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1,512 articles · English index · Indice italiano-
Polygamy (POLIGAMIA)
POLIGAMIA: V. POLIANDRIA; POLIGINIA. -
Polygenism (POLIGENISMO)
From the Greek πολός = many and γένος = origin, it is the hypothesis that derives present-day mankind from several initial couples, whether belonging to a… -
Polyglot Bibles (POLIGLOTTE, BIBBIE)
POLIGLOTTE, BIBBIE: v. BIBBIA. -
Polygyny (POLIGINIA)
From the Greek πολύς = much and γυνή = wife, it is the simultaneous marital cohabitation of one man with several women. I. MORAL THEOLOGY AND CANON LAW. -… -
Polynesians, Religion of the (POLINESIANI, RELIGIONE DEI)
POLINESIANI, RELIGIONE dei: v. PRIMITIVI, RELIGIONE DEI. -
Polyphony (POLIFONIA)
From the Greek πολός = much and φωνή = sound, voice, it is music based on the simultaneous association of two or more parts having or not having a thematic… -
Polyptych (POLITTICO)
Term generally adopted to indicate a complex of more than three painted panels, joined together by a frame of an architectural character. Indeed, a diptych is… -
Polytheism (POLITEISMO)
From Gr. πολίς = many and θεός = god, it is the belief in and worship of several divinities independent of one another, as opposed to monotheism. It should be… -
Pomarancio, Antonio Circignani, called Il (POMARANCIO, ANTONIO CIRCIGNANI, DETTO IL)
Born ca. 1580, died ca. 1640 (Baumgart places the limits of his life between 1570 and 1630): documentary records exist up to 1629. Son of Niccolò, whose… -
Pomarancio, Cristoforo Roncalli, called Il (POMARANCIO, CRISTOFORO RONCALLI, DETTO IL)
Painter, b. at Pomarance, near Volterra, in 1552, d. at Rome on 14 May 1626. A pupil of Niccolò Circignani, also called il P., C. R. appears as a typical… -
Pomba, Giuseppe (POMBA, GIUSEPPE,)
Bookseller, printer and publisher, b. in Turin on 4 Feb. 1795, d. there on 3 Nov. 1876. He began his career in 1807 as a bookseller's apprentice in his… -
Pombal de Carvalho e Mello, Sebastião José, Marquess of (POMBAL DE CARVALHO E MELLO, SEBASTIÁN JOSÉ, MARCHESE DI)
Born in Lisbon on 15 May 1699, died at Pombal on 8 May 1782. In 1739 he was sent to London as chargé d'affaires; in 1745 he was ambassador to Vienna. Minister… -
Pomerius, Julianus (POMERIO, GIULIANO)
Priest, orator, born in Mauritania; around the middle of the 5th century he moved to Gaul (Gennadius, De viris illustr., 66), taking up residence in Arles… -
Pompa
From the Greek πομπή "procession" (from πέμπω "I send," "I accompany"), it is the solemn procession that in Greece and Rome accompanies: 1) magistrates and… -
Pompallier, Jean-Baptiste-François
Born on 11 Dec. 1801 at Lyon, died at Puteaux (Paris) on 21 Dec. 1871. A priest in 1829, he held the care of souls at Ste-Madeleine de Tarare until 1832. He… -
Pompei, Prelature Nullius of (POMPEI, PRELATURA NULLIUS DI)
Valle di P. was a place inhabited by little more than a hundred farmers when the lawyer Bartolo Longo (v.) began to concern himself with their spiritual life.… -
Pompeii (POMPEI)
Situated on the great coastal road from Naples toward southern Italy, it was founded by Oscan peoples of Campania near the lower valley of the Sarno. It was at… -
Pompilio Maria Pirrotti, Saint (POMPILIO MARIA PIRROTTI, SANTO)
Piarist, b. at Montecalvo Irpino (Avellino) on 29 Sept. 1710, d. at Campi Salentina (Lecce) on 15 July 1766. He taught in various houses of the provinces of… -
Pomponazzi (Pompacius, de Pomponaciis), Maestro Pietro
Aristotelian philosopher, b. at Mantua on 16 Sept. 1462, son of Gian Niccolò, d. at Bologna on 18 May 1525, and on account of his small stature commonly called… -
Pomponia Graecina (POMPONIA GRECINA)
A Roman noblewoman, wife of Aulus Plautius. According to the testimony of Tacitus (Annal., XIII, 32), around 58 A.D., "superstitionis externae rea", she was… -
Pomposa
It is a small center in the commune of Codigoro (Ferrara) belonging to the diocese of Comacchio (v.). Situated on the ancient Via Romea, it owes its renown to… -
Ponce, Diocese of (PONCE, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese of Central America on the island of Puerto Rico; immediately subject to the Holy See. It has an area of 1,200 sq km with a population of… -
Poncelet, Albert
Jesuit, hagiographer, b. at Liège on 30 Aug. 1861, d. at Montpellier on 19 Jan. 1912. Having entered the Order in 1878, he was definitively attached in 1895 to… -
Poncius (Ponce), John
Franciscan Scotist theologian, b. at Cork (Ireland) in 1603, d. at Paris ca. 1672. He completed his philosophical studies at Cologne and his theological… -
Pondicherry, Archdiocese of (PONDICHÉRY, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
In the colony of P., founded by French merchants in 1674, the Capuchins of Madras settled in 1677, and they also founded missionary stations in the French… -
Ponens (Ponente) (PONENTE (PONENS))
A designation given particularly to prelates charged with reporting on causes or matters heard before the tribunals or Congregations of the Roman Curia, and… -
