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located on the ruins of the ancient Monastery of St. Vito; that 
was not evacuated by the nuns until October 27, 1544, and a 
botanic garden could not have been established between that date 
and the end of the year. However, Chiovenda points out, “the 
convent had annexed a garden before its demolition took place. 
. The development of the Garden of Pisa would therefore have 
seaitred twice; the first time it was simply formed out of the 
garden adjacent to the Convent of St. Vito; the second time it was 
formed out of the same garden reorganized after the demolition of 
the convent; which work led to the final establishment of the Bo- 
tanic Garden of Piza.’’ Cosimo, says Chiovenda, transferred the 
Franciscan nuns from the Convent of St. Vito to that of St. 
Lorenzo on October 27, 1544 (common indiction). The following 
November the Convent was destroyed, during the revolution, and 
out of its grounds and those of the already existing Botanic Garden 
adjacent to the Convent, a new Arsenal and the new and larger 
Botanic Garden were created. 
The old garden was the garden which Luca Ghini used for the 
purpose of growing the plants he was collecting. The evidence for 
this, says Chiovenda, is found in a letter dated Bologna, July 4, 
1545, which Ghini addressed to the Steward of the Grand Duke, 
Pier Francesco Riccio. During the 12th and 13th of the pre- 
ceding month he had, with his herbalist, collected living plants in 
the Pistoiesian Alps, ‘many and most beautiful, which I have 
planted with great care in the garden at Pisa... . I therefore 
pray your excellency that you do me the favor to commission me 
to take charge of the beautiful garden in Pisa, as I wish to convert 
it... into a garden mich will delight your Excellency and prove 
of value to the students. 
“Here it is evident,” says Chiovenda, “that two separate and 
distinct gardens are treated of: the first is one which, at the mo- 
ment when Ghini was writing, was in complete operation, as it was 
receiving the plants which he and his herbalist collected in the 
summer of 1545; the second garden, which he petitions for in his 
letter to develop, was evidently the Botanic Herb Garden which 
he alone initiated. Therefore, we are certain that the Botanic 
Garden of the University of Medicine already existed June 12-13, 
1545, when Ghini was gathering herbs on the Figatese, as recorded 
in this letter.” 
