
Libraries
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Libraries, that is to say, collections of books accumulated and made accessible for public or private use, were known to the ancients before the coming of Christ. Probably the most ancient library of which we have any precise knowledge is that of Tello in Mesopotamia, discovered through the excavations of M. de Sarzec and now in great part removed to the Louvre. It seems to have consisted of more than 20,0000 tablets inscribed with cuneiform writing and belonging to the time of Gudea, ruler of Lagash, about 2500 B.C. Still more extensive was the royal library of Nineveh, formed by Sargon, King of Assyria from 722 to 705 B.C., and by his great-grandson Ashurbanipal (668 to 628 B.C.). The latter monarch sent scribes to the ancient cities of Babylonia and Assyria, where libraries existed, to make copies for him of rare and important works, and it seems certain that the collection comprised texts, impressed of course upon clay tablets, dealing with every branch of learning and science known to the wise men of his day. More than twenty thousand of these tablets have been brought to Europe and are now preserved in the British Museum. All the more important texts are marked with a formula attesting that they belong to the palace of Ashurbanipal, and the formulas concludes with an imprecation interesting to compare with those so often fount in the manuscripts of medieval libraries: "Whosoever shall carry off this table, or shall inscribe his name upon it side by side with mine own, may Ashur and Belit overthrow him in wrath and anger, and may they destroy his name and posterity in the land" (Wallis, Budge, and King, "Guide to Babylonian and Assyrian Antiquities", 1908, p. 41). In Egypt collections of papyrus rolls must undoubtedly have been made, though the more perishable nature of the material has not permitted any considerable remains to be preserved from the earlier ages of Egyptian history. Of collections of books among the Jews little is known, though certain passages in the Historical books of the Old Testament (e.g., 2 Samuel 1:18 ; 1 Kings 11:41 ; 14:19 ; 15:23 , etc.) suggest that there must have been repositories where books might be consulted. Moreover, we find in II Mach., ii, 13, a distinct statement that Nehemias founded a library and "gathered together out of the countries, the books both of the prophets, and of David, and the epistles of the Kings, and concerning the holy gifts."
With regard to pagan Rome and Greece we have more precise evidence. Pisistratus is said to have formed a library which was carried off to Persia by Xerxes and afterwards restored. Aristotle, the philosopher, as his writings prove, must certainly have had some sort of library at his command, and this collection, after coming to Athens, is said to have been ultimately take by Sulla to Rome. But by far the most famous libraries of the Greek world were those of Pergamum and Alexandria. The former, which had been formed by the kings of the family of Attalus from about the year 200 B.C., must have been a very remarkable collection. Modern archaeological exploration has identified the site of this library with certain rooms in the precincts of the temple of Athene (see Conze in the "Sitzungsberichte" of the Berlin Academy, 1884, 1259-70). As for the books themselves, we learn from Plutarch that two hundred thousand volumes, or rather rolls, were removed by Mark Anthony to Alexandria and given to Cleopatra to replace the library which had been accidentally destroyed by fire in Julius Caesar's Egyptian campaign. The library so destroyed, which was known as that of the Musaeum, was formed by Ptolemy Philadelphus about 260 B.C. It is to this library that the legend attaches of the origin of the Septuagint, as recorded in the apocryphal, but very ancient, "Letter of Aristeas". According to this legend, Demetrius Phalereus, the keeper of the library, advised his master, King Ptolemy, to endeavour to obtain for it a translation of the Law of the Jews. Envoys were accordingly dispatched to the High Priest Eleazar of Jerusalem, who sent seventy (or, more exactly, seventy-two) scholars to Alexandria to make the Greek version required. the work was completed in seventy day, and the translation was read aloud by Demetrius and approved as final.
The "Musæum" (i.e., building consecrated to the Muses), which contained this, the older of the two libraries, seems to have been located within the precincts of the palace, but the other, of later date, was formed in connection with the temple of Serapis, hence called the Serapeum. Much havoc was wrought among its treasures when Bishop Theophilus made his attack upon pagan worship at Alexandria in A.D. 390, and whatever remained of the library must have perished after the incursion of the Arabs in 641. although Polybius, writing in the second century before Christ, speaks (xii, 27) as though libraries would naturally be found in any large town, it is only in the last years of the Roman Republic that we hear much of libraries in Rome itself. At first these collections were in private hands -- Cicero, for example, seems to have take much pains in acquiring books -- but, after an unfulfilled project of Julius Caesar to form a library for public use, C. Asinius Pollio carried this idea into execution a little later by means of the spoils he had obtained in his Illyrian campaign 39 B.C. The Emperor Augustus himself soon followed the same example, and we hear of the collections of both of Greek and Latin Books formed by him, first in the Porticus Octaviae, which he restored about the year 33 B.C., and, secondly, within the precincts of the temple of Apollo on the Palatine, dedicated in 28 B.C. From this time forth public libraries multiplied in Rome under the imperial patronage of Tiberius and his successors, until they numbered, it is said, as many as twenty-six in all. From allusions in such writers as Ovid, Horace, and Aulus Gellius, it seems probable that these libraries, for example that of the Palatine Apollo, were furnished with copies of books on all subjects, and that soon as a new work of any well-known writer was given to the world the Roman libraries acquired it as a matter of course. We also know that they were administered by special officials, and that they served as places of resort for literary men, while one or more of them -- notably the Bibliotheca Ulpia in the forum of Trajan -- were used a depositories for the public archives.
