(The medieval Church's)laws against usury - charging interest on loans
- were a major obstacle to the development of finance in Europe
After all, what God-fearing Christian merchant wished to risk the torments of hell
This astonishing vision of eternal damnation was painted by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari
on the inside of the great dome of Florence's Cathedral, the Duomo
And below there's another fresco by Domenico di Michelino
of Florence's greatest poet, Dante Alighieri, holding his masterwork, the Divine Comedy
According to Dante, there was a special part of the seventh circle of hell that was exclusively set aside for usurers
There the moneylenders were eternally tortured with scorching earth and freezing snow
their necks weighed down with bulging purses