Ponta Grossa, Diocese of (PONTA GROSSA, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese in the State of Paraná in Brazil. It has an area of 40,000 sq km with a population of 350,000 inhabitants, of whom 320,000 are Catholics. It… -
Pontano, Giovanni
Humanist, poet, who later called himself Gioviano after the planet under which he was born and because of the character he believed he had derived from it, b.… -
Pontecorvo, Diocese of (PONTECORVO, DIOCESI DI)
PONTECORVO, DIOCESI di: v. AQUINO, SORA, PONTECORVO, DIOCESI di. -
Pontelli, Bartolomeo, called Baccio (PONTELLI, BARTOLOMEO, DETTO BACCIO)
Architect and master carpenter, b. in Florence before 1450, d. at Urbino after 1494. A pupil of Francione, he is recorded in Pisan documents from 1471 to 1478… -
Pontianak, Apostolic Vicariate of (PONTIANAK, VICARIATO APOSTOLICO DI)
It is located in the central-western part of Borneo, formerly Dutch (Indonesia). The present mission began on 11 February 1905, when the entire Dutch territory… -
Pontian, Pope, Saint, Martyr (PONZIANO, PAPA, SANTO, MARTIRE)
According to the Liberian Catalogue and the Liber Pontificalis, P. was a Roman, the son of a certain Calpurnius; he was pope from 231 to 235, when, together… -
Pontifex Maximus (PONTEFICE MASSIMO)
The college of pontiffs, in the religious constitution of ancient Rome, was charged with overseeing the entire body of the national religious heritage, both… -
Pontifical (PONTIFICALE)
It is the liturgical book that contains the description (rubrics) and the formulas of the functions normally reserved to the bishop (pontifex-p.). As a book in… -
Pontifical Aid Work (ASSISTENZA, OPERA PONTIFICIA)
ASSISTENZA, OPERA PONTIFICIA: v. PONTIFICIA COMMISSIONE ASSISTENZA. -
Pontifical Archiatra (Archiatros) (ARCHIATRA (ARCHIATRO) PONTIFICIO)
He is the private or secret physician of the Pope. The absence of any reference to this designation in the pontifical yearbooks indicates that the title of a.… -
Pontifical Audiences (UDIENZE PONTIFICIE)
UDIENZE PONTIFICIE: v. TABELLA, UDIENZE di. -
Pontifical Chapel (CAPPELLA PONTIFICIA)
This name is customarily used to designate collectively the dignitaries who ordinarily take part in the solemn sacred functions performed by the pope or with… -
Pontifical Commission for Assistance (PONTIFICIA COMMISSIONE ASSISTENZA)
PONTIFICIA COMMISSIONE ASSISTENZA: V. COMMISSIONI PONTIFICIE. -
Pontifical Commissions (COMMISSIONI PONTIFICE)
From the name itself it is understood that through them the Supreme Pontiff entrusts to certain expert persons some special assignment concerning activities… -
Pontifical Equestrian Orders (ORDINI EQUESTRI PONTIFICI)
These are the corporations instituted by the Roman pontiffs in order to reward persons of merit for services rendered to the Church (cf. Pius X, preamble to… -
Pontifical Family (FAMIGLIA PONTIFICIA)
It is, in a broad sense, the household of the Roman Pontiff, as head of the whole Church and for that very reason invested with sovereign prerogatives. I.… -
Pontifical Gendarmerie (GENDARMERIA PONTIFICIA)
It is one of the corps of the pontifical armed forces. The institution of the p. g., through the corps of pontifical carabinieri, dates back to 1816. In fact… -
Pontifical Institute of Saints Peter and Paul and Saints Ambrose and Charles for Foreign Missions (ISTITUTO PONTIFICIO DEI SANTI APOSTOLI PIETRO E PAOLO E DEI SANTI AMBROGIO E CARLO PER LE MISSIONI ESTERE)
The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions of Milan, as it is today, results from the union - which took place in 1926 - of the Institute for Foreign… -
Pontifical Law (JUS PONTIFICIUM)
Title of the quarterly journal, founded in Rome in 1921 by the priest Alberto Toso (author of an appreciated commentary on the CIC), having as its subject the… -
Pontifical Law of Propaganda Fide (JUS PONTIFICIUM DE PROPAGANDA FIDE)
It is the collection of documents concerning the missions compiled by Bishop Raffaele De Martinis, a Lazarist (1845-1900). It is divided into two parts, of… -
Pontifical Missionary Works (OPERE PONTIFICIE MISSIONARIE)
I. LEGAL NATURE. - The P. O. M. [Pontifical Missionary Works] are pious associations (v.) of the faithful with the purpose of aiding the missions by means of… -
Pontifical Noble Guard (GUARDIA NOBILE PONTIFICIA)
It is the first, in order of dignity, of the pontifical armed corps. The P. N. G. was instituted by Pius VII with a motu proprio of 11 May 1801, under the name… -
Pontifical Protectorate (PROTETTORIA PONTIFICIA)
The p. p. is a particular tutelage of the Roman Pontiff extended to religious Orders, abbeys, religious congregations, and pious institutions that enjoy this… -
Pontifical Society of Saint Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions (PIA SOCIETÀ SAN FRANCESCO SAVERIO PER LE MISSIONI ESTERE)
It was founded by the servant of God Guido M. Conforti, at Parma, in 1895. A religious congregation in 1898, it received the «decretum laudis» in 1906 and… -
