B
2,066 articles · English index · Indice italiano-
Billiton, Islands (BILLITON, ISOLE)
BILLITON, ISOLE: v. BANKA e BILLITON, PREFETTURA APOSTOLICA di. -
Billotet, Édouard (BILLOTET, EDOUARD)
French missionary, died for the faith. Born at Villefrancon (Haute-Saône) on May 3, 1812; ordained priest in 1836, he was vicar at Rioz, then entered the… -
Billot, Louis
An eminent figure of modern theology, b. at Sierck (Metz) on 12 Jan. 1846 and d. at Galloro (Rome) on 18 Dec. 1931. He pursued theological studies in the… -
Billuart, Charles-René
Thomist theologian, b. at Revin on the Meuse (Ardennes) on 8 Jan. 1685, d. there on 20 Jan. 1757. A Dominican (1701), he was five times prior in the convent of… -
Bilocation (BILOCAZIONE)
From the Latin bis and locatio, the simultaneous presence of a person in two different places. Among the portentous facts with which Catholic hagiography is… -
Bilychnis
Monthly review of religious studies, published in Rome from 1912 to 1930 (the emblem, the b., lamp of the Roman catacombs with a double wick and a bipartite… -
Bina, Andrea
Cassinese Benedictine of the abbey of Polirone (Mantua), b. in Milan in 1724, d. there on 8 March 1792. He taught philosophy in the monasteries of Padua… -
Binago, Lorenzo
Barnabite, architect, b. and d. in Milan (1556-1629). His most significant work is the reconstruction of S. Alessandro in Milan, in ample and solemn forms… -
Bination (BINAZIONE)
It is the celebration of two Masses on the same day by the same priest. I. HISTORICAL NOTES. - In instituting the Holy Sacrifice, Jesus did not establish the… -
Binbirkilise (BINBIRKILISA (BIN BIR KILLSÂ, «MILLE E UNA CHIESA»))
This is the name given to the ruins of an ancient Byzantine city in Lycaonia (Asia Minor), characterized by a great number of churches. The desert area in… -
Bindi, Enrico
Bishop, writer, b. at Canapale (Pistoia) on 29 Sept. 1812, d. at Pistoia on 3 June 1876. For 24 years, until 1856, he was an expert professor of letters at the… -
Binding (LEGATURA)
By binding is meant the art of firmly sewing the gatherings of a book and enclosing them between two boards of solid material to preserve them longer: it… -
Biner, Joseph
Swiss Jesuit and canonist, b. at Glaringen (Valais) on 16 July 1697, d. at Rottenburg on 24 March 1766. Received in 1715 into the novitiate of Landsberg, he… -
Binet, Étienne (BINET, ETIENNE)
Ascetical writer, b. at Dijon in 1569, d. at Paris in 1639. He entered the Society of Jesus in Italy at Novellara in 1590; having returned to France in 1603… -
Binet, François
Theologian and preacher of the Order of Minims, b. in 1452, d. in 1524, in repute of sanctity at the convent of Trinità dei Monti. He was prior of the… -
Bingham, Joseph
Anglican theologian, b. in Sept. 1668 at Wakefield (Yorkshire), d. 17 Aug. 1723. Doctor at the University of Oxford, then curate at Headbourn-Worthy, then at… -
Bini (Binius), Severino
Canonist, b. at Randerath (near Aachen) in 1573, d. 14 February 1641 at Cologne, where he carried out his entire priestly, teaching and literary activity.… -
Binterim, Anton Joseph
Historian and archaeologist, b. 19 Sept. 1779 at Düsseldorf, d. 17 May 1855 at Bilk. A Franciscan in 1796, secularized in 1802 following the suppression of the… -
Biocenosis (BIOCENOSI)
The term b., or biological association, introduced by Moebius in 1877, defines the entire complex of living beings that coexist within the same environment and… -
Biochemistry (BIOCHIMICA)
Biochemistry is that part of physiology which studies the chemical composition and the chemical-physical properties of animal or plant organisms in order… -
Biogenetic Law (BIOGENETICA, LEGGE)
The original formulation given by E. Haeckel (v.) in ch. 20 of the work Generelle Morphologie der Organismen (1866), 41st ontogenetic thesis, states that… -
Biological Cycles (CICLI BIOLOGICI)
There is no fundamental difference from the concept of rhythm. Life manifests itself rhythmically (v. BIORHYTHMS): such do the physiological processes appear… -
Biological Differentiation (DIFFERENZIAMENTO BIOLOGICO)
The phenomena of b. d. are diverse, but all share the common condition of a gradual evolution of specific physiological and morphological characters. There is… -
Biological Environments (AMBIENTI BIOLOGICI)
By biological environments are meant the various habitats in which conditions sufficient to permit the life of organisms are found. In the manifold varieties… -
