AVANCINI, NICOLA. - Jesuit writer, b. in Val di Non (Trento) in 1611, d. in Rome on 6 Dec. 1686. Learned in various subjects, he held a chair of letters in Trieste, Ljubljana and Vienna, of philosophy in Graz, of theology in Vienna. He was rector of the colleges of Passau, Vienna and Graz; then he was visitor of Bohemia, provincial of Austria and finally assistant for Germany in the general curia in Rome.

Before entering upon his public offices he published various literary, philosophical, theological and ascetic works, but none achieved the fame of the meditations that appeared under the title Vita et doctrina Iesu Christi (1665), which were translated into all the principal European languages and reprinted many times, sometimes with new expansions; although very concise and somewhat dry, they are still of benefit to many for the daily practice of prayer (reprint Turin 1938). He also published sermons, Latin poems and especially dramas for the youth of the colleges: Hecatombe odarum (Vienna 1651); Poëis dramatica, in 5 parts (ibid. 1653); Poëis lyrica, in 5 books (ibid. 1659); Orationes (3 vols., ibid. 1656-60).

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: Sommervogel, I, coll. 668-80; VIII, coll. 1711-12; N. Scheid, P. Nikolaus A. ein österreichischer Dichter des 17 Jahrhunderts, Feldkirch 1899; id., P. Nik. A... als Dramatiker, ibid. 1913.

Ambrogio Fiocchi

@incollection{ec2_avancini_nicola, author = {Fiocchi, Ambrogio Maria}, title = {Avancini, nicola}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {II}, pages = {506}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/avancini-nicola} }

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Avancini, Nicola

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