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Nicola Spedalieri, philosopher

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Prodigious genius and also theologian of independent spirit

Nicola Spedalieri

Nicola Spedalieri (Bronte 12.6.1740 -- Rome 11.26.1795), great philoso­pher, was an author of the "De’ diritti dell’Uomo" (On the rights of man)  with which he was the first in Italy to talk about the natural rights of man and proclaimed from Rome the sacredness of principles of equality and freedom.

He began the first studies in Bronte, in the S. Filippo Neri Oratory, next to the church of Catena. When he was eleven year old continued to study in the diocesan seminary of Monreale distinguishing himself in philosophy, painting and music, eloquence studies, and sacred sciences.

Professor of philosophy and geometry  in the same seminary (at 25 years of age); he was a poet, musician, orator, historian, mathematician and also apologist and publicist.

Prodigious genius and also theologian of independent spirit was writing freely not bearing well the rigid hypocrisies of his times and the theological fanaticism.

The tense reasoning supported in his first thesis collided soon with the theologians of Palermo and he was accused of impiety, of rashness and even of heresy.

In Palermo he was not allowed to print a "tesario teologico" (theological thesauri, useful to train and stimulate the students): not only they were not approved by the ecclesiastical censors, but they were rejected, as in odor of heresy. He got then his writings examined in Rome and "with permission by the teacher of the sacred palace P. Ricchini" (to which exam were submitted by the Pope's order) and his "Propositionum theologicarum specimen" (Rome, 1772) was printed the same year. He then returned to Palermo to present the book in public.

The conflicts he had in Sicily, the implacable enemies and the priestly hatred that the overwhelming triumphs of his genius had brought upon him pushed him to abandon the island forever and move to Rome in 1773, where he lived for over twenty years.

He made the journey with the money (12 onzes) that he borrowed from a brontese priest staying in Palermo and in Rome spent a few uneasy months, disheartened and in big poverty.

A legend tells that in the first days, dressed as Calabrian farmer, with leather shoes, velvet jacket, skin bodice and funnel hat, earned his living playing the harp in the squares and in front of the inns in the courtyards of the princely palaces.

Of that period, the same Spedalieri, will later write that to keep going he had to use "oars, rather than sails" and that "the greater glory of a man is to owe everything to himself ".

Preceded from the rumble produced in Monreale by the famous theological thesis, he finally found in Rome the suitable field for his vocation of philosopher and publicist.

In a few months he made himself known in the cultural world of the time and already in October 1774 he was admitted to the literary Academy of Arcadia with a free admission diploma (as a sign of great respect) taking the battle name Melanzio Alcioneo.

From this moment, independently of his entry into this Academy which by now was representing that old world against which Spedalieri himself would fight, in some respects, he began his intense activity as a publicist.

Known and immediately appreciated by the Roman Court, he was especially dear to Pope Pius VI who placed great trust in him.
The Pope commissioned him to write the History of the Draining of the Pontine Marshes (ordered by Pius VI) and his famous work on the rights of man, intended to stem the spread of revolutionary theories that were spreading from France.
Zealous defender of Christianity and supporter of popular sovereignty, fought with several controversial and apologetic writings the theses of the encyclopedists, defending truthfulness and authenticity of the Writing.
 

A bronze bust of the philosopher is visible in the premises of the Directorate of the Real Collegio Capizzi and, in copy, in the "Circolo di Cultura E. Cimbali" (E. Cimbali Cultural Circle). The sculpture, from 1886, is the work of the Abruzzo sculptor Biagio Salvatore.
The philosopher's harpsichord, recently restored, is also preserved in the Real Collegio Capizzi. Attributable to Petrus Todinus, it was purchased by Nicola Spedalieri from an amateur in 1773. It bears the inscription "Sac. Nicolaus Spedalieri P." (this abbreviation ("P.") must be completed in Pinxit), but it should be noted that it seems to have been placed by another hand and in a clearly later period. Vito Librando  writes that "the various paintings that adorn it must be dated before the self-portrait due to the lesser technical certainty noticeable in the composition which is densely marked by a rococo decoration around seascapes and country scenes, carried out in an Arcadian key but with provincial cadences."

In the two photos above: Nicola Spedalieri in a painting made in Rome by the painter from Trapani Giuseppe Errante (1760-1821). The painting is kept in the art gallery of the Capizzi College (oil on canvas, 73 x 51 cm, at the bottom the writing Nicolaus Spedali[eri] / [---] es rapuit me [---]).
In the other photo: the philosopher from Bronte, in the painting by Agostino Attinà "Uomini illustri di Bronte" (Illustrious Men of Bronte), is portrayed with the "tools" of his knowledge: he was in fact a poet, musician, orator, historian, mathematician and, predominantly, apologist and publicist.