Pontifical Swiss Guard (GUARDIA SVIZZERA PONTIFICIA)
It is a corps of Swiss soldiers, in service in Vatican City (Cohors pedestris Helvetiorum a sacra custodia Pontificis). As early as the 14th century some Swiss… -
Pontifical Work of the Holy Childhood (SANTA INFANZIA, OPERA PONTIFICIA DELLA)
SANTA INFANZIA, OPERA PONTIFICIA della: v. PONTIFICAL MISSIONARY WORKS, III. Pontifical Work of the Holy Childhood. -
Pontifical Yearbook (ANNUARIO PONTIFICIO)
Official directory of the Catholic ecclesiastical hierarchy, of the Roman Curia and the pontifical court, compiled annually at the Secretariat of State. Its… -
Pontius (PONZIO)
Biographer of St. Cyprian. About thirty manuscripts have handed down a writing that narrates the life of St. Cyprian from his Baptism to his election as… -
Pontius, Basilio (Legionensis, Ponce de León)
Augustinian theologian, b. at Granada on 6 Sept. 1596, d. at Salamanca on 28 Aug. 1629. He taught theology in the Royal College of Alcalá and from 1608… -
Pontormo, Jacopo Carucci (Carrucci), called Il (PONTORMO, JACOPO CARUCCI (CARRUCCI), DETTO IL)
Florentine painter, b. 24 May 1494 near Empoli, d. in Florence in 1557. Son of a pupil of the Ghirlandaio, Bartolomeo di Jacopo di Martino Carrucci, of whom no… -
Pontremoli, Diocese of (PONTREMOLI, DIOCESI DI)
It is the northernmost of the four dioceses of Lunigiana and extends its jurisdiction over the upper and, in part, the middle Val di Magra. At present the… -
Ponza di San Martino, Gustavo
Statesman, b. at Cuneo on 6 Jan. 1810, d. at Dronero on 6 Sept. 1876. Having entered the administrative career at a young age, before he was forty he was… -
Ponziano, Cemetery of (PONZIANO, CIMITERO DI)
It is situated on the right side of the Via Portuense, with entrance from the hill of Monteverde, at Via Alessandro Poerio 57. It is mentioned as early as the… -
Poole (Pole, Polus), Matthew
Puritan minister and biblical commentator, b. at York in 1624, d. at Amsterdam in 1679. Admitted to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, in 1645, he took the degree of… -
Pool of Bethesda (PISCINA PROBATICA)
PISCINA PROBATICA : v. PARALITICO; PROBATICA PISCINA. -
Poona [Pune], Diocese of (POONA, DIOCESI DI)
In central-southern India. The territory first belonged to the apostolic vicariate of Bombay; on 8 March 1854 it was divided into two apostolic vicariates: the… -
Poor Brothers of Saint Francis Seraphic (FRATELLI POVERI DI SAN FRANCESCO SERAFICO)
They were founded by Fr. Giovanni Hover (1816-64) at Aachen in 1861 under the influence of the venerable Francesca Schervier, for the education and care of… -
Poor Clares (CLARISSE)
Name of the Second Order founded by St. Francis of Assisi with St. Clare of Assisi in 1212 and, at the beginning, propagated especially by Cardinal Ugolino… -
Poor Clares (MONACHE POVERE CLARISSE)
The Institute arose from the union of the Communities of independent Poor Clares existing in Newry, Cavan, Keady and Ballyjamesduff in Ireland, recognized by… -
Poor Daughters of Saint Anthony (POVERE FIGLIE DI SANT'ANTONIA)
Religious institute, founded by Sister Miradio della Provvidenza di S. Gaetano (Giulia Bonifacio), a former Alcantarine nun, in Tufara di Valle Gaudina… -
Poor Daughters of Saint Joseph Calasanctius (Florence) (FIGLIE POVERE DI SAN GIUSEPPE CA-LASANZIO (FIRENZE))
On June 24, 1889, the archbishop of Siena, Msgr. Zini, a Piarist, invested the first five poor Calasanzian sisters, to whom he gave the mandate to educate poor… -
Poor Daughters of the Stigmata of Saint Francis (POVERE FIGLIE DELLE STIMMATE DI SAN FRANCESCO)
Founded in Florence in 1848 by Anna Lapini dei Fiorelli. Purpose: the free Christian and religious instruction of poor and abandoned girls. The Institute was… -
Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ (POVERE ANCELLE DI GESÙ CRISTO)
Religious institute founded at Dernbach (Hesse) in 1848 by Maria Caterina Kasper for the instruction and education of youth and for the care of the sick in… -
Poor Handmaids of the Mother of God (POVERE ANCELLE DELLA MADRE DI DIO)
Institute founded at Westminster (England) in 1868 by the pious lady Mary Magdalene Taylor. The purpose proposed by the foundress was charitable assistance, in… -
Poor Lombards (POVERI LOMBARDI)
Heretical sect, widespread in Lombardy, derived through separation from the Poor of Lyons, or Waldensians. Already in the earliest times of Valdo's… -
Poor School Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis (POVERE SUORE SCOLASTICHE DEL TERZ'ORDINE DI SAN FRANCESCO)
Founded by Fr. Sebastiano Schwarz, parish priest in Vöcklabruck (diocese of Linz). In 1842 he began to gather in his own house some abandoned children… -
Poor Sisters of Buenos Aires of Saint Joseph (POVERE SUORE BONAERENSI DI SAN GIUSEPPE)
The work began on 28 Jan. 1880, when Mother Camila Rolón, with the approval of the archbishop of Buenos Aires, gathered in Mercedes some good women for the… -
