Vincenzo Mirabella

• Birthplace — Syracuse, Kingdom of Sicily • Place of death — Modica, Kingdom of Sicily

Vincenzo Mirabella, son of Michele Mirabella and Giovanna Alagona, was born into a patrician family of French origin which had moved to Sicily in the early fourteenth century. As a young man he dedicated himself to the study of Greek, Latin and Italian literature as well as mathematics, music, history and poetry. He played an active part in civic life, holding office as magister nundinarum (Master of the Assizes) in 1593, Treasurer of the University in 1613-14 and Jurat, the highest office in the city, in 1616-17. He married Lucrezia Platamone, daughter of Antonio and Giovanna Zumbo, who brought him a substantial dowry and further connections to the leading families of Syracuse. He does not appear to have had any children with her. He lived in a house in Syracuse in front of the Church of St. Thomas in the Pantheon, in a street which bears his name today.

On a number of occasions he contributed to the development of Syracuse: in 1608 he was involved in the expansion of the cathedral square as representative of the church attorneys; he planned the Theatine Church of San Andrea built in 1610; in 1620 he provided technical advice to the Senate of Syracuse about the construction of a stone bridge over the Anapo to connect the city with Modica. From the early 1620s he moved to Modica to direct the building works for Santa Maria delle Grazie. Of his work on this building, only the western doorway remains, decorated with a fragmentary tympanum supported by two columns mounted on high pedestals and crowned with a decorated arch with an intricate design.

He published his first book, a collection of madrigals, in 1604. In recognition of his earlier works he was enrolled in the Accademia degli Oziosi in Naples and in 1614 he became the first Sicilian to become a member of the Accademia dei Lincei, (his membership was proposed by Giambattista della Porta) where he met Galileo Galilei, with whom he corresponded. Passionate about the country's history and archaeology, he wrote a History of Syracuse, but did not manage to have it published, and the manuscript was eventually lost. • Illustration — Caravaggio's 'Burial of St. Lucy' From October to December 1608 he accompanied the painter Caravaggio on visits to the archaeological remains of Syracuse. On a trip with him to a disused quarry, Caravaggio coined the name 'Ear of Dionysius' for it and later used it as a setting for his famous work the 'Burial of St.Lucy'. • Illustration — The interior of Mirabella's house Vincenzo Mirabella assembled the objects he excavated into a diverse archaeological collection, which he exhibited in the rooms of his palace in Ortygia, at the current Via Mirabella nº23, which he steadily transformed into his own museum. At his death, his heirs donated parts of this collection to the Museu Patrio of Syracuse, which later became the Museo archeologico regionale Paolo Orsi.