{"id":294,"date":"2013-11-27T11:43:02","date_gmt":"2013-11-27T11:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/arnau\/mite-2\/"},"modified":"2024-08-12T13:37:46","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T13:37:46","slug":"mite-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/webs.uab.cat\/arnau\/en\/mite-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The myth of Arnau de Vilanova"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A series of different factors contributed to creating the legend of Arnau de Vilanova as an expert in the occult arts. The apocalyptic prophetism of some of his spiritual works played a key part in this, as did his religious heterodoxy in general, which led to conflicts with the Inquisition during his lifetime and the posthumous condemnation of his spiritual works. Another cause was his interest in the medical applications of astrology and natural magic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The myth of Arnau, like all myths, was gradually forged in a complex process: it began in the 14th century and reached its peak in the 16th century. Throughout the 300 years during which the Arnaldian legend was being developed, we can distinguish three basic traditions linked to the occult arts: the one linked to necromancy, the one linked to alchemy and the one derived from eschatological prophetism. What is more, the image of an empirical physician was also transmitted, which is quite far from the Galenism he professed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Illustration: Ramon Llull and Arnau de Vilanova, disciple and mastery of alchemy, according to legend, in a miniature in a pseudo-Lullyan manuscript, late 15th century, (Florence, BNC, ms. B.R. 52, f. 237v). Source: Sciencia.cat<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Arnau the necromancer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Among the calumnies that circulated about Arnau in his lifetime, as he himself condemned in his Raonament d’Aviny\u00f3<\/em> (1310) one was that he was a necromancer and sorcerer. Therefore, the myth of Arnau as a master of the occult arts seems to be rooted in the image of Arnau which came from the contemporary detractors of his religious opinions. This fame must have contributed to the suspicions of Arnau\u2019s complicity with the presumed poisoning of Pope Benedict XI by the Franciscan Bernat Delici\u00f3s (Bernard D\u00e9licieux), as reflected in the transcript of the trial against him (1319). In reality, all of these suspicions were unfounded, given that the pope died of natural causes in 1304.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnau the alchemist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

His fame as an alchemist, through which he came to be considered one of the prime authors of mediaeval alchemy with an extensive alchemical corpus<\/a> attributed to him, came quite early. We can highlight the following milestones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n