Poor Sisters of Nazareth (POVERE SUORE DI NAZARET)
Cardinal Wiseman, Archbishop of Westminster, in 1850 conceived the plan of a hospice for the aged similar to the French ones of the Little Sisters of the Poor.… -
Poor Sisters of Saint Francis (POVERE SUORE DI SAN FRANCESCO)
Religious institute founded in Aachen by Frances Schervier, who in 1845 associated with herself four other young women to place themselves at the disposal of… -
Poor Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration (POVERE SUORE DI SAN FRANCESCO DELL'ADORAZIONE PERPETUA)
Institute founded on 20 Dec. 1860 at Olpe (diocese of Paderborn), by Teresa Bonzel. Within a decade it spread rapidly, but the laws of the Kulturkampf, in… -
Poor Sisters of the Immaculate Virgin Mary (POVERE SUORE DELL'IMMACOLATA VERGINE MARIA)
Founded by Giovanni Schneider, parish priest of St. Matthias in Breslau, in 1854. The initial purpose was the instruction and education of domestic servants.… -
Poor Sisters of the Schools of Our Lady (Budweis) (POVERE SUORE DELLE SCUOLE DI NOSTRA SIGNORA (BUDWEIS))
Fr. Gabriel Schneider, chaplain of Hirschau (diocese of Budweis in Bohemia), around 1848 thought of introducing into his homeland a congregation of religious… -
Poor Sisters of the Schools of Our Lady (Munich) (POVERE SUORE DELLE SCUOLE DI NOSTRA SIGNORA (MONACO))
The Institute was founded in Regensburg in 1833, through the work of Msgr. G. M. Wittmann, parish priest and later bishop of that city. It had as its… -
Poor Teaching Sisters of Our Lady (POVERE SUORE INSEGNANTI DI NOSTRA SIGNORA)
In 1860 the bishop of Colocza, Giuseppe Kunszt, called into his diocese some of the P. S. of the Schools of Our Lady of Budweis. The new Institution soon had a… -
Popayán, Archdiocese of (POPAYÁN, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
City and archdiocese in the Republic of Colombia, department of Cauca. The archdiocese has an area of 30,000 sq. km. with a population of 650,500 inhabitants… -
Pope (PAPA)
From the Greek πάππας, πάπας (= father), an honorific title now reserved in the Catholic Church to the Supreme Pontiff. SUMMARY: I. Origin of the name. - II.… -
Pope, Alessandro
English poet, b. in London on 21 May 1688, d. at Twickenham on 30 May 1744. He began his poetic career very young with the Pastorals (1709), imitating the… -
Poplifugia
A festival of July 5 in the most ancient Roman calendar, the only one that preceded the Nones of a month. Separated by the shortest interval from the Nonae… -
Popol Vuh
The P. V. (= national book) can be considered the Bible of the Quiché Maya (v. MAYA, religion of). It treats subjects concerning cosmogony, religion… -
Poppaea (Poppaea Sabina) (POPPEA (POPPAEA SABINA))
Nero's favorite, daughter of T. Ollius, of extraordinary beauty and intelligence, but dissolute and shameless, she was married to Rufinus Crispinus, by whom… -
Poppe, Edward
Priest, propagator of the Eucharistic Crusade, b. at Temache on the Scheldt on 18 Dec. 1890, d. at Moerzeke (Vlaanderen) on 10 June 1924. A priest in 1916, he… -
Poppo, Saint (POPPONE, SANTO)
Benedictine abbot, b. in 978 to a noble Flemish family, d. at Marchiennes on 25 January 1948. He was one of the most effective collaborators of Richard of… -
Popular Iconography (ICONOGRAFIA POPOLARE)
Sacred images have also been represented in ways suited to the taste, beliefs, and needs of the common people, and through the work either of unskilled popular… -
Popular Religious Festivals (FESTE RELIGIOSE POPOLARI)
Not outside the Church, but alongside it and together with it, the people have created and preserved interesting manifestations that accompany the official… -
Popular Union (UNIONE POPOLARE)
An association that arose among the Catholics of Italy, after the dissolution of the Opera dei Congressi (v.), in order to gather, according to the directives… -
Population (POPOLAZIONE)
It is the aggregate of all the inhabitants of a country, of a region, of a city, etc. Its size and composition vary incessantly as a result of births and… -
Populonia
Ancient Etruscan city (Pupluna) and ancient diocese on the promontory of Piombino near Porto Baratti; it was a Roman municipium but was already in decline at… -
Porcacci (Porcatius), Filippo
Scotist philosopher and theologian of the Conventual Friars Minor, b. at Bagnacavallo (Ravenna), d. at Rome, at the Ss. Apostoli where he is buried, on 13… -
Porcari, Stefano
Born at the beginning of the 15th century in Rome, d. in Rome on 9 January 1453. He is found in 1427 in Florence as captain of the people: an enthusiastic… -
Porcelain (PORCELLANA)
It is one of the great classes into which the products of ceramics (v.) are divided. It is a paste artificially composed cold on a ternary base: kaolin… -
Porcia (de Purlileis, di Porciglia)
A feudal family of the patriarchate of Aquileia, it had its possessions between the Tagliamento and the Livenza and held the advocacy of the Church of… -
Porcio, Festo (FESTO PORCIO)
FESTO PORCIO: v. PORCIO FESTO. -
