Pomponio Algerio

Who was Pomponio Algerio?

Pomponio Algerio was an Italian religious martyr.

Algerio was born in Nola, and was a civil law student at the University of Padua, where his Lutheran theological beliefs attracted the attention of the Roman Inquisition. At his trial, he wore his academic hat and gown to remind the tribunal that, as a student, he had the right to freely express his ideas. From the transcript of Pomponio Algerio at his trial:

After refusing to conform to Church doctrine, he was sentenced to prison and asked to reconsider his Lutheran beliefs. After a year behind bars, he still refused to reconsider. Because Venetian authorities would not consent to an execution, Pope Paul IV sent officials to extradite Pomponio to Rome. In Rome, on August 21, 1555, a monk from the brotherhood of St John the Beheaded visited Pomponio in his cell urging him to repent. If he repented, he would be strangled before burning. The 24-year-old student refused.

One year later, on August 22, 1556, he was executed by civil authorities in the Piazza Navona, Rome. Maintaining his composure while he was boiled in oil, he stayed alive for 15 minutes before dying.