NICOLA of CLAMANGES (NICOLA POILLEVLAIN).
- Theologian, born at Clamanges ca. 1363, died in Paris in 1437. He taught theology in Paris from 1381; in 1397 he was in Avignon, serving as papal secretary; in 1425 he returned to Paris, where he resumed teaching.
He distinguished himself through his literary and theological culture, through the zeal with which he urged the internal renewal of the Church, and through his fervent appeals to the apostolate. Well known as the author of treatises and pamphlets relating to certain ecclesiastical problems (De novis festivitatibus non instituendis; De corrupto Ecclesiae statu [of doubtful authenticity]), or political ones (De lapsu et reparatione iustitiae), he is particularly noteworthy for the brief treatises De fructu eremi; De fructu verum divinorum, and above all for De studio theologico and his extremely extensive correspondence. Convinced that he had contributed more than anyone else to the revival of ancient eloquence in France (cf. Epist., 46), N. di C. remains one of the most representative figures among those French humanists who knew how to unite fidelity to the theological tradition with literary taste.