At the time that Christianity appeared upon the scene in Rome, it is interesting to learn from Seneca how firm a hold the fashion of maintaining libraries, either public or private, had taken of Roman society. "What", asks Seneca, "is the use of books and libraries innumerable, if scarce in a lifetime the master reads the titles? . . . Forty thousand books were burnt at Alexandria. I leave to others to praise this splendid monument of royal opulence . . . . Procure as many books as will suffice for use, but not one for show. . . . Why should you excuse a man who wished to possess book-presses inlaid with arbor-vitae wood or ivory, who gathers together masses of authors either unknown or discredited, and who derives his chief delight from their edges and their tickets? You will find, then, in the libraries of the most arrant idlers all that orators or historians have written -- bookcases built up as high as the ceiling. Nowadays a library takes rank with a bathroom as a necessary ornament of a house. I could forgive such ideas, of they were due to extravagant desire for learning. As it is, these productions of men whose genius we revere, paid for at a high price, with their portraits ranged in line above them, are got together to adorn and beautify a wall" (De Tranquil. Animi, xi).
These were the fashions that prevailed in the more cultured circles of the roman Empire at the time when Christianity began its life-and-death struggle with paganism. the use of books, even if attended with a certain amount of shallow affectation, was not a weapon which the Church could afford to neglect. In itself the accumulated learning of past ages was a good influence, and the teachers of the new faith were not slow in striving to enlist it on their side. In any case some small collection of books was needed for the church services which seem from the very beginning to have consisted in part -- as does the Divine Office of the present day -- of readings from the Old and New Testaments, and from works of Christian instruction and edification. In this way every church that was founded became the nucleus of a library, and we need not be surprised to find St. Jerome counselling Pammachius (Ep. xlix,3) to make use of these collections ( ecclesiarum bibliothecis fruere ), and apparently assuming that wherever there was a congregation of the faithful suitable books would be available. But there must, of course, have been certain centres where, on account of their position, antiquity, or the exceptional generosity of benefactors, more important accumulations existed. Of these the earliest known to us is the library formed at Jerusalem, principally by Bishop Alexander, about the year 250, and containing, as Eusebius attests, a number of letters and historical documents (Hist. Eccles., VI, xx). Still more important was the library of Caesarea in Palestine. This was collected by the martyr Pamphilus, who suffered in the year 308, and it contained a number of the manuscripts which had been used by Origin (Jerome, In Titum, III, ix). At about the same period again we hear that, in the persecution which devastated Africa (303-304), "the officers went to the church at Cirta, in which the Christians used to assemble, and they despoiled it of chalices, lamps, etc., but when they came to the library [ bibliothecam ], the presses [ armaria ] were found empty" (see appendix to Optatus).
Julian the Apostate, in 362, demanded that the books formerly belonging to George, the Arian Bishop of Alexandria, including "many philosophical and rhetorical works and many of the doctrines of the impious Galileans ", should be sent him for a library formerly established by Constantius in the imperial palace ( Julian, Epist. ix). On the other hand, when St. Augustine was dying, "he directed that the library of the church and all the books should be carefully kept for posterity forever", and "he bequeathed libraries to the church containing books and treatises by himself or other holy persons " (Possidius, "Vita Aug.", n.31). In Rome it would seem that Pope Damasus (366-384) built a record-office ( archivium ) which, besides being the depository of official documents served also as library and chancery. It was connected with the Basilica of St. Lawrence , on the façade of which was an inscription which ended with the three following lines:
Archivis fateor volui nova condere tecta.Addere praeterea dextra laevaque columnas.
Quae Damasi teneant proprium per saecula nomen.
("I confess that I have wished to build a new abode for archives and to add columns on the right and left to preserve the dame of Damasus forever.")
It is no doubt this building which St. Jerome refers to as "chartarium ecclesiæ Romanæ". De Rossi and Lanciani conjecture that Damasus, following the model of one of the great libraries of Rome, which in its turn had imitated the arrangement of the famous library of Pergamum, had first build a basilica dedicated to St. Lawrence and then added on the north and south sides a colonnade from which the rooms containing the records would be readily accessible (Lancianai, Ancient Rome, pp. 187-190). Whether this building did or did not ever strictly deserve the name of a library, we have evidence that Pope Agapetus (535-36) set about the erection of another building on the Coelian Hill intended for the keeping of books and afterwards known as the Library of St. Gregory. There, at any rate, an inscription was to be read in the ninth century speaking of the long array of portraits which adorned the walls and, amongst the rest, of that of Pope Agapetus:
Hos inter residens Agapetus jure sacerdosCodicibus pulchrum condidit arte locum.
