The Milan Observatory was actually located in the garden north of Sforza Castle. When the canal had been dug, the excavated earth was piled up into a "small hill," and an observatory was built atop it.
It had once been called the Celestial Axis Room. Besides writing in mirror script, Leonardo da Vinci also enjoyed "weaving knots." Though the Muses and Apollo on the ceiling appeared Neoclassical in style, the floor of the observatory was decorated with Vinci Knots, identical to the decorations on the floors of Sforza Castle: disks formed from black and white lines.
There was a newer observatory near the library at Brera Palace, built by the Jesuits. As it was a tower, it stood about as high as the observatory in the garden, while access and research materials were much more convenient. It was the main workplace.
The celestial axis had once been considered the line connecting the north and south poles of the celestial sphere. People then still believed that Earth was the center of the universe, with the stars of the celestial sphere revolving around it along fixed paths. Astronomers not only observed the movements of heavenly bodies, but also predicted the relationship between the heavens and human destiny.
There was still some time before sunset. Looking out through the observatory window, Georgiana could see a beautiful evening sky.
She did not know whether Bonaparte had ever seen it... Maria Theresa had attached great importance to higher education and built eight astronomical observatories in Italy. Yet all of them were administered by the Jesuits, and anyone wishing to work there had to qualify as a priest.
Including Isaac Newton, anyone who wished to stand at a lectern had to become a clergyman. But Galileo had not.
In fact, Copernicus had also been a priest.