Maria Celeste

Sister Maria Celeste (born Virginia Gamba; 16 August 1600 – 2 April 1634) was an Italian nun. She was the daughter of the scientist Galileo Galilei and Marina Gamba. Biography Virginia was the eldest of three siblings, with a sister Livia and a brother Vincenzio. All three were born out of wedlock, and the daughters were considered unworthy for marriage. Troubled by monetary problems, Galileo placed them in the San Matteo convent shortly after Virginia's thirteenth birthday. When she took the veil in 1616, Virginia chose her religious name, Maria Celeste, in honour of the Virgin Mary and her father's love of astronomy. From her cloister, Maria Celeste was a source of support not only for her Poor Clares sisters, but also for her father. Maria Celeste served as San Matteo's apothecary (herself being of frail health). She sent her father herbal treatments for his maladies while additionally managing the convent's finances and staging plays inside the convent. There is evidence she prepared the manuscripts for some of Galileo's books. Maria Celeste was also a mediator between her father and her brother. Maria Celeste frequently asked her father for help for the convent, and kept it afloat through his influence. Galileo helped repair its windows and made sure its clock was in order.