Biology (BIOLOGIA)
From the Greek βίος "life" and λόγος "discourse, reasoning," it is the science of life in its normal and pathological phenomenology. According to Treviranus… -
Biometry (Anthropometry) (BIOMETRIA (ANTROPOMETRIA))
I. ORIGINI E DEFINIZIONE. - Biometrics was born at the historical moment when, in the life sciences in general, the qualitative method was beginning to be… -
Biondini, Maria Arcangela
Mystical writer, b. June 24, 1641 to Venetian parents in Corfu, where her father was governor, d. at Arco (Trentino) on Nov. 23, 1712. She entered (1655) the… -
Biondo, Flavio
Humanist and archaeologist, b. at Forlì in 1392, d. at Rome on 4 June 1463 (he added the second name later, by Latinizing the first). He studied in his native… -
Bioregulators (BIOREGOLATORI)
The individual functions of the organism are not carried out in isolation, but are coordinated with one another so that, under physiological conditions, they… -
Biorhythms (BIORITMI)
By b. are meant the rhythmic activities of living beings. In reality every vital phenomenon is rhythmic: the life itself of a species, with the birth, growth… -
Biosphere (BIOSFERA)
From the Greek βίος (= life) and σφαῖρα (= sphere). It was intended to call b. the spherical corpuscle further indivisible, belonging to a hypothetical… -
Biotype (BIOTIPO)
In genetics, a b. is understood as a complex of individuals identical to one another in their endowment of hereditary characters. This concept arose from the… -
Biotypology (BIOTIPOLOGIA)
Science that studies the human individual in all his vital manifestations, in order to determine, in the most complete manner possible, his well-defined… -
Birago, Renato
Cardinal, born in Milan on 2 February 1506 to Galeazzo, who was ambassador of the Duke of Milan in France. He lived at the court of the kings of France… -
Birmingham, Archdiocese of (BIRMINGHAM, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
The city is one of the most populous in England, in the county of Warwick, known especially for its metallurgical industries. Originally an administrative… -
Birro
The birrus was an outer garment in the form of a cloak or gabardine that could reach down to the knee and be provided with a hood. The name (Gk. πυρρός) seems… -
Birth Control (CONTROLLO DELLE NASCITE)
CONTROLLO DELLE NASCITE: v. NASCITE, CONTROLLO DELLE. -
Birth Control (NASCITE, CONTROLLO (BIRTH-CONTROL) DELLE)
A form of voluntary or coercive regulation that seeks to subordinate the procreation of individuals to social, hygienic, economic, or racial requirements.… -
Birthday (Dies Natalis) (NATALE (DIES NATALIS))
The Romans commemorated the deceased on the day of their birth; indeed one reads that « Privatae feriae vocantur sacrorum propriorum, velut dies natalis »… -
Bisaccia
BISACCIA : v. CONZA. -
Bisarcio
BISARCIO : v. OZIERI. -
Biscoph, Simon
BISCOPH, SIMON : v. EPISCOPIUS SIMON. -
Biscossi, Sibillina, Blessed (BISCOSSI, SIBILLINA, BEATA)
Dominican mystic, b. in Pavia around 1287, d. there on 19 March 1367. At the age of twelve she lost her sight and, taken in and instructed by Dominican… -
Biseglie (BISCEGLIE)
City in the province of Bari, with a small port on the Adriatic. In the Byzantine age, not before the 7th century, it was erected into a diocese. According to… -
Bisenzio
Ancient episcopal see of Latium on the western shore of Lake Bolsena. An inscription of 254 mentions the «Senatus populusque Visentinus» (CIL, XI, 2914). In… -
Bishop (VESCOVO)
He is the successor of the Apostles in the ordinary government of individual Churches (v. DIOCESE) under the authority of the Roman Pontiff (CIC, can. 329 §… -
Bishop, Edmund
English liturgist, b. at Totnes to an Anglican family on 17 May 1846, d. at Downside on 17 Feb. 1917. First secretary to T. Carlyle, then a member of the… -
Bishop of Spoleto of Spes (SPES, VESCOVO DI SPOLETO)
Born toward the end of the 4th century, he governed the Church of Spoleto for 32 years, from 420 to about 452. Of his life and his activity nothing remains but… -
Bishop of Vercelli, Hatto (ATTONE, VESCOVO DI VERCELLI)
Few reliable facts are known about his life. Of a noble Lombard family, we know that in 924 he was elected bishop of Vercelli, a diocese he governed for a long… -
Bishops and Regulars, Sacred Congregation of (VESCOVI E REGOLARI, SACRA CONGREGAZIONE DEI)
VESCOVI e REGOLARI, SACRA CONGREGAZIONE DEI: v. CONGREGAZIONI ROMANE. -