("Mid these by right takes Agapetus place, who built to guard his books this fair abode.")
The celebrated Cassiodorus, who had been the friend of Agapetus, withdrew from the world in his declining years and gathered round him a religious community at Vivarium, in Southern Italy. There he formed a library as an adjunct of primary necessity for such an institute. Further, he enjoined upon the brethren that if they met with any book which he wanted they should make a copy of it, "that by the help of God and their labour the library of the monastery might be benefited" (De Inst. Div. Lit., viii). Cassiodorus also tells us a good deal about his library contrivances.
But at the break-up of the civilization of the Roman Empire the great influence which contributed more than anything else to preserve in the West some scattered remnants of the learning of the classical period was undoubtedly monasticism, and in particular that form of monasticism which was identified with the Rule of St. Benedict . Even in Africa, as the rule of St. Pachomius and the writings of Cassion clearly show, the maintenance of the ideal of coenobitical life was in some measure dependent upon the use of books. St. Pachomius, for example, enjoined that the books of the house were to be kept in a cupboard in the thickness of the wall. Any brother who wanted a book might have one for a week, at the end of which he was bound to return it. No brother might leave a book open when he went to church or to meals. In the evening the officer called the "second" -- that is the second in command -- was to take charge of the books, count them, and lock them up (see P.L., XXIII, 68, and cf. Butler, "Palladius", I, 236). we know from a letter of St. Augustine's that at Hippo even the nuns had a library, and that it was the duty of one of the sisters to distribute and then to collect the books at the hours set apart for reading. Nor could the large place that study -- but more particularly the study of the Scriptures -- played in the lives of ascetic women at the close of the fourth century, be more clearly illustrated than in the story of St. Melania the younger, the friend of St. Augustine and St. Jerome, who made it a rule to spend daily a prescribed time in reading, and whose labours as a scribe were long renowned. But of all the written documents which have influenced the preservation of books, the text of the Rule of St. Benedict is the most important. Upon this is chiefly based that love of learning distinctive of the great monastic orders: "Idleness", says the Rule, "is an enemy to the soul, and hence at certain times the brethren ought to occupy themselves with manual labour and at others with holy reading . . ." And, after specifying the hours to be devoted to reading at various seasons, the Rule further lays down:
During Lent let them apply themselves to reading from morning until the end of the third hour. . . An in these days of Lent let each one receive a book from the library and read it all through in order. These books are to be given out at the beginning of Lent. Above all let one or two seniors be appointed to go round the monastery at the hours when the brethren are engaged in reading and see that there be no slothful brother giving himself to idleness or to foolish talk and not applying himself to his reading, so that he is thus not only useless to himself but a distraction to others. If such a one be found (which God forbid) let him be corrected once and a second time,and the Rule adds that if all this be ineffectual, the delinquent is to be chastised in such a way as to strike terror into others.
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That these principles were fully taken to heart, and bore fruit in the respect shown for books and in the zeal displayed to acquire them, was nowhere more clearly proved than in England. The whole life of the Venerable Bede might serve to illustrate this theme. But it is Bede who tells us from first hand knowledge of Benedict Biscop, Abbot of Wearmouth, who, having visited Rome in 671, "brought home not a few books of all-divine erudition, either bought for a fixed price or given hem by the kindness of friends; and when on his return he came to Vienne he received those which he had bought and entrusted to his friends there" (Hist. Abbat., iv). In 678 he paid another visit to Rome and "brought home a multitude [ innumerabilem copiam ] of books of every kind". In his last illness Benedict Biscop gave directions that the very noble and complete library which he had brought from Rome as necessary for the instruction of the Church, should be scrupulously preserved entire and neither suffer injury through want of care nor be dispersed (Hist. Abb., xi). It was from this collection, which was doubled by the energy of Ceolfrid his successor (Hist. Abb., xv). It was from this collection, which Ceolfrid enriched with three new copies of the Vulgate and with one of the Itala, that the famous Codex Amiatinus was taken, which Ceolfrid on a later occasion carried with him to Italy as a present for the pope. This manuscript, now in the Laurentian Library in Florence, has been described as "perhaps the finest book in the world" (White in "Studia Biblica," II, 273), but it seems not to have been the work of native scribes but of Italians brought over to England.
