Savonarola became one of the Renaissance’s most influential clerics after Lorenzo de’ Medici, the de facto ruler of Florence, invited him to the city in 1490. He had already established himself as a passionate preacher who championed the need for reform and repentance, and he soon began drawing enormous crowds who gathered to hear him speak out against the corruption and excesses of the Renaissance.
Savonarola’s growing power coincided with the decline of the Medici family who were effectively overthrown in 1494. In the absence of the city’s most powerful political dynasty, Savonarola assumed the position of leader and soon turned his attention to ridding the city of luxuries and vice.
As part of his program of reform, he urged the public to surrender luxurious objects to be destroyed. In the weeks leading up the Bonfire of the Vanities, thousands of works of art and other items were collected including paintings, manuscripts, and musical instruments. Some sources even suggest that the renowned artist Sandro Botticelli handed over some of his own work.
This collection of items, while considered objectionable by Savonarola, included priceless and irreplaceable works of art. Yet, despite their cultural significance, they were all consigned to the flames in the Piazza della Signoria on 7 February 1495.
However, as Savonarola’s sermons grew increasingly critical of the Church in Renaissance Italy he attracted the attention of Pope Alexander VI who had already banned him from preaching. He was excommunicated in 1497 and executed the following year.