Bishops' Assemblies (ASSEMBLEE DEI VESCOVI)
ASSEMBLEE DEI VESCOVI : v. CONFERENZE EPISCOPALI. -
Bisignano
City in the province of Cosenza, the ancient Basidiae, which acquired particular importance in the Byzantine-Norman period, because of its position in the… -
Bismarck, Diocese of (BISMARCK, DIOCESI DI)
In the State of North Dakota (United States of America), suffragan of St. Paul of Minnesota. Erected on 31 Dec. 1909 by the dismemberment of the diocese of… -
Bismarck, Otto Eduard Leopold, von (BISMARCK, OTTO EDUARD LEOFOLD, VON)
German statesman, called the Iron Chancellor, b. at Schönhausen on 1 April 1815, d. at Friedrichsruhe on 30 July 1898. He soon demonstrated a special aptitude… -
Bismillah
BISMILLAH: v. ISLAMISMO. -
Bisomus
With "locus" understood, it means a burial place for two bodies and is terminology proper to the Roman catacombs. Like the similar terms trisomus and… -
Bisping, August
German Catholic exegete, b. at Albersloh on 11 May 1811, d. at Münster on 17 March 1884. A priest in 1836, he was a private lecturer at the theological Academy… -
Bisticci, Vespasiano da
He is the most famous of the great cartolai (1421-98), as the booksellers of the Renaissance were called before printing; and his paradigm in the classical… -
Bistolfi, Leonardo
Sculptor, b. at Casale Monferrato on 14 March 1859, d. at Turin on 2 Oct. 1933. From a naturalistic training he passed to an idealization of reality inspired… -
Bistrica
A small town in northern Croatia with a great Marian sanctuary, whose origins go back to the year 1545, when the people, fleeing before the Turks, brought… -
Bistua
At the Synods of Salona of 530 and 533, there also appears Andria, bishop of the bestoensis ecclesia. His diocese was vast but very poor; the Salonitan Synod… -
Bithynia (BITINIA)
Western region of northern Anatolia, bordering to the north on the Black Sea, to the east on Paphlagonia, to the west on the Propontis (Sea of Marmara) and the… -
Bitonto, Diocese of (BITONTO, DIOCESI DI)
In the province of Bari. Inhabited by a Greek colony, of which traces remain in household goods and coins with the inscription BYTONTINON, it was later… -
Bixio, Giuseppe
Missionary, brother of the Garibaldian general Nino. Born in Genoa on 23 May 1819, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1838. A professor of rhetoric at… -
Bizacena
BIZACENA: v. AFRICA SETTENTRIONALE. -
Bizio, Bartolomeo
Chemist, b. at Vicenza on 30 Oct. 1791, d. at Venice in 1862; considered among the greatest scientists of his time by Fr. Secchi in the preface to his book on… -
Bizzochi and Bizzoches (BIZZOCHI E BIZZOCHE)
Men and women (also called Bizzoco, Bizzochero, Bizzocaro, Pinzocaro) who in the 13th and 14th centuries led a devout life and wore the religious habit while… -
Bizzozero (BIZOZERO)
BIZOZERO: V. GERVASIO di S. ELIA. -
Blachernitissa
BLACHERNITISSA: v. MARIA. -
Black Bourse (BORSA NERA)
The buying and selling of goods in violation of rationing laws and at a price considerably higher than the official one or than what is considered normal. The… -
Black Legion (LEGIONE NERA)
LEGIONE NERA : v. KU-KLUX-KLAN. -
Blackmail (RICATTO)
RICATTO: V. ESTORSIONE. -
Blado, Antonio
Celebrated 16th-century printer, b. in Lombardy (Asolo or Piadena?) in 1490, d. in Rome between 17 and 27 March 1567. He practiced his art in Rome, starting… -
Blainville, Henri-Marie Ducrotay de (BLAINVILLE, HENRI-MARIE DUCTROY DE)
Naturalist, b. at Arques near Dieppe on 12 Sept. 1777 and d. in Paris on 1 May 1850. He was Cuvier's substitute at the Collège de France and at the Museum of… -
Blaise, Saint, Martyr (BIAGIO, SANTO, MARTIRE)
The accounts of his life and martyrdom are uncertain and obscure. According to the widely circulated though highly fanciful Passio, he was a physician before… -
Blaj
City of Transylvania (Romania). In 1733 Bishop Innocent Micu transferred there the residence of the new diocese of Făgăraș (v.). Within a few generations B.… -
Blake, William
English poet, engraver, painter, b. in London on 28 Nov. 1757, d. at Strand on 12 Aug. 1827. In childhood he was influenced by Swedenborg's mysticism and was… -
Blampin, Thomas
Benedictine of St. Maur, professor of philosophy and theology, b. at Noyon in 1640, d. at St-Benoît-sur-Loire on 13 Feb. 1710. With other Maurists he edited… -
Blanda, Julia (BLANDA JULIA)