Although Jarrow had not itself a great scriptorium with a staff of trained copyists -- such as, for example belonged to Lindisfarne, which followed Irish traditions, and to Canterbury, where the dominant influence was Italian -- still, through Archbishop Egbert, whom Bede loved and visited at York, Ceolfrid's library must have exercised a profound influence upon Alcuin, and through him again upon the scholarship of all Western Christendom . Alcuin was the librarian of the fine collection of books which Egbert had formed in the monastery at York, and in one of his poems he gives a rather florid account of its contents ( Migne, P.L., CI, 843) which has been described as the earliest catalogue of any English library. If we could trust this list, the collection was really one of extraordinary range, including, not merely the best-known of the Latin Fathers, but Athanasius, Basil, and Chrysostom, among the Greeks, and besides these a certain number of historians, with philosophers like Aristotle and Boethius, with the most representative of the Latin classics and a fair sprinkling of grammarians. When Alcuin became the trusted adviser of Charlemagne, that great monarch's influence was everywhere exerted to foster the spread of learning and the accumulation of books. In an ordinance of 789, Charlemagne made provision for the setting-up of schools for boys in which he directed that "in every monastery and cathedral [episcopium]" they were to learn "the psalms and canticles, plain chant, the computus [or regulation of the calendar] and grammar". And he adds, "Let them also have Catholic books well corrected."

All this, directory or indirectly, must have given an immense stimulus towards the formation of libraries in Western Europe. Neither can we leave out of account the great influence which had been exerted at a somewhat earlier period by St. Columban and the Irish missionaries who settled at Luxeuil in France, at St. Gall in Switzerland, at Bobbio in Italy, at Wurzburg in Germany, and in many other places. Still as at St. Gall, for example, the Benedictine Rule often supplanted the Columban, and it was in its Benedictine days that the Swiss abbey attained it greatest renown as a center of learning, and formed the library which still exists. Many, however, of its most precious volumes were at one time removed to Reichenau as a measure of safety, and they seem not to have been all returned to their owners when quiet was restored. At the same time there is abundant evidence for the existence of a system of lending manuscripts by one house to another among friendly monasteries, for the purpose of transcription and collation. This latter process may often be traced in the copies which still survive: for example, two of our oldest manuscripts of Bede's "Ecclesiastical History" have evidently been collated, and the readings of one transferred to the other.
The most famous libraries of the Carlovingian period were those of Fulda, Reichenau, Corvey, and Sponheim in Germany, and those of Fleury, St-Riquier, Cluny, and Corbie in France. the library of Fulda, under the great scholar Rhabanus Maurus, was regarded as the best equipped in Christendom, and a contemporary speaks of the books he was there as "almost countless". Even at the beginning of the sixteenth century the abbey still possessed nine hundred volumes of manuscripts, most of which seem to have been destroyed or scattered in the Thirty Years' War. In the case of Reichenau we still possess the catalogue made by the librarian, Reginbert, before A.D. 831, which enumerates over 500 works contained in 256 volumes. All the libraries just mentioned owed directly or indirectly a good deal to the support of Charlemagne. In southern Italy the Abbey of Monte Cassino , the cradle of Benedictine monasticism, well illustrates the perils to which books were exposed owing to the wildness of the times. After it had been demolished by the Lombards in the sixth century, the monastery was rebuilt, and a new library painfully brought together. But in the ninth century came the Saracens, and when the abbey was despoiled the library perished in the flames. None the less, the monks set to work once more to acquire books and to make new copies, and this collection of manuscripts, which still survives, is among the most remarkable in Italy.
In Spain, at an earlier date, we gain some insight into the ornamentation of a well-appointed library from certain verses written by St. Isidore of Seville (600-636) to inscribe upon the portraits which hung over his book-presses. Upon the door of the room were also displayed another set of verses as a warning to talkative intruders, the last couplet of which runs:
Non patitur quenquam coram se scriba loquentem;Non est hic quod agas, garrule, perge foras.
Which may be rendered:
A writer and a talker can't agree;Hence, idle chatterer; 'tis no place for thee.
Speaking of Western Europe as a whole, we may regard it as an undisputed principle throughout the Middle Ages that a library of some sort was an essential part of every monastic establishment. "Claustrum sine armario, castrum sine armamentario", ran the adage; that is to say, a monastery without a library is a fort without an armoury. In all the developments of the Benedictine Rule, regulations of some kind are laid down for the use of books. We may quote, for example, the directions given by Lanfranc for the annual calling-in of library books on the first Sunday of Lent. The monks are bidden to bring back all books to the chapter house, and thereupon, "let the librarian read a document [ breve ] setting forth the names of the brethren who have had books during the past year; and let each brother when he hears his own name pronounced, return the book which has been entrusted to him for reading, and let him who is conscious of not having read the book through which he has received, fall down upon his face, confess his fault, and pray for forgiveness. And let the aforesaid librarian hand to each brother another book for reading; and when the books have been distributed in order, let the aforesaid librarian in the same chapter put on record the names of the books and of those who receive them."
J.W. Clark gives a summary of the arrangements peculiar to the different orders. Both the Cluniacs and Benedictines, he says, put the books in charge of the precentor, and often also styled armarius , and there is to be an annual audit and registration similar to that just described. Among the later Benedictines we also find a further regulation that the precentor is to keep all in repair and personally to supervise the daily use of the manuscripts, restoring each to its proper place when done with. Among these later Benedictine rules, as found, for example, at Abingdon at the end of the twelfth century, first appears the important permission to lend books to others outside the monastery on receipt of an adequate pledge. The Carthusians also maintained the principle of lending. As for the monks themselves, each brother might have two books, and he is to be specially careful to keep them clean. Among the Cistercians a particular official has charge of the books, about the safety of which great care is to be taken, and at certain times of the day he is to lock the press. This last regulation is also observed by the Premonstratensians, who further require their librarian to take note of books borrowed as well as books lent. Finally, the Augustinians, who are very full in their directions regarding the use of the library, also permit books to be lent outside, but insist much on the need of proper security (see Clark, "Care of Books", 58-73).
