N
461 articles · 114 under Ni · English index · Indice italiano-
Niamey, Apostolic Prefecture of (NIAMEY, PREFETTURA APOSTOLICA DI)
In French West Africa, it was erected on 28 April 1942 from territories detached from the apostolic vicariates of Dahomey, now Ouidah, Ouagadougou, Khartoum… -
Niangara, Apostolic Vicariate of (NIANGARA, VICARIATO APOSTOLICO DI)
In the north-eastern part of the Belgian Congo, entrusted to the Dominicans, erected as an apostolic prefecture, under the name of Uellé Orientale, on 18 Dec.… -
Nibby, Antonio
Archaeologist and topographer, b. in Rome on 14 Oct. 1792, d. there on 29 Dec. 1839. Still a youth, he founded among his fellow pupils a small Academy which he… -
Nibelungen, Saga of the (NIBELUNGI, SAGA DEI)
It is a complex of epic legends spread during the Middle Ages throughout the whole Germanic territory, from Scandinavia to Austria, and elaborated several… -
Nicaea (NICEA)
Ancient city of Bithynia, today a mere village, founded in 316 B.C., under the name of Antigoneia, in the Hellespontine Phrygia, on Lake Ascanius. It was the… -
Nicander, Saint, Martyr (NICANDRO, SANTO, MARTIRE)
NICANDRO, santo, martire: v. MARCIANO E NICANDRO, saints, martyrs. -
Nicanor (NICANORE)
Syrian general, son of Patroclus, elephantarch and then commander-in-chief of the army of the Seleucid kings (I Macc. 3:38; 7:26-47; II Macc. 8; 14-15). In 165… -
Nicaragua
I. GEOGRAPHY. - It is the largest state (148,000 sq. km.), but the least densely populated (1.2 million inhabitants; 7.8 per sq. km.) of isthmian America. The… -
Nicasius, Saint (NICASIO, SANTO)
Tenth in the series of the bishops of Reims, he lived between the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 5th. In his city he founded the Basilica… -
Nicastro, Diocese of (NICASTRO, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese in the province of Catanzaro; it lies on the slopes of the Sila at the edge of the plain of St. Euphemia, ancient Clampetia, through which… -
Niccoli, Niccolò
Humanist, b. in Florence in 1364, d. there on 3 February 1437. A tireless researcher of codices, he vied with his Florentine friends in reconstructing the… -
Niccolini, Giambattista
Man of letters, b. at Bagni di S. Giuliano (Pisa) on 29 Oct. 1782, d. at Florence on 20 Sept. 1861. He was a member of the Accademia della Crusca. A republican… -
Niccolò
Sculptor of the 12th century, who according to eighteenth-century Ferrarese literature is considered a native of Ficarolo in the Polesine. He displays a… -
Niccolò del Cavallo
NICCOLÒ del CAVALLO: v. BARONCELLI, NICCOLÒ. -
Niccolò dell'Arca
Also called N. da Bari or N. d'Apulia from his birthplace. Italian sculptor b. around 1435 and d. in Bologna in 1494. From 1469 to 1473 he worked on the Ark of… -
Niccolò of Osimo (NICCOLÒ DA OSIMO)
Franciscan theologian and preacher, b. at Osimo in the second half of the 14th century, d. at Rome ca. 1453. In 1438, appointed by Eugene IV custos of the Holy… -
Niccolò of Poggibonsi (NICCOLÒ DA POGGIBONSI)
Franciscan traveler of the 14th century, of whom only what he himself says in his Libro d'Oltremare is known, written in Italy from notes taken during four… -
Nice, Diocese of (NIZZA, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese, capital of the prefecture of the department of Alpes-Maritimes in France. The diocese extends over the entire civil department of the Alpes… -
Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos (NICEFORO CALLISTO XANTHOPOULOS)
Little information is available about the life of this Byzantine ecclesiastical writer. From hints at dates, some vague and others precise, that are found in… -
Nicephorus Gregoras (NICEFORO GREGORAS)
