes. It contained ashes and paper in a black frame with the seals of Ravenna confirming: “These are the ashes of Dante Alighieri.” This news shocked everyone. After all, if the poet’s body was not subjected to fire, then where would the ashes come from? How did this envelope get into the library in the first place? The workers swore that they went through this rack several times and did not see any envelope. World newspapers immediately trumpeted rumors that the mystical Dante himself had thus reminded of himself. Why did he plant the envelope, to joke or scare - here the versions differed. True, after an investigation it turned out that in the 19th century the burning took place, not of the body, but of the carpet on which the coffin stood. The ashes were sealed in six envelopes, on each of which the venerable notary Saturnino Malagola stamped and inscribed without hesitation: “These are the ashes of Dante Alighieri,” sending them from Ravenna to Florence, the poet’s hometown.

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