NICHOLAS EYMERICH. - Dominican inquisitor and writer, born in Gerona (Spain) c. 1320, died there on 4 Jan. 1399. He entered the religious life in his native city on 4 Aug. 1334 and in 1357 succeeded Nicholas Rossel as General Inquisitor of Aragon. For his zeal he suffered much until he was exiled. He accompanied Gregory IX to Rome, where he remained for two years (1376-78).
During the Western Schism, finding it difficult to discern the true pope, he sided first with Clement VII and then with Benedict XIII. In 1378 he returned to Aragon but, opposed by the Lullists, had to take refuge at Avignon with the pope. There he devoted himself to writing until in 1397, now an old man, he was able to return home.
An intrepid and uncompromising inquisitor, he devoted his energies especially to combating the errors of R. Lull, whose doctrine he collected in articles and condemned as suspect of heresy. He wrote various works of hagiographical, dogmatic, exegetical, philosophical and polemical character, all of which are still preserved in manuscript. Only two of his works have been published: the *Vita of Bl. Dalmatius Moner*, his novice master (in F. Diago, *Historia provinciae Aragoniae*, I, Barcelona 1599, pp. 259-65; 2nd ed. in *Anal. Boll.*, 31 (1912), pp. 49-81) and his most important work, the *Directorium Inquisitorum*, published at Barcelona in 1593. This is a manual for inquisitors which he wrote, or at least completed, at Avignon in 1376. The work was widely circulated and subsequently had several editions.
Eymard, Pierre-Julien, Blessed - Rodin's sculpture - Paris, Rodin Museum.
Peña published a second edition of it at Rome in 1578, adding a copious commentary; in another edition, in 1587, he prefixed a brief life of the author. Later editions appeared at Venice 1591, Rome 1597, Venice 1607.