THE GUARDIAN
By Hisham Matar
 |
| ‘No thought is born in me which has not “Death” engraved upon it’ ... the ‘La Creazione’ fresco by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Photograph: Plinio Lepri/Associated Press |
Before Italy became a nation, it was made up of a collection of city-states governed by un’autorità superior, in the form of a powerful noble family or a bishop. They took the Black Death as proof of their guilt. The speed of the Black Death was so staggering that in just over a year it had conquered the known medieval world, reducing the population of each country by an average of 45%. The religious fervour the Black Death inspired in Siena instilled a powerful commitment to the church. Barely seven years had passed when, in 1355, the city’s civic rule ended. The clergy now were the principal clients. They had a great deal of money and influence. They determined what was painted. [
More]