Ancient city of Magna Graecia, on the Tyrrhenian border of Calabria with Lucania. It was a Roman oppidum, mentioned by Livy and by Pliny, who disagree as to… -
Blandina, Saint, Martyr (BLANDINA, SANTA, MARTIRE)
BLANDINA, santa, martire: v. LIONE, MARTIRI di. -
Blanlo, Jean
French Sulpician, immediate disciple of Olier, b. at Bayeux in 1617 and d. at Paris in 1657. He had remained, out of humility, a subdeacon. He is known for a… -
Blasphemy (BESTEMMIA)
Etymologically, b. (from βλάστιο = to harm and φήμη = voice) means "injurious word." In Sacred Scripture this term designates the uttering of insult either… -
Blass, Friedrich
Classical philologist and New Testament scholar, b. at Osnabrück on 22 Jan. 1843, d. at Halle on 5 March 1907. A lecturer in classical philology at Königsberg… -
Blastares, Matteo
Greek canonist of the 14th century and Basilian monk. His principal work is the Syntagma, which comprises 24 sections marked by the 24 letters of the alphabet… -
Blasucci, Domenico, Venerable (BLASUCCI, DOMENICO, VENERABILE)
A Redemptorist student, regarded as the Aloysius Gonzaga of the Redemptorist Missionaries, b. 5 March 1732 at Ruvo del Monte in Lucania, d. 2 Nov. 1752. A… -
Blat, Albert
Of the Order of Preachers, canonist. Born in Valencia on 3 February 1870. Having donned the Dominican habit at a very young age, he completed at the Minerva… -
Blavatsky, Elena Petrovna
Founder of the Theosophical Society, b. at Ekaterinoslav, in southern Russia, on 31 July 1831, d. in London on 8 May 1891. In childhood she was subject to… -
Bleek, Friedrich
One of the best German Protestant exegetes of the 19th century. Born at Arensbök near Lübeck on July 4, 1793, he studied at Lübeck, Kiel and Berlin, where he… -
Blemmydes, Nicephoros (BLEMMYDES, NICEFORO)
Byzantine philosopher and theologian, b. in Constantinople in 1197, d. in 1272. At first an opponent of the Catholic doctrine on the procession of the Holy… -
Blera
BLERA: v. BIEDA. -
Blessed Sword and Hat (STOCCO E BERRETTONE)
The sword is a kind of sword, richly adorned with gold on the hilt, with scabbard and belt, which the Roman pontiffs used to send to sovereigns, princes and… -
Blessed Ursuline (ORSOLINA, BEATA)
B. in Parma on 14 May 1375, d. in Verona on 7 Apr. 1410. Still young, she devoted herself to a life of harsh penance and prayer, and was favored with mystical… -
Blessing of Fire (FUOCO, BENEDIZIONE DEL)
The blessing of fire could have its origins in the early Christian era as a Hebrew custom of offering to God the element that gives light and heat. There is a… -
Blessing of Lambs (AGNELLI, BENEDIZIONE DEGLI)
On the feast of St. Agnes, the celebrant, as the conclusion of the pontifical Mass, blesses on the altar of the Saint two white lambs, whose wool is to be used… -
Blessing of the Mensa (MENSA, BENEDIZIONE DELLA)
It is a prayer added to the Breviary that is used in religious houses before and after lunch and dinner. It begins with the greeting of the superior… -
Blessing of Virgins (VERGINI, BENEDIZIONE DELLE)
An ancient and solemn ceremony of the Latin-Roman rite, for blessing and consecrating religious women who live in perpetual virginity. It is reserved to the… -
Blind (CIECHI)
Scientifically, "blind" must be understood as the individual whose eyes are entirely lacking in the sense of sight, that is, they are not even capable of… -
Blois, Charles de, Blessed (BLOIS, CHARLES DE, BEATO)
Duke of Brittany (from 1341), b. at Blois in 1320, d. 29 Sept. 1364 in the battle of Auray. Piously educated, he married Joan of Penthièvre, daughter and… -
Blois, Diocese of (BLOIS, DIOCESI DI)
Capital city of the department of Loir-et-Cher on the Loire, 178 km southwest of Paris. The diocese was erected by Pope Innocent XII on 25 June 1697, detaching… -
Blois, François-Louis de
BLOIS, FRANÇOIS-LOUIS de: v. BLOSIO. -
Blomevenna (Blommeveen), Petrus
Ascetic-mystical writer, also called Petrus Leydenis, from the city of Leiden (Holland), where he was born on 29 March 1466; he died at Cologne on 30 September… -
Blondeel, Lancelot
Painter, sculptor, architect and engineer, b. at Poperinghe in 1496, d. at Bruges on 4 March 1561. It is almost certain that he was in Italy, where he studied… -
Blondel, David
Calvinist theologian and historian, b. at Châlons-sur-Marne in 1591, d. at Amsterdam on 6 April 1655. He began his ministry at Houdan near Paris. In 1619 he… -
Blondel, Maurice
