The Donation of Marco Carelli

Martina Saltamacchia explores the decision by super wealthy Milanese merchant Marco Carelli, on the occasion of an extraordinary Jubilee proclaimed in 1390 to encourage donations for the construction of Milan’s cathedral, to leave his entire patrimony to the cathedral’s Fabbrica. The gift turned out to include more than sixty houses, vast stores of goods, and other properties for the astonishing total value of 35,000 ducats, more than the total of all donations received that year. The paper examines the motivations for this fabulous donation: a ticket to heaven, the desire for fame and glory, or a simple act of faith, an examination that winds through archival records of gritty mercantile activity in Milan, Bruges, Genoa, and Venice.