Called "the Philosopher," b. in 1296 at Heraclea in Pontus, in Bithynia. From a very young age he began to deal in his writings with philosophical… -
Nicephorus I, Patriarch of Constantinople, Saint (NICEFORO I, PATRIARCA DI COSTANTINOPOLI, SANTO)
N. was born ca. 758 in Constantinople of a noble family; he was appointed secretary of the imperial chancery and, while still a layman, founded a monastery on… -
Nicetas, David of Paphlagonia (NICETA, DAVID DI PAFLAGONIA)
This name occurs in the manuscripts to designate a Byzantine writer of the 9th-10th century, although already the ancient historians, such as Allacci in his… -
Nicetas of Remesiana (NICETA DI REMESIANA)
So called from the city to the east of Niš in Serbia. Bishop and friend of Paulinus of Nola (v. P. Fabre, St Paulin de Nole et l'amitié chrétienne, Paris 1949… -
Nicetas Stethatos (NICETA STETHATOS)
Also called "Pectoratus" by the Latins, a monk of Stoudion, b. ca. 1000, d. after 1054. He carried on his activity in the field of spirituality and in… -
Nicetas the Byzantine (NICETA BIZANTINO)
A few years later than the patriarch Photius, he flourished in the second half of the 9th century. N., whose life remains unknown, is a brilliant dialectician… -
Nicetas the Maronite (NICETA MARONENSE)
Byzantine theologian of the 12th century. A native of Maronea in Thrace, he held several ecclesiastical offices in Constantinople. He flourished in the time of… -
Niche (EDICOLA)
The word, derived from the Latin "aedicula," a diminutive of "aedes" = temple, properly means a small temple, a small chapel, mostly only as a niche in the… -
Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, Saint (NICOLA, VESCOVO DI MIRA, SANTO)
Born at Patara, in Lycia, he was bishop of Myra around the middle of the 4th century. He is one of the most popular saints of both the Greek and the Latin… -
Nicholas III, Pope (NICCOLÒ III, PAPA)
Giovanni Gaetano, son of Matteo Rosso Orsini and of Perna Caetani, cardinal deacon of St. Nicholas in Carcere. Born in the second decade of the 13th century… -
Nicholas II, Pope (NICCOLÒ II, PAPA)
On the death of Stephen X (29 March 1058), the Roman nobility sought to elect a Benedict X who was not recognized by the better part of the clergy and the… -
Nicholas II, Tsar of Russia (NICOLA II, ZAR DI RUSSIA)
B. 19 May 1868, he succeeded Alexander III on 2 Nov. 1894. Gifted with intelligence and cultured, he set out from his accession to power to work for the… -
Nicholas I, Pope, Saint (NICCOLÒ I, PAPA, SANTO)
Son of Theodore the regional, deacon of Leo IV, on the death of Benedict III (17 April 858) he was elected and consecrated pope (24 April), in the presence of… -
Nicholas I Romanov, Tsar of Russia (NICOLA I ROMANOV, ZAR DI RUSSIA)
B. at Tsarskoye Selo on June 25 (July 7), 1796, d. at Petersburg on Feb. 17 (29), 1855. After his brother's renunciation of the throne he proclaimed himself… -
Nicholas IV, Pope (NICCOLÒ IV, PAPA)
Girolamo, born of a humble family at Lisciano near Ascoli Piceno, entered the Friars Minor at a very young age and held various offices among them. Appointed… -
Nicholas of Amiens (NICCOLÒ DI AMIENS)
Medieval master active in the second half of the 12th century, perhaps until the beginning of the 13th century. He is the author of a work De arte catholicae… -
Nicholas of Clamanges (Nicholas Poillevlain) (NICOLA DI CLAMANGES (NICOLA POILLEVLAIN))
Theologian, b. at Clamanges ca. 1363, d. at Paris in 1437. He taught theology at Paris from 1381; in 1397 he was at Avignon, as pontifical secretary; in 1425… -
Nicholas of Fakenham (NICOLA DE FAKENHAM)
English Minorite theologian of the 14th-15th century, b. probably at Fakenham, in the county of Norfolk, d. at Colchester in 1407. He was a doctor and master… -