The most important work

His first important philosophical work is of 1778 (four years after his coming to Rome): 472 pages, in 8° grand, in defense of religion and entitled "Analisi dell’Esame critico del cristianesimo di Nicola Frèret" (Analysis Of The Critical Exam of Christianity by Nicola Frèret). The work had a remarkable success and the name of the Spedalieri became very popular in Rome and in all Christendom.

In 1779, on occasion of solemn celebrations for the recovery of the Governor and Pius VI, he kept two famous speeches in Rome about the "Arte di governare" (Governing Art) and the "Influenza della religione cristiana nella società civile" (Influence of the Christian Religion in Civil Society) in which he was already anticipating the themes of his most important work.

In 1784 he wrote another mighty apologia of Christianity, the Gibbon Confuta­tion, that, in his History, had attributed the decadence of the Roman empire to the Christianity.

In his more important work "Dei diritti dell’uomo" (About the rights of man) (1791), the Spedalieri, moving from the thesis of the contract as origin of society, claimed that the Christian religion is "the safest keeper of man's rights" a guarantee against the abuse of despotism justifying the rebellion to the autho­rity, when this does not respect "the natural rights" which had been somewhat dispensed with by the French revolution.

His ideas (against the absolutism, on the sovereignty and on the right of the people to knock down the tyranny), very advanced for the time, in a moment of transition and of grave ideological tensions, sowed dismay in the absolutist courts and in the curial circles.

The pontiff Pius VI allowed the publication of the book in Rome, even if with the false indication of Assisi and the frontispiece deprived of the ritual ecclesiastical approvals, replaced by the hastiest formula "with license of the superiors".

The work had an extraordinary book success: in a brief while was reprinted four times and in various towns, as the first numerous exemplary were not sufficient to satisfy the requests coming from theologians, jurists, politicians and Italian and European men of culture.

It provoked also much hatred and ferocious criticisms and a crusade of books and brochures tried, with poisonous insults, to confute and demolish the philosopher advanced theses.

The Spedalieri had again to fight against the moderate lay, the religious and also the progressist thinkers (Rosmini, Taparelli-D’Azeglio, Cantù).

Among the many detractors, also a fellow villager of his, the friar Capuchin Gesualdo De Luca: for him the Spedalieri  was "a very miserable typist of the most impious theories that the raving ("Rousseau and similar mad people") had written about the origin and the natural qualities of rights and duties of men ..." and So "wrapped in many contradictions, he became target of bitterest derisions and censures from Catholic writers Magni nominis ... ".

The doctrine "Of the rights of man", that was teaching the popular sovereignty and the recognition of the fundamental rights of man was considered dangerous and subversive; the Savoy House forbade in 1792 the spreading of the book in Italy.

The work was also forbidden up to 1860 in all the kingdoms and the European courts of the epoch.

The last book of the Spedalieri, "Storia delle paludi pontine" (History of the pontine marshes), written in Latino by wish of Pius VI, was translated into Italian, and published in 1800 after the death of the great philosopher.

Nicola Spedalieri died suddenly in Rome on November 26th 1795.

From this was born the legend of having been poisoned by one of his many opponents. He was buried in the San Michele Magno oratory, property of the Vatican Chapter.

The papal state coined in his honor a medal and had a mosaic built in front of his grave (the epigraph says "Memoriae Nicolai Spedalieri presbiteri nazione siculi domo Bronte..." (Memoriae Nicolai Spedalieri siculi nation presbyteries subdue Bronte ...).

In his twenty-one years of residence in Rome he established friendly relationships with the most illustrious prelates, scholars and artists of the time (the Cardinal Borromeo, Vincenzo Monti, Winckelmam, Milizia, Canova, Mengs and others).

Nicola Spedalieri was interested also in music (he was an excellent harp player) and of painting that he loved and studied since the first years spent in Montreal.

The Vatican library preserves the originals of a few of his musical works; his harpsichord (of 1679, attributable to Petrus Todinus), recently restored and his self-portrait (painted when he was thirty-three years old, in 1773) are preserved in the premises of the Capizzi College, together with other writings and objects of his (The  Spedalieriane relics).


