Girolamo Savonarola ( September 21 , 1452 -- May 23 , 1498 ) , was an Italian Dominican priest and leader of Florence from 1494 until his execution in 1498 . Girolamo Savonarola ( Ferrara , 21 September 1452 -- 23 May 1498 , Florence ) was an Italian Dominican friar and an influential contributor to the politics of Florence from 1494 until his execution in 1498 .