Nicholas of Flüe (della Rupe), Saint (NICOLA DELLA FLÜE (DELLA RUPE), SANTO)
Patron of Switzerland, b. in Flüeli (parish of Sachseln, Unterwalden) in 1417, probably on March 21, d. at Ranft on March 21, 1487. He married Dorothea Wiss… -
Nicholas of Lyra (NICCOLÒ DI LIRA)
Franciscan exegete, b. at Lyre (Normandy) ca. 1270, d. at Paris in October 1349. In 1292 he entered the Order of Friars Minor; from 1308 he was master of… -
Nicholas of Oresme (NICOLA DI ORESME)
French philosopher, theologian, economist. He was studying theology in Paris in 1348. In 1356 he was a master of this discipline at the College of Navarre… -
Nicholas of Tolentino, Saint (NICOLA DA TOLENTINO, SANTO)
Born at Castel S. Angelo (now S. Angelo in Pantano) in 1245, died 10 September 1305, at Tolentino, where he lived for more than thirty years. He was probably a… -
Nicholas of Trani, also called Nicholas the Pilgrim, Saint (NICOLA di TRANI, detto anche NICOLA il PELLEGRINO, santo)
Born in Greece near Stiro, died at Trani on 2 June 1094. According to the legend, he gave prodigious signs already from his infancy, and, after a vision, he… -
Nicholas of Verdun (NICOLA DA VERDUN)
Goldsmith, active between the 12th and 13th centuries. Recent studies (Réau) consider his entire activity to fall within the sphere of the Mosan school, where… -
Nicholas (Pruntzlein) of Dinkelsbühl (NICOLA (PRUNTZLEIN) DI DINKELSBÜHL)
Theologian, b. at Dinkelsbühl ca. 1360, d. at Vienna on 17 March 1433. Magister theologiae in 1409, he was three times dean of the Faculty of Theology and in… -
Nicholas V, Antipope (NICCOLÒ V, ANTIPAPA)
NICCOLÒ V, ANTIPAPA: v. RAINALLUCCI, PIETRO di CORVARO. -
Nicholas V, Pope (NICCOLÒ V, PAPA)
Tommaso Parentucelli, b. at Sarzana on 15 Nov. 1397, d. at Rome on 24 March 1455. In the service, at Bologna, of Bishop N. Albergati, he accompanied him on… -
Nicobar Islands (NICOBARE)
A group of islands in the Bay of Bengal north of the island of Sumatra; twelve of them are inhabited by a population of about 10,000 inhabitants. The… -
Nicodemus (NICODEMO)
A noble Jew, a disciple of Jesus, mentioned in the Gospel of St. John: he was a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews (John 3:1), a teacher in Israel (ibid. 3:10), a… -
Nicodemus of Mammola, Saint (NICODEMO DI MAMMOLA, SANTO)
Calabrian-Greek ascetic, b. at Cirò ca. 900, d. near Mammola on 25 March 990. As a young man he embraced the Basilian monastic institute in the famous monastic… -
Nicodemus the Hagiorite (AGIORITA, NICODEMO I')
Celebrated Greek writer of the modern era (1748-1809) who owes much of his fame to the fact that he used the vernacular language for the majority of his works.… -
Nicola di Saliceto (Wydenbosch or Weidenbusch) (NICOLA DI SALICETO (WYDENBOSCH O WEIDENBUSCH))
Cistercian theologian, also called Nicolaus de Berno, because he was born in Bern, though the year is unknown. He studied the liberal arts and medicine in… -
Nicolai, Jean
Dominican theologian and polemicist, b. at Mouzay near Stenay in 1594, d. in Paris on 7 May 1673. He was prior (1661-64) and for many years professor of… -
Nicolai, Nicola Maria
Archaeologist and historian of the Roman countryside, b. in Rome on 14 Sept. 1756, d. there on 18 Jan. 1833. He began his career in the legal profession; then… -
Nicolaites (NICOLAITI)
A libertine-Gnostic sect, mentioned in Rev. 2:6 and 16 ("false apostles": v. 2), which infested the Asian communities of Ephesus (where it was praiseworthily… -
Nicola of Bari (NICOLA DI BARI)
NICOLA di BARI: v. NICOLA di MIRA. -
Nicola of Guardiagrele (NICOLA DA GUARDIAGRELE)
Abruzzese goldsmith and sculptor, b. in the last decade of the fourteenth century, d. before 1462. His first works, all signed and dated (ostensory of… -
Nicola Pisano