A Spedalieri statue

A big Nicola Spe­dalieri statue ("La Nuova Italia a Nicola Spedalieri - MCMIII") was built in Rome very close to the Vati­can (in Piazza Ce­sa­ri­ni Sforza, on the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, in the New Church). The statue (the first of a Sicilian built in the Capi­tal) was sculpted by the Sicilian Ma­rio Ru­telli, winner of the national con­test kept in Rome in April of 1895.
To want it, subse­quen­tly to the celebration of the first centenary of the philosopher death, was a natio­nal Commit­tee in which took part, among others, Giuseppe Cimbali (the true animator of the initiative), Crispi, Baccelli, Co­lajanni, Capuana, Pitrè, De Felice, Salan­dra, Bovio, Rapi­sardi, Zanar­delli.

The Council of Bronte participated to the cost of the work with L. 1.000; Many contri­butions arrived also from other Councils of Sicily: Regalbuto (Lit 50), Niscemi (L. 30), Aidone (L. 10), Palermo (L.100) and her give her Province Of Catania (L. 1.000), Girgenti (L. 100), Caltanis­setta (L. 200) and Palermo (L. 300).

The State gave L. 4.000; King Umberto ("high admirer of the innovating doctrines of the Bronte's philosopher") contributed to the ejection of the monument with L. 500 (a century before, in 1792, the Savoy house had instead forbidden the spreading in Italy of the book "Of the rights of the man").
At Catania, in 1865, the prestigious secondary school was dedicated to the brontese philosopher "N. Spedalieri".
 

Statua di Nicola Spedalieri - RomaN. Spedalieri, statua di M. Rutelli

The statue of Nicola Spedalieri is 4 meters and 50 cm high. The marble pedestal is 6 meters high and bears the inscription "La nuova Italia a Nicola Spedalieri - MCMIII". The philosopher is standing, dressed in the Goldonian style with a long frock coat open at the bottom; on his shoulders he wears a large cloak, his left hand holds the essay that made him famous, "De' Diritti dell'uomo", while his right hand has the thumb and index finger closed almost in a circle. According to the sketch presented by the sculptor Mario Rutelli, the winner of the national competition, he was holding a stick in his left hand. (Photo by Luigi Putrino - View the place with Google maps)

Mario Rutelli, bozzetto per una statua a N. Spedalieri (1895)Mario Rutelli, bozzetto per una statua a N. Spedalieri (1895)Mario Rutelli, bozzetto per una statua a N. Spedalieri (1895)

Mario Rutelli, scultore sicilianoProjects and sketches presented to the National Committee in the competitions for the erection of a Statue of the philosopher Nicola Spedalieri in Rome. The ones above are by the sculptor Mario Rutelli from Palermo. The commission of the first competition did not consider any of the 24 sketches presented worthy of execution. The sculptors Rutelli (photo on the right), A. Ghigli, Michele La Spina and Antonio Ugo participated in the second competition, among others.

The winner was Mario Rutelli from Palermo (Palermo, April 1859 - November 1941, grandfather of Francesco, former mayor of Rome and political leader) with the sketch at the top left that was realized.
In Rome by M. Rutelli is the monument to Anita Garibaldi on the Janiculum and also the artistic group called the Fountain of the Naiads located in the center of Piazza della Repubblica (formerly Piazza Esedra) sculpted in 1901.

Below are other sketches presented by Antonio Ugo (the first three), Antonio Ghigli and Mario Rutelli.

On the right, the philosopher's self-portrait and the manifesto launched in 1896 by the National Committee for the erection of the statue on the 1st centenary of the death of Nicola Spedalieri (exhibited in Bronte, together with the sketches, in November 2005 on the occasion of a conference on the 210th anniversary of the philosopher's death).

The Committee included, among others, Francesco Crispi, then Prime Minister, the ministers Paolo Boselli (Finance), Giuseppe Saracco (Public Works), Gioacchino Armò (Grace and Justice), senators and parliamentarians, and almost all the Italian universities with - among others - the professors. Lugi Ferri and Antonio Salandra (University of Rome), Livio Minguzzi (Pavia), Giacomo Magrì (Messina), Luigi Lucchini (Bologna), Enrico Morselli (Genoa), Giuseppe Salvioli (Palermo), Carlo Calisse (Siena), Giovanni Bovio (Naples), Gabba Carlo Francesco (Pisa), Carle Giuseppe (Turin), Mario Rapisardi and Angelo and Giuseppe Maiorana (Catania).


Two images of the philosopher Spedalieri

Nicola Spedalieri (all'età di 33 anni, autoritratto)On the left, the Self-portrait of Nicola Spedalieri, preserved in Bronte among the Spedalieriane Relics in the Real Collegio Capizzi. The painting was made at the age of 33.
It was donated to the College in 1886 by the philosopher's heirs, the brothers Arcangelo, Giuseppe and Antonino Spedalieri.