Philosopher, b. at Dijon on 2 Nov. 1861, d. at Aix-en-Provence on 5 June 1949. From 1897 professor of Philosophy at the University of Aix, from which he took… -
Blood (SANGUE)
The contact of blood, which the experience of primitive peoples considers as the organic element closely bound to life (cf. Lev. 17:14; Deut. 12:23), is held… -
Blood, Transfusion of (SANGUE, TRASFUSIONE DEL)
The first hint of a transfusion of blood, carried out however by taking blood by mouth, can already be glimpsed in the works of Pliny, in the anatomical… -
Blosio (de Blois), François-Louis, Venerable (BLOSIO (DE BLOIS), FRANÇOIS-LOUIS, VENERABILE)
BLOSIO (DE BLOIS), FRANÇOIS-LOUIS, venerable. Benedictine abbot and ascetical writer, b. at Donstiennes (Hainaut) in October 1506 of an ancient and noble… -
Blount, Charles
English deist, b. in 1654, d. in 1693. A rigidly rationalist critic, he devalued every criterion of apologetics of the supernatural, founding his so-called… -
Bloy, Léon
Writer, b. at Périgueux on 11 July 1846 and d. at Bourg-la-Reine on 3 Nov. 1917. A passionately Catholic spirit, unacquainted with gentle tolerance ("tout ce… -
Bludau, Augustin
New Testament exegete and philologist, b. 6 March 1862 at Guttstadt in East Prussia, d. as bishop of Ermland on 9 Feb. 1930, at Frauenberg, his residential… -
Bluefields, Apostolic Vicariate of (BLUEFIELDS, VICARIATO APOSTOLICO DI)
It was erected on 2 Dec. 1913, when it was made autonomous from the diocese of León in Nicaragua; it is a suffragan of Managua and is directed by the… -
Blum, Peter Joseph
Bishop of Limburg, b. at Gelsenheim on 18 Apr. 1808, d. at Limburg on 30 Dec. 1884. He studied philosophy at Würzburg and theology at Bonn, then entered the… -
Boanerges (ΒΟΑΝΗΡΓΕΣ) (BOANERGES (ΒΟΚΝΗΡΓΈΣ))
Nickname given by Jesus to the two apostles, sons of Zebedee: James and John, according to Mk. 3:17, where it is explained as "sons of thunder" (ὅ ἐστιν υἱοὶ… -
Boarding School (CONVITTO)
CONVITTO: v. EDUCAZIONE. -
Boaretti, Francesco
Preacher and polygraph, b. at Masi, near Padua, on 16 Aug. 1748, d. at Venice on 15 May 1799. He studied at the seminary of Padua, where he later taught… -
Bobbio
Commentary on the Psalms with interlinear glosses in Old Irish. Manuscript from B. (8th-9th centuries) - Milan, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, c. 301 inf., f. 133. >… -
Bobbio, Diocese of (BOBBIO, DIOCESI DI)
In Lombardy, province of Piacenza, suffragan of Genoa. It comprises communes belonging to the provinces of Genoa, Piacenza, Pavia and Parma. Area of the… -
Bobo-Dioulasso, Apostolic Vicariate of (BOBO-DIULASSO, VICARIATO APOSTOLICO DI)
The mission arose as an apostolic prefecture in Dec. 1927 with territories detached from the immense vicariates of Bamako and Ouagadougou (French West Africa)… -
Bobola, Andrew, Saint (BOBOLA, ANDREA, SANTO)
BOBOLA, ANDREA, santo: v. ANDREA BOBOLA, saint. -
Boccaccino, Boccaccio
Painter, b. in Ferrara in about 1467, d. in Cremona in 1524 or 1525. He completed his first artistic education in his homeland on the examples of Ercole Grandi… -
Boccaccio, Giovanni
I. THE LIFE. - Until recently biographers, following in the footsteps of many supposed autobiographical pages, had made of B.'s life, at least up to about his… -
Boccalini, Traiano
Born in Loreto in 1556 to Giovanni da Carpi, he studied in Perugia and Padua; finally he settled in Rome as a judge on the Capitol and a private teacher.… -
Boccardi, Giovanni and Francesco, Florentines (BOCCARDI, GIOVANNI E FRANCESCO, FIORENTINI)
GIOVANNI, illuminator, b. in 1460, was a pupil of Zanobi di Lorenzo. His work was highly esteemed and numerous commissions came to him even outside Florence.… -
Boccasini, Niccolò
BOCCASINI, NICCOLÒ: v. BENEDETTO XI. -
Boccati, Giovanni di Piermatteo, called Il (BOCCATI, GIOVANNI DI PIERMATTEO, DETTO IL)
Painter, b. at Camerino around 1420; in 1445 he moved to Perugia, where he is last recorded in 1480. Rather than from the Marche milieu in which his early… -
Boccherini, Luigi
Musician, b. in Lucca on Sept. 19, 1743, d. in Madrid on May 28, 1805. He first studied in the seminary of Lucca with Abbot Vannucci, then in Rome. Having… -
Bocchi, Girolamo
Scholar, often wrongly called "Boutrius", "Bourti", etc., b. in Florence ca. 1595. He was first a Conventual Franciscan, then at the age of twenty and for… -
Boccone del Povero
This name designates not only the whole work but also, in particular, the female religious congregation founded in Palermo in 1880 by the priest Giacomo… -
