Why collect plants?

The University of Padua was founded in 1222. The city established itself as one of Europe’s cultural capitals, and in 1405 it became part of the Republic of Venice. The botanical garden was born later, in 1545, the peak  of the Renaissance.

Under the protection of the Republic of Venice, at that time literally the centre of the world, we were able to enjoy a monopoly, with Venice choosing to concentrate the best minds in Padua. Just think, in 1492 a Florentine professor was suspended from teaching here and was even imprisoned to stop him pursuing his work elsewhere.

You’ll have realized that the botanical garden was founded because there was genuine scientific curiosity, but also to protect the business interests of Venice, who wanted to control trade of plants that were essential – then as now – for nutrition, medicine and well-being.

The idea of the garden came to Francesco Bonafede and probably - well above all - to the students of his Lectura Semplicium course which was dedicated to understanding the substances found in nature that have therapeutic benefits.

Bonafede’s lessons were very theoretical. At that time and in that context, it was inevitable. Although he brought plants to show his students, he relied above all on texts, sometimes with imprecise drawings and descriptions that were just too vague and subjective. Books were not enough: the plants really had to be studied … but how?

A few years earlier, in the nearby hospital of San Francesco Grande, a professor of medicine called Giovanni Battista Da Monte, had taken his students to visit the sick for the first time in history. In short, the scientific method gaining ground in Padua required ideas to be experimented  in the real world.

This inspired Bonafede, who conceived the idea of a place to grow plants and then observe them directly. The proposal was accepted immediately, and in 1545 a Horto medicinale – a garden of medicinal herbs – was established. Venetian merchants would arrive with odd spices, unidentified flowers, and unknown plants. Bonafede and his students were able to see with their own eyes what they were studying in class; the garden taught them to look and understand. For example, apothecaries who prepared bogus drugs with non-medicinal plants were fined.

The garden was open to everyone, which had never been possible before. The gardens of monasteries or stately homes were private places. In Padua, on the other hand, teachers and students had free access, specifically after April 25th and not before 10:00 a.m..