Porcius Festus (PORCIO FESTO)
Procurator of Judea from 60 to 61-62 A.D. (dates of U. Holzmeister), of whom Acts 24:27-27:1 speaks. He is praised for his attitude and ability. Having arrived… -
Pordenone, Giovanni Antonio Sacchi, called Il (PORDENONE, GIOVANNI ANTONIO SACCHI, DETTO IL)
Painter, b. at Pordenone in 1483-1484, d. at Ferrara on 12 Jan. 1539. A complex artistic figure, yet easily identifiable in the various phases of his activity… -
Poreč, Diocese of (PARENZO, DIOCESI DI)
Small town and diocese on the western coast of Istria, formerly in the province of Pola. First a Roman municipium, then a colony under Tiberius ("Colonia Iulia… -
Porete, Marguerite (PORETE, MARGHERITA)
Heretical Beguine, b. in Hainaut (diocese of Cambrai), d. at the stake in Paris on June 1, 1310. Author of a mystical dialogue: Le mirouer des simples âmes… -
Pornography (PORNOGRAFIA)
From the Greek πονύγραφος, painter or writer of prostitution. According to the etymological meaning of the word, it denotes obscenity exhibited through… -
Porphyry (PORFIRIO)
Philosopher, b. in 232-33 A.D. probably at Tyre (Vita Plotini, VII) or perhaps in Batanea, an obscure land of Syria or Palestine, as one might suppose from the… -
Porpora, Nicola Antonio
Composer and teacher, b. in Naples on 19 Aug. 1686, d. there on 12 Feb. 1766. He studied music at the Conservatorio dei Poveri di Cristo in Naples. In 1712 he… -
Porres, Martín de, Blessed (PORRES, MARTÍN DE, BEATO)
Dominican lay brother, b. in Lima on 9 Dec. 1579, d. there on 3 Nov. 1639. A black mulatto, the bl. M. was the son of a noble Spanish knight and a Mexican… -
Porro, Giovanni Angelo, Blessed (PORRO, GIOVANNI ANGELO, BEATO)
Servant of Mary, born in Milan around 1450 to a noble family, died there on 24 Oct. 1506. At the age of fifteen he entered the Order of the Servants of Mary… -
Porsch, Felix
German Catholic politician, b. at Ratibor on 30 April 1853, d. at Breslau on 8 December 1930. A lawyer and counselor of the episcopal consistory, he began his… -
Porta, Ardicino I della
Cardinal, b. at Suno (Novara) in an unknown year, d. at Rome on 9 April 1434. A doctor in utroque iure, he had a family before becoming an ecclesiastic. A… -
Porta, Ardicino II della
Cardinal, nephew of the preceding, b. at Suno (Novara) ca. 1434, d. at Rome on 4 March 1493. He entered the ecclesiastical career young and was governor of… -
Porta, Carlo
Poet, b. in Milan on June 15, 1776, d. there on Jan. 5, 1821. He always lived in his city, employed at the Finance Administration, in constant contact with the… -
Porta, Costanzo
Conventual Franciscan, musician, b. at Cremona in 1505, d. at Padua on 26 May 1601. He was later director, often also founder or reformer, of the musical… -
Portal (PORTA)
In antiquity, alongside the monumental type, already present in Egyptian and Assyrian civilization, which in the imperial age would develop into the great… -
Portalegre, Diocese of (PORTALEGRE, DIOCESI DI)
The diocese of P. is located to the northeast of Lisbon, almost at the Spanish frontier, in Portugal. It has its episcopal see in the city of the same name and… -
Portaliè, Eugène
Jesuit, theologian, b. at Mende on 3 January 1852, d. at Amélie-les-Bains (Toulouse) on 20 April 1909. Having entered the Order in 1867, he was professor of… -
Porta, Simone (Porzio, Portius, Porcius)
Aristotelian philosopher, b. in Naples in 1496, d. there in 1554. His principal works are: De mente humana disputatio (Florence 1551); An homo bonus vel malus… -
Port-au-Prince (Porto Principe), Archdiocese of (PORTO PRINCIPE (PORT-AU-PRINCE), ARCIDIQUESI DI)
Archdiocese and capital city of the Republic of Haiti in Central America. Its suffragan dioceses are Les Cayes, Cap-Haïtien, Les Gonaïves and Port-de-Paix. Its… -
Port-de-Paix, Diocese of (PORTO PACE (PORT-DE-PAIX), DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese of the Republic of Haiti, suffragan of the archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, capital of the department of Nord-Ouest. It has an area of 3,600 sq… -
Port Elizabeth [Gqeberha], Diocese of (PORT ELIZABETH, DIOCESI DI)
In the eastern region of the Union of South Africa. It was erected on 30 July 1847 as an apostolic vicariate of the Cape of Good Hope, eastern district… -
Portico
The classic type of the portico, developed in Greco-Roman art, presents itself as a rectangular building, elongated, open on one of the long sides, closed on… -
Portio Legitima (PORZIONE LEGITTIMA)
PORZIONE LEGITTIMA: v. SUCCESSIONE EREDITARIA. -
Portio Parochialis (PORZIONE PARROCCHIALE)
The p. p. or canonical portion (called "quarta funeraria" before the CIC) is a sum to be deducted from the emolument offered on the occasion of funerals and to… -
Portland, Diocese of (PORTLAND, DIOCESI DI)
Diocese and city in the State of Maine, U.S.A. The diocese was erected by Pius IX on 8 Dec. 1854 for the States of Maine and New Hampshire, previously under… -
Portland in Oregon, Archdiocese of (PORTLAND IN OREGON, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
