Trascrizione
In 1539, when the schools that had sprung up throughout Padua became too small to accommodate students, the University moved to Palazzo del Bo.
Just try to imagine: pupils crossing this courtyard, entering the classroom ... all men eh, because then women could not study.
In this building, however, a first exception was made and a woman graduated: Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia. At the base of the staircase you can see her, represented in a statue.
A keen scholar from a very young age, Elena knew Latin, Greek and Hebrew, as well as Spanish, French, Arabic and even Aramaic. Her favorite subject though, was theology - that is, the study of religion. Encouraged by her teachers, Elena asked the University to accept her at the graduation exam.
The cardinal of Padua, however, got in the way, according to him a woman could not know about religion. In the end though, he accepted that she could graduate in philosophy, the study of thought.
On June 25, 1678, the cathedral of Padua was filled with students, professors and many onlookers who flocked to applaud the first female graduate in the world. Among them, her proud dad.
Have you ever been the first to do something, in class or at home? Or maybe on vacation. Try to think, or ask your family what your statue would look like and what would be engraved under it...