The importance of the permission to lend consists, of course, in this: that the monasteries thus became the public libraries of the surrounding district and diffused much more widely the benefit afforded by their own command of books. The practice no doubt involved much risk of loss, and there was a disposition sometimes manifested to forbid the lending of books altogether. On the other hand, it is clear that there were those who looked upon this means of helping their neighbors as a duty prescribed by the law of charity. Thus, in 1212, a synod held in Paris passed the following decree :
We forbid those who belong to a religious order to formulate any vow against lending their books to those who are in need of them; seeing that to lend is enumerated among the principal works of mercy . After due consideration let some books be retained in the house for the use of the brethren; but let others according to the decisions of the abbot be lent to those who are in need of them, the rights of the house being safeguarded. In future no penalty of anathema is to be attached to the removal of any book, and we annul and grantabsolution from all anathemas of the sort." (Delisle in "bib. de l'Ecole des Chartes", Ser. 3, I, 225).It is noteworthy, also that in this same thirteenth century many volumes were bequeathed to the Augustinian house of St. Victor, Paris, on the express condition that they should be so lent. No doubt most of the lending was for the benefit of other monasteries, either for reading or, still more often, for the purpose of making a copy. Against the dangers thus incurred it would seem that some protection was sought by invoking anathemas upon the head of the faithless borrower. How far excommunications were seriously and validly enacted against the unlawful detainers of such volumes is a matter of some uncertainty, but, as in the case of Ashur-ban-i-pal's cuneiform tablets, the manuscripts of medieval monasteries frequently contain on the fly-leaf some brief form of malediction against unjust possessors or detainers. For example, in a Jumièges book we find:
Should anyone by craft or any device whatever abstract this book from this place [Jumièges ] may his soul suffer in retribution for what he has done, and may his name be erased from the book of the living and not be recorded among the Blessed.But in general such formulae were more compendious as, for example, the following found in many St. Alban's books: "this book belongs to St. Alban. May whoever steals it from him or erases his inscription of ownership [ titulum deleverit ] be anathema. Amen."
The high value set on books is also emphasized by the many decrees enjoining care in their use. "When the religious are engaged in reading", says an order of the General Benedictine Chapter, "They shall, if possible, hold the books in their left hands, wrapped in the sleeve of their tunics and resting on their knees, their right hands shall be uncovered, with which to hold and turn the leaves of the aforesaid books" (Gasquet, "Old English Bible", 29). Numberless other appeals recommending care, tenderness and even reverence, in the treatment of books might be quoted from medieval sources. In the "Philobiblon" of Bishop Richard of Bury we have a whole treatise upon the subject, written with an enthusiasm which could not have been exceeded by a nineteenth-century bibliophile. He says, for example (chap. xvii): "And surely next to the vestments and vessels dedicated to our Lord's Body, holy books deserve to be rightly treated by the clergy, to which great injury is done so often as they are touched by unclean hands." This care naturally extended to the presses in which the books were permanently lodged. The Augustinians, in particular, had a formal rule that "the press in which the books are kept ought to be lined inside with wood, that the damp of the walls may not moisten or stain the books", and devices were further suggested to prevent the books from being "packed so close as to injury each other, or delay those who want to consult them" (Clark, "Care of Books", 71).
Still, the monastic system did not until much later make provision for any separate room to be used as a library. It was in the cloister, in which little alcoves called "carrels" were fitted up, securing a certain amount of privacy for each student, that the literary work of the house, whether in reading or transcribing, was mainly done. The result of this system was that the books were not kept all together but preserved in presses in different parts of the building. At Durham, for example, "some were kept in the church, others in the 'spendiment' or treasury, and others again in the refectory, and in more than one place in the cloister " (Gasquet, "Old Eng. Bible", 10). this scattering of the books was the more likely to happen because, from the very nature of the case, a collection of volumes written by hand and kept up only by limited monastic resources could never be very vast. Until the art of printing had lent its aid to multiply books and to cheapen them, a comparatively small number of cupboards were sufficient to contain the literary treasures of the very largest monastery. At Christ Church, Canterbury, Henry de Estria's Catalogue of about the year 1300 enumerates 3000 titles in some 1850 volumes. At Glastonbury in 1247 there were 500 works in 340 volumes. The Benedictines at Dover in 1389 possessed 449, while the largest English monastic library, so far as is known to us, viz., that at Bury St. Edmunds, at the beginning of the fifteenth century, contained 2000 volumes.