Sculptor, son of Pietro, b. probably in Apulia around 1220, d. between 1278 and 1284; in documents he is called Nicolae de Pisis, Nichole de Pisis, Nichola… -
Nicolas d'Autrécourt (NICOLA D'AUTRECOURT)
Theologian and philosopher, b. at the beginning of the 14th century at Autrecourt (diocese of Verdun), d. after 1350. Having obtained the titles "magister in… -
Nicolas, Jean-Jacques-Auguste
Apologist, b. at Bordeaux on 16 Jan. 1807, d. at Versailles on 17 Jan. 1888. After a listless youth, he devoted himself passionately to the study of law at… -
Nicolas (Nikólaos «Victor of the People») (NICOLA (ΝΙΚΌΛΑΟΣ « VINCITORE DEL POPOLO »))
A deacon, bearing a Hellenistic name, the last of the 7 ordained by the Apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). He was an "Antiochene proselyte," and therefore not… -
Nicola the Mystic (NICOLA IL MISTICO)
Patriarch of Constantinople (901-907; 912-25), b. around the middle of the 9th century in Byzantine Italy. He was a senator and intimate counsellor (whence the… -
Nicolaus Hermanni, Saint (NICOLA DI ERMANNO, SANTO)
Swedish, b. at Skäninge in 1326, d. at Linköping on 2 May 1391; he studied at Paris and at Orléans where he became a doctor utriusque iuris. He was a canon… -
Nicole, Pierre
Jansenist, b. at Chartres on 19 Oct. 1625, d. at Paris on 16 Nov. 1695. He pursued his studies in philosophy (1642-44) and in theology at Paris (1644-49). The… -
Nicolet, Diocese of (NICOLET, DIOCESI DI)
The diocese of Trois Rivières, already divided in 1874 to form the diocese of Sherbrooke (Quebec) and to enlarge that of St. Hyacinth, and again for the… -
Nicoletti, Giovanni (Johannes ab Imola)
Canonist and civilist, b. at Imola (and not at Bologna as was once believed) between 1367 and 1376, d. at Bologna on 13 March 1436. He studied at Bologna and… -
Nicolle, Louise
Foundress of charitable works and of the Humble Daughters of the Sacred Heart, b. at St-Armand-les-Eaux (diocese of Cambrai) on 9 June 1847, d. on 31 July… -
Nicomachus Flavianus (NICOMACO FLAVIANO)
NICOMACO FLAVIANO : V. FLAVIANO VIRIO, NICOMACO. -
Nicomedes, Cemetery of (NICOMEDE, CIMITERO DI)
The martyr N. is commemorated in the Passio of the martyrs Nereus and Achilleus, which is devoid of historical value; his burial is indicated there as « iuxta… -
Nicomedia, Martyrs of (NICOMEDIA, MARTIRI DI)
On February 24, 303, the first edict of the persecution inaugurated by Diocletian was published at N., by which the destruction of the churches and the burning… -
Nicopolis (NICOPOLI)
Latin bishopric in Bulgaria, with residence at Rustciuk (Ruse) on the Danube. It is directly subject to the Holy See. Appellate ordinary: Bucharest (Jan. 15… -
Nicopolis of Epirus (NICOPOLI D'EPIRO)
City founded by Augustus as a monument to his victory at Actium. Favored by the Emperor and by its excellent position, it soon became and long remained the… -
Nicora, Luigi
Bishop, sociologist, b. in Milan on 13 Sept. 1829. Ordained in 1852, he was a parish curate until 1882, then honorary canon (1888) and major penitentiary of… -
Nicosia, Diocese of (NICOSIA, DIOCESI DI)
In Sicily (Enna), suffragan of Messina. Erected by Pius VII (17 March 1816), its first bishop, Gaetano M. Avarna, took possession of it in September 1818. The… -
Nicotera, Diocese of (NICOTERA, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese in the province of Catanzaro. Together with the diocese of Tropea it has a population of 85,000 inhabitants, of whom 84,905 are Catholics. It… -
Nider, Johann
Dominican, preacher, b. at Isny (Württemberg) ca. 1380, d. 13 Aug. 1438 at Nuremberg. He taught at the University of Vienna from 1423, and was dean of the… -
Niebuhr, Barthold Georg