Archdiocese and city in the State of Oregon, U.S.A. By indult of the Holy See dated 28 Feb. 1836, Oregon County north of the American frontier was joined to… -
Port Louis, Diocese of (PORTO LUIGI, DIOCESI DI)
The island of Mauritius and the other small islands annexed to it (St. Brandon, Rodriguez, Agalega, Farquhar, the Chagos archipelago, Diego Garcia, Six Iles… -
Port Moresby, Apostolic Vicariate of (PORT MORESBY, VICARIATO APOSTOLICO DI)
Located in Australian New Guinea (Papua). On July 19, 1844 the apostolic vicariate of Western Oceania was divided into the two vicariates of Melanesia and… -
Porto Alegre (Portalegrè nel Brasile), Archdiocese of (PORTALEGRE NEL BRASILE (PORTO ALEGRE), ARCIDIOCESI DI)
Capital city and archdiocese in the State of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. It has an area of 44,620 sq km with a population of 1,358,000 inhabitants, of whom… -
Porto and Santa Rufina, Diocese of (PORTO E SANTA RUFINA, DIOCESI DI)
In Latium, in the province of Rome, it is one of the seven suburbicarian sees held by a cardinal of the Order of Bishops. It measures an area of 2,000 sq km… -
Port of Spain, Archdiocese of (PORTO DI SPAGNA, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
It is situated in the British Antilles and has its seat on the island of Trinidad, and it comprises the Windward Islands, the islands of Tobago, Grenada, St.… -
Portogruaro, Diocese of (PORTOGRUARO, DIOCESI DI)
Recent excavations have brought to light a new burial area with two enclosures, with quadrangular cells with three apses, with entrances framed by isolated… -
Porto Nacional, Diocese of (PORTO NAZIONALE, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese in the State of Goias in Brazil. It has an area of 250,000 sq km with a population of 213,000 inhabitants, of whom 208,000 are Catholics. It… -
Porto (Oporto), Diocese of (PORTO (OPORTO), DIOCESI DI)
The diocese of P., or O., is situated in the northwest of Portugal, between the dioceses of Braga, Vila Real, Lamego, Viseu and Aveiro. It has its episcopal… -
Port Pirie, Diocese of (PORT PIRIE, DIOCESI DI)
On 13 May 1887 the northern territory was detached from the diocese of Adelaide (Australia) and the diocese of Port Augusta, now P. P., was erected. There were… -
Portrait (RITRATTO)
I. ARCHAEOLOGY. - The portrait was a characteristic of Roman art. Christians had no portraits either of the Savior or of the Blessed Virgin; of the Apostles… -
Port-Royal
Cistercian monastery founded in 1204, which became an abbey from 1212, famous in the 17th century as the center of Jansenism (v. GIANSENIO and GIANSENISMO).… -
Portsmouth, Diocese of (PORTSMOUTH, DIOCESI DI)
City in England. The diocese (suffragan of Westminster) was founded in 1882 by dismemberment of the diocese of Southwark. It comprises the counties of… -
Portugal (PORTOGALLO)
I. GEOGRAPHY. - Portuguese territory represents the western edge of the Iberian plateau, which slopes down to the coast with plains and terraces, interspersed… -
Portuguese Society for Catholic Missions (SOCIETÀ PORTOGHESE PER LE MISSIONI CATTOLICHE)
Its specific purpose is religious assistance and evangelization in the Portuguese dioceses overseas, and also in other missionary regions to which it can… -
Portunalia
Festival on 17 Aug. in the oldest Roman calendar, dedicated to the god Portunus, about whose character literary testimonies give uncertain and vague… -
Port Victoria, Diocese of (PORT VICTORIA, DIOCESI DI)
PORT VICTORIA, DIOCESI di: v. SEYCHELLES, DIOCESI di. -
Porzio, Camillo
Historian, b. in Naples ca. 1526, d. there in 1580. He wrote La congiura dei baroni del Regno di Napoli contra il re Ferdinando I d'Aragona, induced to do so… -
Posadas, Francisco de, Blessed (POSADAS, FRANCISCO DE, BEATO)
Spanish Dominican, b. at Cordova on 25 Nov. 1644, d. there on 20 Nov. 1713. He exercised the apostolate, renewing the fruits of the preaching of St. Vincent… -
Poseidon (ΠΟΣΕΙΔΏΝ) (POSEIDONE (ΠΟΣΕΙΔΏΝ))
God of the waters, whose prerogative seems to be symbolized by the root common to his name (πόσις, ποντίζω, πάνταμαις; v. H. L. Ahrens, Über den Namen des… -
Positio
It is the written document in which a fact is set forth and asserted before an authority. In ancient law, the term p. denoted the de plano exposition of the… -
Positivism (POSITIVISMO)
A philosophical (scientific, historical) movement that arose in the 19th century and dominated its second half (classical positivism) but with successive… -
Possession (POSSESSO)
It is a state of fact protected by law - which attaches particular legal consequences to it - by virtue of which a material object or the exercise of a right… -
Possessio, Presa di (POSSESSO, PRESA DI)
It is one of the subsequent acts by which canonical provision is carried out. I. GENERAL CONCEPT. - In order to prevent harmful uncertainties in the… -
Possevino, Antonio
