At the critical point of the struggle of parties came, in 1497, a sentence of ex communication from Rome against Savo narola. Savonarola openly declared the censure invalid, because unjust, and re fused to hold himself bound by it. Dur ing the plague Savonarola, precluded by the excommunication from administering the sacred offices, devoted himself zeal ously to ministering to the sick monks. A second "bonfire of vanities" in 1498 led to riots. In the same year, when the new elections took place, the party opposed to Savonarola, the Arrabbiati, came into power. He was ordered to desist from preaching; and the struggle was brought to a crisis by the counterdenunciations of a preacher of the Franciscan order, long an antagonist of Savonarola, Francesco da Puglia. In the excited state of the popular mind thus produced an appeal was made by both of the contending par ties to the interposition of divine provi dence by the ordeal of fire; and one of Savonarola's disciples agreed to make trial of the dread ordeal along with a Franciscan friar. But at the moment when the trial was to have come off (April, 1498) difficulties and debates arose, and nothing was actually done.
The result of this was to destroy with the populace the prestige of Savonarola's reputation, and to produce a complete revulsion of public feeling.
In the midst of this reaction he was cited before the council, and brought to trial for falsely claiming to have seen visions and uttered real prophecies, for other religious errors, and for political insubordination. He denied the charges; but, put to the torture, he made avowals which he afterward withdrew. The con clusion was a foregone one; he was de clared guilty of heresy and of seditious teaching, and of being an enemy to the peace of the Church. The acts of the trial were sent to Rome, where the sen tence was confirmed; he, with two disci ples of his 'order, was given up to the secular power ; so on May 23, 1498, this extraordinary man and his two compan ions, brothers Domenico and Silvestro, were strangled, and their bodies burned by the executioner.