mercoledì 11 marzo 2015

The First Woman in the World to Earn a University Degree

International women's day have just passed and it was a great occasion to remember several Venetian women. One of the most famous is Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (1646-1684). She is the first woman that have received a doctoral degree from the university (1678).

Nowdays, when most of us consider equal access to the education for both genders as a normal thing, it might sound strange. Why it's so special? Because women wouldn't be admitted to the university, and even after Elena Lucrezia we have to wait several decades before another woman is admitted to the academy.
Of course, she must have been an extraordinary woman, even though most of her manuscripts have been burned after her death (as by her request) and most information that reaches us about her comes form others.
At the age of 10 she chose monastic future rather than wedding. Nevertheless she has never lived cloistered because she became Benedictine oblate, which allowed her to continue her studies even though following specific religious norms.  Elena was fluent in several foreign languages: French, Spanish, modern Greek, ancient Greek, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew, she studied mathematics, theology, philosophy and mastered several musical instruments.
If you would like to learn more about this special woman, here are some books that we could recommend you: Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia (1646-1684): The First Woman in the World to Earn a University Degree 2007, Francesco Ludovico Maschietto, Catherine Marshall

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