The practice just referred to, of scattering books in different presses and collections, was probably also much influenced by the custom of lending, or allowing outsiders to consult, books, upon which something has previously been said. Naturally, there will always have been volumes which any community, monastic or collegiate, reserved for the exclusive use of its members. Liturgical books and some ascetical treatises, particular copies of the scripture, etc., will have belonged to this class, while there will have been divisions even among the books to which the outside world had access. The following passage, for example, is very suggestive. Thomas Gascoigne says of the Franciscans at Oxford about the year 1445: "They had two libraries in the same house; the one called the convent library, and the other the library of the schools ; whereof the former was open only to graduates; the latter to the scholars they called seculars, who lived among those friars for the sake of learning". All this must have been very inconvenient, and it is not surprising that in the course of the fifteenth century the desirability of gathering their library treasures into one large apartment where study might be carried on occurred to the authorities of many monastic and collegiate institutions. During the whole of this period, therefore, libraries of some pretensions began to be build. Thus, to take a few examples, at Christ Church, Canterbury, a library, 60 feet long by 22 broad, was built by Archbishop Chichele, between 1414 and 1443, over the Prior's Chapel. The library at Durham was constructed between 1416 and 1446, by Prior Wessyngton, over the old sacristy ; that at Cîteaux, in 1480, over the scriptorium , or writing-room, forming part of the cloister ; that at Clairvaux, between 1495 and 1503, in the same position; that at the Augustinian monastery of St-Victor in Paris, between 1501 and 1508; and that at St-Germain des Pres in the same city, about 1513, over the south cloister.
The transformation of Clairvaux is easy to understand on account of two descriptions left us at a later date. A visitor in 1517 tells us: "On the same side of the cloister are fourteen studies [the carrels] where the monks write and study; and over the said studies is the new library, to which one mounts by a broad and lofty spiral staircase from the aforesaid cloister." The description goes on to extol the beauty of this new construction, which, adapting itself, of course, to the shape of the cloister below, was 198 feet long by 17 wide. In it, we are told, "there were 48 seats [ bancs ] and in each seat four shelves [ poulpitres ] furnished with books on all subjects". These books, although the writer does not say so, were probably chained to the shelves after the custom of that period. At any rate this is what the authors of the "Voyage litteraire", two hundred years later, say of the same library:
from the great cloister you pass into the cloister of conversation, so called because the brethren are allowed to converse there. In this cloister there are twelve or fifteen little cells [the carrels], all of a row, where the brethren formerly used to write books; for this reason they are still called at the present day the writing rooms. Over these cells is the Library, the building for which is large, vaulted, well lighted, and stocked with a large number of manuscripts fastened by chains to desks, but there are not many printed books.This, then, is a type of the transformation which was going on in the last century of the Middle Ages , a process immensely accelerated, no doubt, by the multiplication of books consequent upon the invention of printing. the newly constructed libraries, whether connected with universities, or cathedrals, or religious houses, were rooms of considerable size, generally broken up into compartments or stalls, such as may still be seen in Duke Humphrey's Library in the Bodleian at Oxford. Here the books were chained to the shelves, but they could be taken down and laid upon the desk at which the student sat, and at which he could also use his writing materials without inconvenience. Some few survivals of this old arrangement, for example at Hereford Cathedral, and at Zutphen (where, however, the chained books can only be consulted standing), still exist. But it was not for very many years that this system lasted, except as a perpetuation of old tradition.
MODERN LIBRARIES
Foremost among the agencies which have contributed to the collection and preservation of books in later times is the papacy. The popes, as munificent patrons of learning, have founded a number of libraries and enriched them with manuscripts and documents of the greatest value. The most important of these papal foundations is the Vatican Library, which will be described in another article (see VATICAN LIBRARY). Indirectly, also the popes have furthered the establishment of libraries by founding and encouraging universities. Each of these naturally regarded the library and the indispensable means of research; and in modern times especially these university collections have been enriched by the ever-growing mass of scientific literature. It is interesting to note that the nucleus of the library was often obtained by taking over the books and manuscripts which had been preserved in monasteries and other ecclesiastical establishments. A glace at the history of the universities will show how much they are indebted in this respect to the care and industry of the monks (see, e.g., the brief accounts in "Minerve", II, Strasburg, 1893). From the same sources came, in many instances, the books which served as the beginnings of the libraries founded by sovereigns, princes, churchmen, national governments, municipalities, and private individuals. In recent times, moreover, numerous and successful attempts have been made to provide the people at large with the facilities which were once the privilege of the student. Among the efficient means for the diffusion of knowledge must be reckoned the public library which is found in nearly every town of importance. While this multiplication of libraries is due chiefly to the advance in popular education, it has led, on the other hand, to the creation of what might be called a special ar or science. Much attention is now given to the proper housing and care of books, and systematic instruction is provided for those who are to engage in library work. It is not surprising, then, that, along with the growing realization of the value and importance of libraries, there would gradually have come about a fairer appreciation of what was done by the Church of the preservation of books.