The writing at the bottom reads: «Nicolaus Spitaleri aetat suae XXXIII - Hanc sui suàmet manu pinxit effigiem». Spitaleri, in fact, was the philosopher's original name, later changed by him to Spedalieri during his stay in Rome.
ONicola Spedalierin the right, an unusual (we would say modern) and little-known image of the abbot Nicola Spedalieri taken from the tombstone that covers his modest tomb in Rome.
As the philosopher himself had established in his will, upon his death he was buried in a modest monument erected in the oratory adjacent to the ancient church of Saints Michael and Magnus.

The mosaic with his image was made in 1808 by his "incomparable and much-desired friend", Monsignor Nicolai. The plaque is now walled into a wall of the church of Saints Michael and Magnus, near St. Peter's Square, a few steps from the Vatican.

«Nicola Spedalieri was, heroically, all for freedom and against legitimism, against absolutism and against tyranny; he was for modernity and against the Middle Ages, for the sovereignty of the people and against power by divine right.

This was the true, the great, the immortal reform that the new times imposed; and our philosopher not only conceived and proclaimed it, but also sealed it, defying all dangers and facing the sacrifice of his own life» (G. Cimbali, Spedalieri e le riforme ecclesiastico-civili, Tip. Giannotta, Catania, 1905) .
 

Lettera dello Spedalieri del 23.7.1793Another small painting on a panel, in addition to the self-portrait and the spinet, is attributed to Nicola Spedalieri. The panel (which is the door of a tabernacle) measures 15 cm. by 30 and is preserved in Bronte in the church of SS. Trinità (the Matrice).

On the right, an autograph letter written from Rome to his brother Erasmo on 23 July 1793. It is preserved in the Real Collegio Capizzi among the so-called "reliquie spedalierane" (spedalieriane relics). Among other things, in the letter the Spedalieri, in addition to denying having been ill ("indeed I have enjoyed and enjoy perfect health") writes that he will send to Bronte "two small boxes, one full of relics of unnamed Martyrs, more than 100 in number, and the other containing the entire body of a Martyr aged 14 to 15 years, from what appears from the burial, which was found in the latest excavations with her vial of blood and with the proper name of Caritosa engraved on a tombstone, which will also be sent with her boxes. I think of making a gift to this Seminary ...". (The body of Saint Caritosa was then placed under an altar in the Church of the Sacred Heart)

The autograph signature of the Philosopher. We have obtained it from the Prediche quaresimali (Lenten Sermons), written during the years of teaching in Monreale, in the period from 1765 to 1773, before leaving for Rome in 1774. All of them bear the explicit and legible signature of Niccolò Spitaleri at the bottom of the last sheet, «original lectio of the name and surname - writes V. Pappalardo - that the future Catholic apologist, having moved to Rome and come into contact with Arcadian environments, will refine into the more classic and euphonic Nicola Spedalieri».

Pious VI recognized and appreciated his merits, placed great trust in him and wanted him close to him to have valid help for the works he intended to entrust to him. With the aim of keeping him in Rome and distracting him from the university chair of Pavia that had been proposed to him, he wanted to help him with a modest compensation (a few dozen scudi a month) giving him the title of beneficiary of the Vatican basilica and this in opposition to a rule of Leo X, which forbade non-Roman citizens to occupy such a post. He also entrusted him with the task of writing a History of the Pontine Marshes (published posthumously in 1800 by Monsignor Nicolai with the title "De' Bonificamenti delle terre pontine").

Spitaleri was the name ori­ginal of the philosopher, chan­ged subse­quently by him in Spe­dalieri during his stay in Rome.

The 13th of October 1878 the brontesi wanted to pay tribute to the philosopher (“… that claiming from Rome with exemplary heroism human rights and people’ sovereignty pulled down every root of ancient tyranny”) putting a plaque in his birthplace, at the number 26 of Annunziata street.

ON THE RIGHTS FO MAN: We integrally offer you in format the Book I° «On the Rights of  Man and the Civil Societies» (the volume, in Italian, contains all the 20 chapters of the Book I and the appendix "The doctrine of S. Thomas on the Sovereignty"; 108 pages with photo 3.996 KB  - Download )
ON THE RIGHTS OF MAN (De' Diritti dell'Uomo), English translation by Bruno Spedalieri

ITALIAN VERSIONTranslated by Sam Di Bella

       

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