The meaning of the Sky of Salamanca

Abstract

After presenting the main characteristics of the Sky of Salamanca, we analyse whether what is represented in it is motivated by astrological or astronomical considerations. We will see that the astrological explanation based on the system of planetary houses described in Claudius Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos does not correspond to the planetary configuration we see in the salmantine vault. Finally, we will conclude that the astronomical interpretation of the Sky of Salamanca is justified by the representation of the Universe known in the 15th century according to the Almagest, by the placement of the stars in the constellations according to that work and by the dating of the painted planetary configuration, which circumstantial evidence places in August 1475.