Protestant, historian and diplomat, b. in Copenhagen on 27 Aug. 1776, d. in Bonn on 2 Jan. 1831. Founder of the philological-critical method in history, he… -
Niello
A name derived from the Latin nigellum, which denotes a particular kind of goldsmith's work in which a black paste composed of copper, silver, sulfur and lead… -
Niepokalanów (Immaculateum, City of the Immaculate) (NIEPOKALANÓW (IMMACULATEUM, CITTÀ DELL'IMMACOLATA))
A distinctive monastic city of Poland, 42 km. from Warsaw, founded by Fr. Maximilian Kolbe in 1927. It covers over 35 hectares and has about 400 inhabitants… -
Nieremberg, Juan Eusebio
Jesuit, ascetical writer, b. in Madrid in 1595, d. there on 7 April 1658. A priest in 1623, he taught humanities, natural history and exegesis for several… -
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm
Philologist and philosopher, b. at Röcken in Saxony on 15 Sept. 1844, d. at Weimar on 25 Aug. 1900. A doctor and professor of philology (1869) at the… -
Nievo, Ippolito
Writer, b. in Padua on 30 Nov. 1831. Inspired early on by the ideas of the Risorgimento, he took part in the war of '59, and the following year in the… -
Nifo, Agostino
Philosopher, b. at Sessa (Salerno) in 1469-70 (whence he is often called simply Suessanus), d. between 1539 and 1546. He was a pupil of Nicoletto Vernia at… -
Nigeria
It is the most important of the British possessions in West Africa. The territory comprises the entire lower basin of the Niger, that of its tributary the… -
Nihilism (NICHILISMO)
Under the term n. is commonly understood that vast revolutionary movement made up for the most part of young intellectuals which profoundly shook Russian life… -
Niigata, Apostolic Prefecture of (NIIGATA, PREFETTURA APOSTOLICA DI)
In the northwestern part of the island of Hondo (central Japan). It comprises three civil provinces: N., Akita, Yamagata; it was erected on 13 Aug. 1912, with… -
Nijmegen, Catholic University of (NIMEGA, UNIVERSITÀ CATTOLICA DI)
A favoured residence of Charlemagne and an ancient centre of Carolingian culture, Nijmegen is the seat of the Dutch Catholic University, which bears the name… -
Nikita Pustosvyat (NIKITA PUSTOSVJAT)
Russian Raskolnik, d. in Moscow on 12 July 1682. His full name is N. Konstantino Dobrynin. In the controversy aroused by the reforms of the patriarch Nikon… -
Nikon, Patriarch of Moscow (NIKON, PATRIARCA DI MOSCA)
In the world Nikita Minin, b. in 1605 in the region of Nizhny Novgorod, d. 17 Aug. 1681 near Yaroslavl. His peasant origin and the mistreatment he suffered… -
Nile Equatorial, Apostolic Vicariate of (NILO EQUATORIALE, VICARIATO APOSTOLICO DEL)
It is located in the northern region of Uganda. Erected as an apostolic prefecture in 1923, it was elevated to an apostolic vicariate in 1934. In 1950 it… -
Nilles, Nikolaus
Jesuit, canonist and liturgist, b. at Rippweiler (Luxembourg) on 21 June 1828, d. at Innsbruck on 31 Jan. 1907. Having entered the Order (1858) after… -
Nilus (NILO)
River of Egypt. It is mentioned in many passages of the Bible and is indeed often called simply "the river" by antonomasia (Gen. 41:1-3; Ex. 1:22; 2:3… -
Nilus Doxapatris (NILO DOXAPATRIS)
Greek monk from Sicily, author of two geographical treatises on the patriarchates, b. toward the end of the 11th century, d. probably in the second half of the… -
Nilus the Ascetic (of Ancyra), Saint (NILO L'ASCETA (D'ANCIRA), SANTO)
Writer on ascetic subjects from the early 5th century. Leo Allatius lists 21 writers of this name; it is natural, therefore, that copyists confused them and… -
Nilus the Younger, Saint (NILO IL GIOVANE, SANTO)
Also called of Rossano, where he was born ca. 910. Of illustrious birth, N. received a very careful education; he soon entered as a simple cleric in the… -
Nimbus (NIMBO)