Jesuit, diplomat, b. at Mantua on 10 July 1533, d. at Ferrara on 26 Feb. 1611. Having gone to Rome in 1550, he was chosen as tutor to the nephews of Cardinal… -
Possibility (POSSIBILITÀ)
In the logical sense, possible is that which, once posited, has no absurd consequence; it is that which can be and not be, to which there corresponds in the… -
Possidius, Saint (POSSIDIO, SANTO)
Biographer of St. Augustine, he was among the first disciples who gathered around the Saint in the monastery founded by him at Hippo shortly after his… -
Post, Albert Hermann
Jurist, b. in Bremen on 8 Oct. 1839, d. there on 25 Aug. 1895. After completing his legal studies, he was a judge at the Obergericht and subsequently at the… -
Postcommunio
In the Latin rite (Roman, Ambrosian, Gallican and Mozarabic) it is the prayer said by the priest after Communion and after the people's chant at the Communio… -
Postliminium (POSTLIMINIO)
It is an institution characteristic of Roman law which, applied in various ways in medieval law and in canon law, still retains certain reflections in modern… -
Postulancy and Postulant (POSTULATO E POSTULANTE)
In the strict sense, p. is the period of time during which the aspirant to a religious order is considered such for legal purposes. In the broad sense, it is… -
Postulate (POSTULATO)
From Lat. postulare (to require; Gk. αἰτησίω), it is a proposition (v.) that is admitted as true without demonstration (v.) and whose affirmation is necessary… -
Postulazione and Postulator (POSTULAZIONE E POSTULATORE)
By p. is meant the function of one who legitimately promotes a cause before the competent ecclesiastical authority (pontifical and diocesan); and… -
Potamiaena and Basilides, Saints, Martyrs (POTAMIENA E BASILIDE, SANTI, MARTIRI)
They are commemorated in the Martyrologies on June 28 and June 30 respectively, but they belong to the group of Plutarch (v.). The daughter of Marcella, who… -
Potamion, Bishop of Heraclea, Saint (POTAMIONE, VESCOVO DI ERACLEA, SANTO)
In the Hieronymian Martyrology he is commemorated on May 18 as a martyr of the pagan persecutions and is called a presbyter. In the Roman Martyrology, however… -
Potamius (POTAMIO)
First bishop of Lisbon, d. 360. As with Priscillian, there is a critical disagreement over P.'s literary personality between the testimonies of his… -
Potenza
POTENZA: V. ATTO E POTENZA. -
Potenza e Marsico Nuovo, Diocese of (POTENZA E MARSICO NUOVO, DIOCESI DI)
P. is the capital of Basilicata: the Cathedral is under the invocation of St. Gerard, a suffragan of Acerenza and Matera. It has a population of 87,050… -
Pothier, Joseph
Benedictine of the Congregation of Solesmes, b. at Bouzemont (Vosges) on 7 Dec. 1835, d. at St-Wandrille on 8 Dec. 1923. Dom Guéranger entrusted him with the… -
Pothier, Robert-Joseph
Jurist, b. at Orléans on 9 Jan. 1699, d. there on 2 March 1772. Having completed his early studies in his native city at a college of Jesuits, he also attended… -
Pothinus, Saint, Martyr (POTINO, SANTO, MARTIRE)
He is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on 2 June together with the group of the martyrs of Lyons of 177. A disciple of St. Polycarp, like his presbyter… -
Potij, Ipatij
Bishop of Volodymyr-Berest and later metropolitan of Kiev, b. in 1541 and d. at Vilna in 1613. He was a state official at Berest and as such worked, this time… -
Potosí in Bolivia, Diocese of (POTOSÌ IN BOLIVIA, DIOCESI DI)
Diocese of Bolivia in South America, suffragan of the archdiocese of Sucre. > POTIJ, IPATIJ - Portrait. Painting in the residence of the Jesuits of Vilna. It… -
Potter, Mary
Foundress of the "Little Company of Mary," b. in London on 22 Nov. 1847, d. in Rome on 9 Apr. 1913. Having renounced marriage and after an attempt at… -
Potthast, August
German historian and bibliographer, b. at Höxter (Westphalia) on 13 Aug. 1824, d. at Leobschütz (Upper Silesia) on 13 Feb. 1898. After completing his studies… -
Pottier, Antoine
Sociologist, b. at Spa (Belgium) on 22 Feb. 1849, d. at Rome on 24 Nov. 1923. A boarder at the Collegio Capranica in Rome (1868-1875), he earned his degree in… -
Poulain, Augustin-François
Jesuit, writer on mysticism, b. at Cherbourg on 15 Dec. 1836, d. at Paris on 19 July 1919. Having entered the Society of Jesus in 1858, from 1881 to 1897 he… -
Poulpiquet, Ambroise de
Dominican apologist, b. at Lesmel in Plouguerneau (Finistère) on 25 June 1878, d. at Brest on 22 Apr. 1915. A religious in 1896, ordained a priest in 1902, he… -
Pouso Alegre
City and diocese in the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil. It has a population of 530,000 inhabitants, of whom 525,000 are Catholics, distributed in 34 parishes… -
Poussin, Nicolas
French painter, b. at Villers in Normandy in 1594, d. in Rome on Nov. 19, 1665. Trained in his homeland under the guidance of Quentin Varin, around 1612 he… -
Poveda, Pedro
Spanish priest, founder of the Teresian Institution, b. December 3, 1874 at > (phot. Alinari) > POUSSIN, NICOLAS - Ecstasy of St. Paul - Paris, Louvre. Linares… -
