Girolamo Savonarola

About Girolamo Savonarola

Girolamo Savonarola was a Dominican friar and influential religious figure in late 15th-century Florence, known for his fiery, apocalyptic preaching against Renaissance corruption and secularism. His movement led to the establishment of a puritanical republic in the city following the expulsion of the powerful Medici family, though his radicalism ultimately led to his excommunication, torture, and execution by burning in 1498. MIT's Pantheon project ranks him at #805 in historical importance, reflecting this significant, albeit brief, impact on Italian political and religious history.

In the context of modern internet attention, Savonarola maintains a moderate profile. Garnering approximately 350K Wikipedia views in 2025, his attention level is calculated at roughly $1x$ relative to his historical importance-meaning he is neither greatly overlooked nor over-represented. Interestingly, this modest attention exceeds that given to figures like Octave Mirbeau (#522 importance) who recorded only 26K views, suggesting that figures from the religious sphere may retain slightly more digital currency than some peers of higher historical rank.

Despite this overall parity, Savonarola's online presence is showing positive momentum. The 2025 annualized figure represents a substantial year-over-year increase of $+19.2\%$, and his short-term interest rose by $+3\%$ between Q1 and Q3, suggesting a slight, current surge in digital curiosity regarding the fiercely reformist friar.