Dissertation Research: Circumscribing the Nature of the Natural: Inquisition, canonization and views of nature at the dawn of the Scientific Revolution

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The late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries found European science in flux, as new theories and discoveries reshaped Europe's intellectual life. At the same time, Europe's religious makeup was shifting, as Protestant and Catholic reforms altered doctrine and practice. This dissertation research project examines the ways in which science and religion interacted on the ground in this pivotal period, by investigating how the Catholic Church defined and policed the boundary between the natural and the supernatural. This dissertation will contribute to these key areas by drawing upon Church investigations into two spheres of supernatural power: magic and sainthood. Research funds will support a nine-month research trip to Italy to work primarily at the Archivio di Stato, the Archivio della Curia Patriarcale, and the Marciana library.