Poverty (POVERTÀ)
The state of one who, lacking the superfluous and the fitting, and often even the necessities of life, is exposed to privations and hardships. It concerns not… -
Powder Plot (POLVERI, CONGIURA DELLE)
A conspiracy to blow up, on Nov. 5, 1605, the English Parliament and with its members also King James I. Motive: the long and unbearable vexations and… -
Powell, Edward, Blessed (POWELL, EDWARD, BEATO)
Theologian, b. ca. 1478 in Wales, suffered martyrdom on 30 July 1540 in London. A member of Oriel College, Oxford, he held various ecclesiastical benefices; as… -
Poznań, Archdiocese of (POSNANIA-POZNAŃ, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
City and archdiocese in Poland, founded in 968. A suffragan of Gniezno until 1821. In that year, with the bull De salute animarum, Pope Pius VII raised it to a… -
Pozzetti, Pompilio
Born at Mirandola on 17 January 1760; a Piarist on 17 September 1775, died at Bologna on 18 April 1815. An illustrious historian and polygraph, he was one of… -
Pozzo, Andrea
Born in Trento in 1642, after an initial pictorial education there and in Como he moved to Milan, where in 1665 he entered the Society of Jesus as a "coadjutor… -
Pozzuoli, Diocese of (POZZUOLI, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese in the province of Naples. It has an area of 77 sq km with a population of 153,364 inhabitants, of whom 152,307 are Catholics; it has 40… -
Prades, Jean Martin de
Anti-Catholic writer, b. at Castelsarrasin (diocese of Montauban) in 1720, d. at Glogau in 1782. Having gone to Paris to take his degree in theology, he made… -
Prado, Jerónimo de
Jesuit, b. at Baeza (Andalusia) in 1547, d. at Rome on 13 Jan. 1595. Having entered the Society of Jesus in 1572, he was for 16 years professor of exegesis in… -
Pradt, Dominique Dufour de (PRADT, DOMINIQUE DUPOUR DE)
French prelate, b. 23 April 1759 at Allanches, d. 18 March 1837 in Paris. A deputy of the clergy to the Estates General in 1789, he voted against the Civil… -
Praecepta de Chartis Perditis
PRAECEPTA DE CHARTIS PERDITIS: v. APPENNES. -
Praeclara Custos Virginum
Hymn of Matins for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, composed in the 17th century and introduced into the Breviary in 1845. The author is unknown. In… -
Praedestinatus
An anonymous and untitled work, to which the first editor, J. Sirmond, gave this title. The first book combats 90 heresies, the penultimate of which is the… -
Praetextatus, Vettius Agorius (Vettius Agorius Praetextatus) (PRETESTATO, VETTIO AGORIO (VETTIUS AGORIUS PRAETEXTATUS))
A characteristic representative of the religious syncretism of the educated classes in the 4th century, he was, together with Nicomachus Flavianus and… -
Praetorium (PRETORIO)
Etymologically, it is the place where the Roman praetor established the office of judge. Originally, in mobile camps, it was the tent of the… -
Praetorius, Michael
Composer and music theorist, b. 15 Feb. 1571 at Kreuzburg (Thuringia), d. 15 Feb. 1621 at Wolfenbüttel (Brunswick). He was organist (from 1604), chapel master… -
Pragmatic Sanction (PRAMMATICA SANZIONE)
I. Pragmatica sanctio is the name applied in the late Roman Empire to a type of imperial constitution, whose nature is disputed and not reducible to a single… -
Pragmatism (PRAGMATISMO)
A direction in contemporary philosophy, among the most fortunate and widespread, which has had vast and at times profound repercussions, not only in the field… -
Prague, Archdiocese of (PRAGA, ARCIDIOCESI DI)
Capital city of Czechoslovakia and archdiocese situated in the center of Bohemia on the banks of the Vltava, built on 7 hills. Because of its position and its… -
Prat, Ferdinand
Exegete, b. at La Préterie (Aveyron, France) on 10 Feb. 1857, d. at Toulouse on 4 Aug. 1938. Having entered the Society of Jesus in 1876, he studied Oriental… -
Prati, Giovanni
Poet, b. Jan. 27, 1814 at Campomaggiore near Dasindo (Trento), d. in Rome on May 9, 1884. His poetic activity can be divided into three periods. The first (c.… -
Prato (a Prato), Giovanni
Priest and journalist, b. at Rovereto on 29 Oct. 1812, d. there on 13 June 1883. A priest in 1835, in 1842 he took up the teaching of religion at the Seminary… -
Prato, Diocese of (PRATO, DIOCESI DI)
City and diocese in Tuscany, united with Pistoia (v.). The diocese, established in 1653 by the dismemberment of a part of the territory of the diocese of… -
Praxedes, Saint (PRASSEDE, SANTA)
She is commemorated in the Hieronymian Martyrology on July 21; the Itineraries of the 7th century record her buried in the cemetery of Priscilla on the Via… -
Prayer (PREGHIERA)
Language of praise, or invocation, or petition, addressed by man to God. SUMMARY: I. Nature and definition. - II. Psychology. - III. Forms and degrees. - IV.… -
Prayer (Ascetic) (ORAZIONE (ASCETICA))
I. DEFINITION. - An intimate converse of the soul with God and the saints, or a pious elevation of the mind to God (St. John Damascene, De Fide, III, 24: PG…