Mysterious La Berta – ‘Petrified’ Stone Head And The Curse Of Cecco d’Ascoli Who Was Burned At The Stake
Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - If you pass the old Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Florence, Italy you may not even notice La Berta, but she is there, looking down at you. The mysterious stone head of an unknown woman has been part of the Church for as long as anyone can remember, but it’s still unknown who she once was.
Local legends tell the “petrified head” embedded in the bricks can be traced to a nasty event that took place on September 16, 1327.
The Curse Of Cecco d’Ascoli
On this particular day, Cecco d’Ascoli (1257 – 1327) was going to be burned at the stake for heresy. The man who was an accomplished scientist was passing the crowds of people who had gathered on the streets to witness the event. Many were standing on balconies eager to see the execution.
Left: Head of La Berta - Credit: Sailko, CC BY 2.5 - Right: Cecco d'Ascoli - Credit: annidiargento.it
When Cecco d’Ascoli was in front of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore he asked for water, but at the very moment, a woman named Berta looked through the window and told the guards not to give the death-sentenced man any water. Not only did she deny him water, but she also accused him of being an alchemist who communicated with the Devil using water. She said that if Cecco d’Ascoli was given water, the Devil could grant him immunity. Of course, superstitious guards who heard this decided to follow the advice of the woman and made certain the prisoner never received a drop of water.
Cecco d’Ascoli was furious and cast a curse on her shouting 'You will never lift your head from there!'
Cecco d’Ascoli – An Accomplished Renaissance Scientist Who Was Too Outspoken
This is also exactly what happened according to local legends. The petrified head of La Berta is still visible from a small slit of the bell tower of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, waiting to be released from the curse.
Cecco d’Ascoli, who was burned at the stake was an accomplished scientist, but his free-thinking and plain-speaking attitude gave him many enemies. He was an encyclopaedist, physician, mathematician, astrologer, and poet.
In 1322 he was made Professor of astrology at the University of Bologna, and d’Ascoli could have dedicated his life to studies, but he became involved in religious debates. During the Renaissance, people questioned almost anything, art, learning, kings, queens, and the Church. That was the beauty of the Renaissance, but it was also dangerous to come in trouble with the Church. Even the powerful Medici family who were patrons of Galileo Galilei were not as strong as the leaders of the Inquisition and they failed to protect him when Galileo was arrested.
Cecco d’Ascoli had no one who protected him from the Inquisition, and he certainly made a deadly mistake when he attempted to determine the Nativity of Christ by reading his horoscope. This along with other accusations led to his death sentence.
The head of La Berta is easy to miss. Credit: Credit: Sailko, CC BY 2.5
Returning back to the mysterious head of an unknown woman in the upper part of the bell tower of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, it should be mentioned there are other stories that could shed light on her identity.
According to one theory, the head is a memorial dedicated to the greengrocer who donated bells to the church so they could chime whenever the city gates would open or close. Yet another theory is that the head is a Roman sculpture, but we don’t know whom it depicts.
It’s not unusual that old Churches and monasteries in Italy are associated with strange tales of magic, curses, and incredible supernatural events. For example, many think the Abbey of San Galgano is shrouded in mystery because no one knows how a meter-long sword ended in solid rock there.
Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesThorndike, Lynn (1934). History of Magic and Experimental Science, vol. 2. New York: MacMillan. pp. 953–4, 959.
More From Ancient Pages
-
Beads Show European Trade In African Interior Used Indigenous Routes
Archaeology | Sep 17, 2022
-
Ancient Footprints Offer Evidence Humans Wore Shoes 150,000 Years Ago – Scientists Say
Archaeology | Sep 11, 2023
-
Ancient Graffiti On Sacred Mountain Reveals Secrets Of North Korea
Archaeology | Dec 3, 2021
-
Rare Bronze Seal Matrix Of St. George Slaying The Dragon Discovered In French Castle
Archaeology | Mar 22, 2022
-
Ninkasi – Sumerian Goddess Of Beer And Alcohol – The Hymn To Ninkasi Is An Ancient Recipe For Brewing Beer
Featured Stories | Feb 27, 2019
-
Mysterious Ichthys – Ancient Secret Christian Symbol With A Deep Meaning
Ancient Symbols | Mar 6, 2018
-
Wonderful And Unique Viking Silver Treasure Uncovered In Täby In Stockholm, Sweden
Archaeology | Nov 29, 2022
-
Oldest Recently Discovered Fossil of Bird ‘Archaeopteryx’ That Lived 150 Million Years Ago
Archaeology | Jan 29, 2018
-
Cocoa, Caffeinated ‘Black Drink’ Widely Used In Native American Societies
News | Sep 8, 2015
-
Invisible Ink On Antique Nile Papyrus From The Island Of Elephantine – Revealed
Archaeology | Aug 21, 2019
-
Skull Of Mysterious, Extinct Cousin Of Neanderthals Recreated From A Fossilized Finger
Archaeology | Sep 19, 2019
-
DNA Of 10,000-Year-Old Skeletal Remains And Kinship Of Earliest World Settlers
Archaeology | Apr 21, 2021
-
A 1.3 kg Heavy Bronze Sword Unearthed On Funen Island, Denmark
Archaeology | Mar 16, 2021
-
European Mythical Creatures Encountered In The Witcher Series
Featured Stories | Feb 4, 2020
-
Controversial Prehistoric Structures That Resisted Water And Extreme Weather Conditions
Featured Stories | Jun 27, 2018
-
Nine-Headed Bird: Mythical Creature Worshiped In Ancient China
Chinese Mythology | Oct 29, 2016
-
Mystery Of Merit Ptah And The Unknown Identity Of Peseshet Who History Forgot
Archaeology | Jan 8, 2020
-
Cartography Shows That The Isthmus Of Tehuantepec Was Used As An Inter-Oceanic Passage In The 16th Century
Archaeology | Oct 21, 2022
-
Mysterious Watson Brake: Old Mound Complex In North America With Earthworks Raised For Unknown Purpose
Civilizations | Feb 21, 2018
-
Riddle Of The Two Calicuts And How We Got History Wrong
Archaeology | Jan 20, 2023