Pomponazzo's statue

Pietro Pomponazzi (Mantova 1462, Bologna 1525), also known as Peretto from Mantua, was a philosopher of remarkable importance. Professor at the Padova University, he lived in Carpi, Ferrara, and Bologna. His most remarkable work is “Il Trattato sull'immortalità dell'anima”,a treaty on the immortality of the soul, in which he claimed that immortality cannot be rationally demonstrated, something which exposed him to the serious risk of being accused of heresy. His statue is placed inside a niche surmounted by a gable, at the back of the stage. He is wearing a doctoral hat and is holding up a book with one hand while with the other he is pointing to the text on the page.