A disc which from as early as the 4th century B.C. is found placed around the head of images of divinities or of deified beings. In classical art this… -
Nîmes, Diocese of (NÎMES, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese in the department of Gard, at the foot of the hills of Garrigues, in southern France. Its boundaries correspond to those of the department of… -
Nimrod (NEMROD)
Son of Cush, of Hamitic stock, of whom it is said that he was a great hunter and founded an empire (Gen. 10:8-12) in Babel and other cities of the land of… -
Nine Saints (NOVE SANTI)
So called of Rome (= Constantinople), Monophysite monks who, according to legend, arrived in Ethiopia in 454 coming from Syria, whence they had been driven… -
Nineteenth Century (OTTOCENTO)
OTTOCENTO: v. MODERNA, ARTE SACRA. -
Ninfa, Saint, Martyr (NINFA, SANTA, MARTIRE)
Unknown to the ancient Martyrologies until the 9th century; the first notice of her is in the Lib. Pont., which in the life of Leo IV (847-55) mentions a… -
Ningpo [Ningbo], Diocese of (NINGPO, DIOCESI DI)
The apostolic vicariate of Chekiang, erected on 27 May 1846 and comprising the civil province of the same name, in central-eastern China, on 10 May 1910 was… -
Ningsia [Yinchuan], Diocese of (NINGSIA, DIOCESI DI)
It is located in the southwestern part of Inner Mongolia (China) and comprises the three civil sub-prefectures situated west of the province of Suiyuan, the… -
Ninguarda, Feliciano
Dominican theologian and bishop, b. at Morbegno (Valtellina) in 1524, d. at Como on 5 January 1595. He taught at Vienna and was procurator of the archbishop of… -
Ningyuan [Xichang], Diocese of (NINGVŪAN, DIOCESI DI)
Erected as an apostolic vicariate, under the name of Kientchang, on 12 Aug. 1910, with territory detached from that of southern Szechwan (v. SUIFU), on 3 Dec.… -
Ninive
Capital city of Assyria. The name of the city is at first Ninuwā, in the middle of the 2nd millennium Ninuwa, but along with this also Ninua and Nina. Only the… -
Nino Pisano
Sculptor and architect, b. in Pisa in the early years of the 14th century, d. there in 1368. He divided his activity among Florence, Pisa and Orvieto, where in… -
Nino, Saint (NINO, SANTA)
This is the Georgian name of the mulier captiva who, according to Rufinus (Hist. Eccl., X, 11), converted Georgia (Caucasian Iberia) to the Christian faith… -
Nio
He is the father of Italian historiography. Born at Vignola (Modena) on 21 October 1672 into a family of modest peasants, he died at Modena on 23 January 1750.… -
Nippur
City of ancient Babylonia. The various hills (= tell) of N. - situated between Kūt el-Amārah and Dīwānijjeh (in the desert between the Euphrates and the… -
Nirvana (NIRVĀNA)
N., in Pāli "nibbāna", means "extinction", in both a proper and a figurative sense. In this latter acceptation it is a word of Buddhist dogmatics, and… -
Nisān (From Babylonian Nisannu) (NISĀN (DAL BABILONESE NISANNU))
First month of the year in Israel; in the oldest biblical literature, it is identified with ḥōdheṣ hā-'ābhībh "month of the ripening ears of grain" (v. 'ABIB)… -
Nisibis (Nusaybin), School of (NISIBI (NUSAYBIN), SCUOLA DI)
A Syriac city on the Mesopotamian plain, it was the seat, around the middle of the 4th century, of a school where St. Ephrem also taught. The school later… -
Niterói, Diocese of (NITERÓI, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese in the State of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). It borders on the dioceses of Barra do Piraí, Valença, Rio de Janeiro and Juiz de Fora. It has a… -
Nitra, Diocese of (NITRA, DIOCESI DI)
Diocese in Slovakia, established in 880 as a suffragan of the metropolis of Pannonia, when Pope John VIII sent St. Methodius, apostle of the Slavs, back to…