1616day.year
Nicolaus Copernicus's book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is added to the Index of Forbidden Books 73 years after it was first published.
In 1616, the Catholic Church placed Copernicus’s seminal work, On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, on the Index of Forbidden Books.
Seventy-three years after its publication, Copernicus’s groundbreaking treatise was officially condemned by the Church on March 5, 1616. The Index Librorum Prohibitorum list aimed to suppress writings deemed contrary to Scripture, and Copernicus’s heliocentric theory challenged the geocentric model endorsed by religious authorities. While the book was not entirely banned from private study, prohibitions on public teaching and endorsement were enforced. The decision reflected mounting tensions between emerging scientific discoveries and established theological doctrines. Despite the censure, Copernican ideas continued to spread through scholarly networks across Europe. The event underscored the complexities of intellectual freedom and the Church’s role in regulating knowledge. It also set the stage for later conflicts between scientists and religious institutions, exemplified by the Galileo affair.
1616
Nicolaus Copernicus
On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres
Index of Forbidden Books