GRAVINA, DOMENICO. - Dominican theologian, born in Naples about 1547, died in Rome on 26 Aug. 1643. He taught in various convents and was promoted to master of theology in 1608. From 1610 he was professor at the College of S. Tommaso in Rome, and in 1622 regent at the Studium of Taranto; he was also provincial of Naples and finally procurator general and vicar general of the Order (1643). He was buried in the Church of the Minerva.
One of the most learned and distinguished Dominicans of his time. He left various works, most of them still in manuscript. Worth noting are: Catholicae praescriptiones adversus omnes veteres et nostri temporis haereticos, in 12 volumes, of which only four, in 7 vols., were published (Naples 1619–39). Against Cardinal Bellarmino, who in his De gemitu columbae had criticized the ancient religious Orders, he wrote: Vox torturis seu de florenti usque ad nostra tempora... sacrarum Religionum statu (ibid. 1625). To the reply of a Jesuit (U. Roth), he responded with Congeminata vox turturis... iterato occinentis (ibid. 1633). Against the Dalmatian apostate Marc'Antonio de Dominis, formerly bishop of Segni and archbishop of Spalato, he published: Pro sacro fidei catholicae et apostolicae deposito... apologeticus (ibid. 1628), and Pro sacrosanto Ordinis sacramento vindiciae orthodoxae (ibid. 1634). He also wrote: Ad discernendas veras a faisis visionibus et revelationibus βασανίστης haec est lapis Lydys (2 vols., ibid. 1638).