The Real Reason Galileo Galilei's Daughters Became Nuns

Publish date: 2024-05-02

Whether one daughter was already there or if both were with him on the journey, no matter, he arrived at the Florentine court, in his native land, in 1610 (via Britannica) and settled in with his daughters. However, Galileo had a problem. He loved his daughters, but in Florentine society at that time, unmarried women had two main options, either marry or enter a convent. In the case of Galileo's daughters, though, whether because they were illegitimate or because Galileo was unable to provide enormous enough dowries for a suitable match, they were deemed unfit for marriage (via Scientific American). 

When the girls were 12 and 13 years old, Galileo found places for them at the Poor Clare Convent at San Matteo in Arcetri, a few miles away from Florence (via the Linda Hall Library), where they remained for the rest of their lives. After taking the veil, Virginia Galilei became Suor Maria Celeste and Livia Galilei was named Suor Arcangela.

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