Girolamo Savonarolo (1452 - 1498)

Savonarolo was born in Ferrara in Northern Italy into a highly respected family, he took up studying many sources such as the Bible and Aristotle and studied at the University of Ferrara where he took an Arts degree.  By the age of twenty he had already written a number of poems including 'On the Downfall of the World' and due to his expression of a corrupt clergy 'On the Downfall of the Church'.

He went on to become a Dominican friar in 1475 and joined a monastery in Bologna before transferring to Florence, he did return however to further his studies and become a master.  Upon his return to Florence, he seemed as if a new person, he became obsessed with preaching about the Last days (end times) and made statements about visions and prophecies.  He did not want to break away from the Catholic church but rather to fix the corruption from within.  When some of his major predictions came true, it elevated him to great success, resulting in him becoming the new leader of Florence in 1494.

Once in power, he declared it a new Christian republic and set about to change the laws including forcing homosexuals from the city and burning books, art-works, statues, mirrors and anything that was morally questionable.

In 1497, Pope Alexander VI excommunicated him and the next year demanded the arrest and execution of Savonarolo.  A crowd attacked his Convent, his supporters and guards killed, and he was charged with heresy, prophecy, sedition and other crimes called religious errors.  He was viciously tortured, they inflicted pain on his whole body except his writing arm, so that he could sign a confession which he eventually did, although later he sought forgiveness from God for confessing to something he did not do.  He was then taken out to where he had burnt the books, where he was burnt alive to the point where there was nothing left but dust.

To read about his prophecies CLICK HERE

Old Document Review 'Prophecy on the Angelic Pastor'

This document forms part of the Mirabilis liber, a book of gathered prophecies that was published in 1522, this particular section was a prophecy written by St.Cyril concerning an angelic pastor.

It is said that this man, once a hermit, will be holy and saintly to the extent that he ends up as Pope, where he sets about to make major reform within the church, it is said that he will ban hymn-singing and also dancing and such things as banning women from wearing jewelry.

It is also said that he will remain the pope for a long time, and after his death will follow three more popes who will follow his teachings and that these will be called the angelic pastors.

I did a little research and could not find history since 1522 to match this prophecy, it is possible that this prophecy is strongly linked to what was happening in the church at the time that this publication came out.  Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503) had been a terrible pope and had fathered several children by various mistresses.  In 1510 Martin Luther had made his trip to Rome and witnessed the immorality of the clergy, which eventually led to what is called the Reformation.  It may be seen here that this prophecy is very much linked to the immorality going on at the time, foreseeing a Pope who would change things to stop the corruptions.

To read about other prophecies in the Mirabilis liber CLICK HERE