Galileo Galilei, c. 1610
From the Toronto Metro Reference Library Picture Collection
“Another cathedral,” someone mumbled as the bus pulled into the parking lot that sunny afternoon on the last day of July. But when the bus stopped, those aboard got off and rushed across Cathedral Square to see the most famous landmark in Pisa.
The Leaning Tower, begun in 1174 and completed in 1350, was erected as a bell tower, or campanile, for the town’s picturesque cathedral. Rising to a height of 179 feet, the tower leans more than 16 feet out of perpendicular. For over six centuries, this architectural wonder has drawn an endless stream of visitors to the city.
After viewing the Leaning Tower, the group turned attention to the cathedral. One of the more beautiful cathedrals in Europe, it was begun in 1036 and, although incomplete, consecrated in 1118. It was not completed until the 13th century when the façade of black and white marble was added.
While both the cathedral and the Leaning Tower are outstanding tourist attractions, their fame is enhanced greatly by their association with Galileo Galilei, one of Pisa’s more famous native sons. An astronomer and experimental philosopher, he was born in that city on February 15, 1564.
Inside the cathedral, one’s attention is directed to a bronze chandelier that has been there since the 16th century. It is known as the Lamp of Galileo. In 1581, while watching the swinging of the chandelier, Galileo observed that, regardless of its swings, they were executed in equal times. Verification of this fact led him to the discovery of the fixed swinging time of a pendulum and its application to the timing of the human pulse.
Since the tower leans more than 16 feet out of perpendicular, Galileo used it as a laboratory to conduct some of his scientific experiments. Between 1589 and 1591 while he was a professor at the university in Pisa, he performed a series of experiments that led to his theory of dynamics. From the Leaning Tower, he gave demonstrations for students and professors at the university, which showed that bodies of different weights fall with the same velocities.
Early in life, Galileo, without expressing his opinions, adopted the Copernican theory of the solar system. This theory asserts that the planets revolve around the sun which is the center of the solar system. After developing a telescope that was capable of magnifying to the 32nd power, he was able to make astronomical observations to substantiate the theory.
The ideas of Galileo, assumed by authorities in the Roman Church to be contrary to Scripture, led to a charge of heresy. In 1616, Galileo was condemned by the Inquisition and admonished by Pope Paul V not to “hold, teach or defend” the heretical doctrines. It has been reported that, during the trial, Galileo defended himself by saying, “The sun, with all those planets moving around it, can ripen the smallest bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else to do. Why, then, should I doubt His power.”
Like Galileo and Masons who are in a perpetual quest for the light of understanding, many others have discovered that the pursuit of truth ultimately leads to the discovery of a God who cares and is the source of all truth. When we look at the emblem of the fraternity, the letter G surrounded by the square and compass, we are reminded of this.
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W. Howard Coop is a retired United Methodist Minister, a 53-year Mason, a Past Master and present Chaplain of Lancaster Lodge No. 104, Lancaster, Kentucky, and a member of the Louisville, Kentucky, Scottish Rite Bodies since 1956. He is also a member of W. R. Selby, Chapter No. 4, Danville, Kentucky. Contacts: 111 Dogwood Drive, Lancaster, KY 40444; hkcoop@aol.com, and www.hometown.aol.com/hkcoop. |