The following list gives the founders and dates of some famous libraries:
- Ambrosian (q.v.), Milan ; Cardinal Federigo Borromeo, 1603-09.
- Angelica, Rome ; Angelo Rocca, O.S.A., 1614.
- Bodleian, Oxford; Sir Thomas Bodley, c. 1611.
- British Museum, London ; George III and George IV (largely with manuscripts taken from monasteries by Henry VIII ), c. 1795.
- Casanatense, Rome ; Cardinal Girolamo Casanata , 1698.
- Congressional, Washington; U.S. Government, 1800.
- Mazarine, Paris ; Cardinal Mazarin, 1643; public 1688.
- Mediceo-Laurenziana, Florence; Clement VII, 1571.
- Nationale, Paris ; Charles V of France, 1367.
- Royal, Berlin ; Elector Fred. William, c. 1650.
- Royal, Munich ; Duke Albert V, c. 1560.
- Valiceliana, Rome ; Achile Stazio, 1581.
- Vatican, Rome (See VATICAN LIBRARY).
More Volume: L 573
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LéridaLerida(ILERDENSIS) Diocese ; suffragan of Tarragona. La Canal says it was erected in 600, but ... |
Lérins, Abbey ofAbbey of LerinsSituated on an island of the same name, now known as that of Saint-Honorat, about a league from ... |
LübeckLubeckLübeck, a free imperial state and one of the Hanse towns, is in area the second smallest and ... |
Lütolf, AloysAloys LutolfAn ecclesiastical historian, born 23 July, 1824, in Gettnau near Willisau (Switzerland); died at ... |
L'Enfant, Pierre-CharlesPierre-Charles l'EnfantEngineer, b. in France, August, 1755; d. near Bladensburg, Maryland, U.S.A. 14 June, 1825. He ... |
L'Hospital, Michael deMichael de l'HospitalBorn at Aigueperse, about 1504; d. at Courdimanche, 13 March, 1573. While very young he went to ... |
La Bruyère, Jean deJean de la BruyereBorn at Paris in 1645; died at Chantilly in 1696. He was the son of a comptroller general of ... |
La Chaise, François d'Aix deFrancois d'Aix de la Chaise( Also Chaize). Confessor of King Louis XIV, born at the mansion of Aix, in Forez, ... |
La CrosseLa Crosse(CROSSENSIS) Diocese erected in 1868; included that part of the State of Wisconsin , U.S.A. ... |
La Fayette, Marie Madeleine Pioche de la Vergne, Comtesse deComtesse de La FayetteAuthor of memoirs and novels, born in Paris, 1634; died there, 1693 (al., 1696). She received a ... |
La Fontaine, Jean deJean de La FontaineFrench poet, b. at Chateau-Thierry, 8 July, 1621; d. at Paris, 13 April, 1695. He was the eldest ... |
La Fosse, Charles deCharles de La FossePainter, b. in Paris, 15 June, 1636; d. in Paris, 13 December, 1716, and buried in the church of ... |
La Harpe, Jean-FrançoisJean-Francois Le HarpeA French critic and poet, b. at Paris, 20 November, 1739; d. February, 1803. He was ten years old ... |
La Haye, Jean deJean de La HayeFranciscan Biblical scholar, b. at Paris, 20 March, 1593; d. there 15 Oct., 1661. He passed his ... |
La Hire, Philippe dePhilippe de La HireMathematician, astronomer, physicist, naturalist, and painter, b. in Paris, 18 March, 1640; d. ... |
La Luzerne, César-GuillaumeCesar Guillaume La LuzerneFrench cardinal b. at Paris, 1738; d. there, 1821. He studied at the Collège de Navarre, ... |
La Moricière, Louis-Christophe-Leon Juchault deLouis-Christophe-Leon Juchault de La MoriciereFrench general and commander-in-chief of the papal army, b. at Nantes, 5 February, 1806; d. ... |
La PazLa PazDIOCESE OF LA PAZ (PACENSIS). Diocese of La Paz, in Bolivia. The city is the capital of the ... |
La PlataLa Plata (Argentina)DIOCESE OF LA PLATA (DE PLATA). The city of La Plata, capital of the Argentine Province of ... |
La PlataLa Plata (Bolivia)ARCHDIOCESE OF LA PLATA/DE PLATA (OR CHARCAS) La Plata, besides being the metropolitan see of ... |
La Richardie, Armand deArmand de La RichardieBorn at Périgueux, 7 June, 1686; died at Quebec, 17 March, 1758. He entered the Society ... |
La Roche Daillon, Joseph deJoseph de la Roche DaillonRecollect, one of the most zealous missionaries of the Huron tribe, d. in France, 1656. He ... |
La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, The Duke ofThe Duke of La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt(François-Alexandre-Frédéric). Born at La Roche-Guyon, on 11 January, 1747; ... |
La Rochejacquelein, Henri-Auguste-Georges du Vergier, Comte deComte de La RochejacqueleinFrench politician, b. at the château of Citran (Fironde), on 28 September, 1805; d. on 7 ... |