Bocconi, Paolo (Silvio)
Born in Palermo on 24 April 1633, died there on 22 December 1704. He was a distinguished naturalist and an excellent botanist, who built up his vast culture… -
Bochart, Samuel
French Protestant pastor, illustrator of the natural history of the Bible, b. at Rouen on 30 May 1599, d. at Caen on 16 May 1667. Having received his first… -
Bocskay, István
Prince of Transylvania, b. in 1557, d. in 1606, probably poisoned by the chancellor Michael Kátay. Educated in Vienna and Prague, he soon became the most… -
Bodel, Jean
French poet, from Arras, who lived between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th, whose writings are of a very varied character. He is… -
Bodenstein, Andreas Rudolf
BODENSTEIN, ANDREAS RUDOLF: V. CARLO-STADIO. -
Bodin, Jean
One of the most remarkable thinkers of the French Renaissance, b. at Angers in 1529 or 1530, d. at Laon in 1596. He first practiced law, then entered the… -
Bodoni, Giovanni Battista
The most famous printer of the 18th century, born at Saluzzo on 16 February 1740, died at Parma on 30 November 1813. A compositor in the printing house of… -
Body (CORPO)
In general, a body is a sensible material reality. In experimental science, a body is a portion of matter with determinate specific properties (dimensions… -
Boema, Confession (BOEMA, CONFESSIONE)
BOEMA, CONFESSIONE: V. BOEMI, FRATELLI. -
Boemi, Fratelli
Under this name three groups of heretics are sometimes confused, which, although they all acknowledge the Bohemians John Hus and Jerome of Prague as their… -
Boerenbond
I. ORIGINS. - It is a Belgian agricultural organization founded at Louvain in 1890, on the initiative of Abbot Mellaerts, who was its originator and its… -
Boero, Giuseppe
Jesuit hagiographer and historian, b. at Ventimiglia on 15 Aug. 1814, d. at Rome on 8 Feb. 1884. After his theological studies, he was attached to the general… -
Boethius, Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus (BOEZIO, ANICIO MANLIO TORQUATO SEVERINO)
I. LIFE. - B. was born in Rome of the noble stock of the Anicii, around the year 480, when the kingdom of Odoacer was about to succumb under the blows of the… -
Boethius of Dacia (BOEZIO DI DACIA)
Scholastic philosopher of the 13th century about whom very little is known. He was not a Dominican, nor a religious, nor a priest, but a simple cleric, a… -
Boethos
Progenitor of the Boethusians, who formed a distinct group within the party of the Sadducees. A priest of Alexandria, B. was the father of Simon, who around 24… -
Boetto, Pietro
Jesuit, cardinal, archbishop of Genoa, b. at Vigone in Piedmont on 19 May 1871, d. at Genoa on 31 Jan. 1946, rightly proclaimed "defensor civitatis." Having… -
Boffito, Giuseppe
Barnabite. Scholar, bibliographer, historian of science, Dante scholar, erudite, b. at Gavi (Alessandria) on 3 July 1869, d. at Florence, in the college "Alla… -
Bofondi, Giuseppe
Cardinal, born of a patrician family at Forlì on 24 Oct. 1795, died at Rome on 2 Dec. 1867; a scholar and man of culture, he entered the ecclesiastical career… -
Bogazköy (BOGHAZKÖY)
It is the Turkish name of a small village east of Ankara in Turkey, very well known among scholars of the civilizations of the ancient East, because not far… -
Bogdani, Pietro
Born around 1630, died in 1688, first bishop of Shkodër (Albania), then archbishop of Skopje. Author of the Cuneus prophetarum de Christo saltatore mundi et… -
Bogdanov
This is the pseudonym of Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Malinovsky, Russian revolutionary, physician and philosopher, b. 1873. A member of the Bolshevik faction of… -
Bogino, Giambattista Lorenzo
Born in Turin on July 21, 1701, and died there on February 9, 1784. A distinguished statesman, he was a faithful servant of the Piedmontese monarchy, both in… -
Bogomils (Friends of God) (BOGOMILI (AMICI DI DIO))
A Christian heretical sect that appeared in Bulgaria between the first and second half of the 10th century. The Bogomili take their name from their leader, the… -
Bogotá, Archdiocese of (BOGOTÁ, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
In the republic of Colombia, department of Cundinamarca. The primatial see and capital of the State, B. is situated at 2,640 m. on the edge of a vast high… -
Bohemia (BOEMIA)
