BELL'HUOMO (BELLOMO), GOTTARDO. - Jesuit ascetical writer, b. at Castiglione delle Stiviere (Mantova) on 7 June 1612, d. there on 26 Nov. 1690. Professor of letters, philosophy, and theology, he directed the house at Busseto (Parma) and the colleges of Padova and Modena.
His works, except for the Microcosmus immobilis (a compendium of philosophy, Mantova 1655), all deal with ascetical subjects: Initium sapientiae, or considerations (Bologna 1657); Le fiamme del Santuario (meditations on the Passion, Venezia 1672); La pace di coscienza (there 1685).
Il pregio e l'ordine delle orazioni ordinarie e mistiche (Modena 1678) is his most important work, written to combat the Quietist errors of Molinos, Petrucci, and Malaval, though these authors are never cited; in an expository style free from polemic, it firmly denies that the prayer of quiet is for everyone. The book had wide repercussions, together with a similar work by Fr. Segneri; but it was placed on the Index «donce corrigatur» (26 Nov. 1681).
BBL.: Sommervogel, I, col. 1272; P. Dudon, Le quietiste espagnol Michel Molinos, Parigi 1921, pp. 63-67, 96-97, 134-35, 239; id., s. V. in DSp, I, coll. 1357-59. Ambrogio M. Fiocchi