I. GEOGRAPHY. - Region of central Europe, corresponding to the upper basin of the Elbe (Labe, in Czech), that is to say a quadrilateral closed on every side by… -
Bohemian Brothers (FRATELLI BOEMI)
FRATELLI BOEMI: V. BOEMI FRATELLI. -
Bohemond of Taranto (BOEMONDO DI TARANTO)
Norman prince, son of Robert Guiscard and Alberada, who lived in the 11th-12th centuries. He took part, with his father, in the Norman conquest of southern… -
Bohemond, Prince of Antioch (BOEMONDO, PRINCIPE DI ANTIOCHIA)
Born around 1170, died in 1233, he was the son of Bohemond III and Orguilleuse. On his father's death (1201) he seized the principality of Antioch, against… -
Bohic (Bohic, Boich, Bouhic), Henri
Decretalist, b. in Brittany in 1310, d. ca. 1350. He taught canon law at the University of Paris. He is the author of Distinctione on the Decretals of Gregory… -
Bohier (Boherius), Pierre
Benedictine abbot, later bishop of Orvieto, b. at La Retorte (diocese of Carcassonne). In 1335 he was at the Benedictine abbey of St-Chinian, of which he… -
Böhme, Jacob
Protestant theosophist, b. at Altseidenberg in 1575, d. at Görlitz in 1624. A shoemaker, at first a wanderer, he settled in Görlitz in 1594. Of a mystical… -
Böhmer, Johann Friedrich
Historian, b. 22 April 1795 in Frankfurt am Main, d. there 22 October 1863. Archivist and librarian in his native city, he was secretary and treasurer to Pertz… -
Böhmer, Just Henning (Bohemerus Iustus Henningius)
Protestant jurist, b. in Hannover on 27 Aug. 1674 to a family of Bohemian refugees, d. in Halle on 29 Aug. 1749. He received his doctorate in law at Jena. He… -
Boiano-Campobasso, Diocese of (BOIANO-CAMPOBASSO, DIOCESI DI)
B., a small town at the foot of a northern spur of the Matese, in the center of ancient Samnium and of present-day Molise, in the province of C. It is… -
Boiardo, Matteo Maria
Poet, b. at Scandiano (Reggio Emilia) in 1441 and d. at Reggio Emilia in 1494. He lived at Ferrara at the court of the Este, who entrusted him with honorary… -
Boil (Boyl, Buil, Bugl), Bernardo
Born of the noble Aragonese family of the same name in the first half of the 15th century. Secretary to Ferdinand the Catholic, he abandoned the court to lead… -
Boileau (Boileau-Despréaux), Nicolas (BOILEAU (BOILEAU-DESPREAUX), NICOLAS)
French writer, b. in Paris on 1 Nov. 1636, d. there on 13 March 1711. He was able to devote himself entirely to poetry only at the death of his father, who had… -
Boileau, Jacques
Theologian, canonist, historian and polemicist, brother of the satirical poet Nicolas, b. in Paris on 16 March 1635. He was vicar general of the diocese of… -
Boise City, Diocese of (BOISE CITY, DIOCESI DI)
In Idaho (U.S.A.), suffragan of Portland in Oregon. On 25 Aug. 1893 the apostolic vicariate of Idaho, created on 3 March 1868, was erected into a diocese under… -
Boisgelin, Jean-de-Dieu-Raymond de Cucé de
Cardinal, b. 27 Feb. 1732 at Rennes, d. 22 Aug. 1804 at Angervilliers. In 1765 bishop of Lavaur, in 1770 archbishop of Aix, where, besides the government of… -
Bois-le-Duc, Diocese of (BOIS-LE-DUC, DIOCESI DI)
BOIS-LE-DUC, DIOCESI di: v. s'HERTOGENBOSCH, DIOCESI di. -
Boissier, Marie-Louis-Gaston
French historian, b. at Nîmes on 15 Aug. 1823 and d. at Viroflay on 10 June 1908. A tireless investigator of classical antiquity, he left scholarly works… -
Boito, Arrigo
Musician and man of letters, b. in Padua on 24 Feb. 1842, d. in Milan on 10 June 1918. Of a Venetian father and a Polish mother, he studied at the Conservatory… -
Boito, Camillo
Architect, b. in Rome on 30 Oct. 1836, d. in Milan on 28 June 1914. He held the chair of architecture in Venice and in Milan. More important than his… -
Bokelszoon (Beukelszoon, Bockelson, Bockhold), Johann
Leader of Anabaptism in Germany, and better known under the name of John of Leiden, b. at Münster around 1509, and d. executed in the same city in 1536. He did… -
Bolaños, Luis
One of the most illustrious Franciscan missionaries of South America. Born at Marchena (Spain) in 1539, died at Buenos Aires on 11 October 1629. Having become… -
Boldetti, Marcantonio
Archaeologist, b. in Rome in 1663, d. there in 1749. Canon of S. Maria in Trastevere, a man of great piety, he was for 49 years Custodian of the relics and of… -
Bolduc (Boulduc), Jacques
A Capuchin of the province of Paris, belonging, perhaps, to the Parisian family of Jean-Baptiste B., of the Academy of Sciences at the end of the 17th century.… -
Bolgeni, Giovanni Vincenzo
Eminent Jesuit and distinguished Italian theologian, b. at Macerata on 22 Jan. 1733, d. at Rome on 3 May 1811. Having entered religious life (1747), he taught… -
Bolgi, Andrea
Sculptor, b. at Carrara on 22 June 1606, d. of plague at Naples in 1656; he was a pupil and collaborator of Tacca. With Bernini he worked in the Raimondi… -
Bolingbroke, Henry Saint John, Viscount of (BOLINGBROKE, HENRY SAINT JOHN, VISCONTE DI)
Politician and philosopher, one of the most advanced representatives of English deism. B. on 1 Oct. 1672 at Battersea (London), d. there on 1 Dec. 1751, after… -
Bolivar
BOLIVAR: v. HIOBAMBA. -
Bolivar, Simón
Founder of the independent states of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, b. 24 July 1783 at Caracas, d. 17 Dec. 1830 near S. Marta. In 1810 he… -
Bolivia
Republic of South America. I. GEOGRAPHY. - Bordered by Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile; among the Andean states, the only one without its own… -
Bolla
Properly denotes the lead seal appended to documents and, by extension, the document itself. I. SEAL. - The use of the lead seal is of Byzantine origin and was… -
Bollandists (BOLLANDISTI)
A scholarly society made up of a small group of Belgian Jesuit fathers, which has devoted itself for three centuries to the publication of the Acta Sanctorum… -
Bolland, Jean
Belgian Jesuit, known for founding the work that took his name (v. BOLLANDISTS), b. 13 Aug. 1596 at Julemont in the duchy of Limburg (present-day province of… -
Bollario
This name designates any collection of papal bulls or constitutions. The first attempt to collect or print such documents separately dates back to 1550, when a… -
Bollatica, Scripture (BOLLATICA, SCRITTURA)
Also called littera s. Petri, it is the script of conventional and characteristic forms with which papal bulls were written from the end of the 15th century to… -
Bologna, Archdiocese of (BOLOGNA, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
Capital of the province of the same name and the principal city of one of the most fertile and history-rich regions, Emilia, B. currently has a population of… -
Bolsec, Jérôme-Hermès
Carmelite theologian, b. in Paris, d. 4, name in 1585. He abandoned the Order and fled to Ferrara, where for some time he was chaplain to the duchess Renata.… -
Bolsena
Ancient episcopal see of Latium, in the province of Viterbo, along the via Cassia, to the north-east of the lake of the same name. It still preserves today the… -
Bolshevism (BOLSCEVISMO)
A) Theory and practice of communism in the specific form that this assumed and put into effect in Russia following the Revolution of October 1917. I. GENERAL… -
Boltraffio, Giovanni Antonio
Painter, b. in Milan in 1467, d. there in 1516. He worked almost always in his native city; only in 1500 do we find him in Bologna, where he enjoyed the… -
Boma, Apostolic Vicariate of (BOMA, VICARIATO APOSTOLICO DI)
The Belgian missionaries of Scheut, having founded the first stations of Moada (1889) and B. (1890) in the Belgian Congo, spread into Mayumbe, opening there… -
Bomarzo
Ancient episcopal see of Latium, on the edge of the plateau that extends toward the Cimini Mountains and not far from the Tiber. In the Roman Synod of 649 a… -
Bombay [Mumbai], Archdiocese of (BOMBAY, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
The apostolic vicariate of B. originates from the one called of the Great Mogul, entrusted in 1696 to the Discalced Carmelites, whose seat was transferred to… -
Bomologno da Bologna (BOMBOLOGNO DA BOLOGNA)
Dominican philosopher and theologian, b. in Bologna at the beginning of the 13th century, d. there ca. 1280. He became a religious and completed his studies in… -
Bon
Also Bonpo: it is the name of the autochthonous religion of the Tibetans, before the introduction of Buddhism into the country. It is also called I Ha-chos… -
Bonaccorsi, Giuseppe
Missionary of the Sacred Heart, b. in Rome on 18 Dec. 1874, d. there on 7 March 1935. He founded and directed for one semester the Rivista storico-critica… -
Bonaccorsi, Pierino
BONACCORSI, PIERINO: v. PERIN DEL VAGA. BONACCORSO DA BOLOGNA. - Theologian, born at the beginning of the 13th century in Bologna, where he entered the… -
Bonacina, Ferdinando
Missionary, died for the faith. Born at Reggio Emilia on April 7, 1804, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1826 as a lay brother. Extremely skilled in various…