La RochelleLa RochelleThe Diocese of La Rochelle (Rupellensis), suffragan of Bordeaux, comprises the entire Department ... |
La Rue, Charles deCharles de la RueOne of the great orators of the Society of Jesus in France in the seventeenth century, b. at ... |
La SaletteLa SaletteLocated in the commune and parish of La Salette-Fallavaux, Canton of Corps, Department of Isere, ... |
La Salette, Missionaries ofMissionaries of La SaletteThe Missionaries of La Salette were founded in 1852, at the shrine of Our Lady of La Salette , ... |
La Salle, John Baptist de, SaintSt. John Baptist de la SalleFounder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools , educational reformer, and ... |
La Salle, René-Robert-Cavelier, Sieur deRene-Robert-Cavelier, Sieur de La SalleExplorer, born at Rouen, 1643; died in Texas, 1687. In his youth he displayed an unusual ... |
La Serena, Diocese ofLa Serena(De Serena, Serenopolitana). Embracing Atacama and Coquimbo provinces (Chile), suffragan of ... |
La TrappeLa TrappeThis celebrated abbey of the Order of Reformed Cistercians is built in a solitary valley ... |
La Valette, Jean Parisot deJean Parisot de La ValetteForty-eighth Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem ; b. in 1494; d. ... |
La VernaLa VernaAn isolated mountain hallowed by association with St. Francis of Assisi, situated in the centre ... |
LabadistsLabadistsA pietist sect of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries founded by Jean de Labadie, who was ... |
LabanLabanSon of Bathuel, the Syrian (Gen. xxviii, 5; cf. xxv, 20); grandson of Nachor, Abraham's ... |
Labarum (Chi-Rho)Labarum (Chi-Rho)Labarum is the name by which the military standard adopted by Constantine the Great after his ... |
Labat, Jean-BaptisteJean-Baptiste LabatDominican missionary, born at Paris, 1664; died there, 1738. He entered the Order of Preachers ... |
Labbe, PhilippePhillipe L'AbbeBorn at Borges, 10 July, 1607; died at Paris, at the College of Clermont, 17 (16) March, 1667; ... |
Labour and Labour LegislationLabour and Labour LegislationLabour is work done by mind or body either partly or wholly for the purpose of producing ... |
Labour Unions, Moral Aspects ofLabour Unions (Moral Aspects)Since a labour union is a society, its moral aspects are determined by its constitution, its ... |
LabyrinthLabyrinthA complicated arrangement of paths and passages; or a place, usually subterraneous, full of ... |
Lac, Stanislaus duStanislaus du LacJesuit educationist and social work, b. at Paris, 21 November, 1835; d. there, 30 August, 1909. ... |
LaceLace(Latin laqueus ; It. laccio, trine, merletto ; Spanish lazo, encaje, pasamano ; French ... |
Lacedonia, Diocese ofLacedonia(LAQUEDONIENSIS) Located in the province of Avellino, Southern Italy. Lacedonia is famous in ... |
Lacordaire, Jean-Baptiste-Henri-DominiqueLacordaireThe greatest pulpit orator of the nineteenth century b. near Dijon, 13 May, 1802; d. at ... |
Lactantius, Lucius Cæcilius FirmianusLucius Caecilius Firmianus LactantiusA Christian apologist of the fourth century. The name Firmianus has misled some authors into ... |
Lacy, Blessed WilliamBl. William LacyBorn at "Hanton", Yorkshire (probably Houghton or Tosside, West Riding); suffered at York, 22 ... |
Laderchi, JamesJames LaderchiAn Italian Oratorian and ecclesiastical historian, born about 1678, at Faenza near Ravenna ; ... |
Ladislaus, SaintSt. LadislausKing of Hungary, born 1040; died at Neutra, 29 July, 1095; one of Hungary's national Christian ... |
Laennec, René-Théophile-HyacintheRenee-Theophile-Hyacinthe LaennecBorn at Quimper, in Brittany, France, 17 February, 1781; died at Kerlouanec, 13 August, 1826, a ... |
Laetare SundayLaetare SundayThe fourth, or middle, Sunday of Lent, so called from the first words of the Introit at Mass, ... |
Laetus, PomponiusPomponius LaetusHumanist, b. in Calabria in 1425; d. at Rome in 1497. He was a bastard of the House of the ... |
LaFarge, JohnJohn LafargePainter, decorator, and writer, b. at New York, 31 March, 1835; d. at Providence, Rhode Island, ... |
Lafitau, Joseph-FrançsJoseph-Francois LafitauJesuit missionary and writer, born at Bordeaux, France, 1 January, 1681; died there, 1746. He ... |
Laflèche, Louis-François RicherLouis-Francois Richer LaflecheFrench-Canadian bishop, b. 4 Sept., 1818, at Ste-Anne de la Perade, Province of Quebec ; d. 14 ... |
Laforêt, Nicholas-JosephNicholas-Joseph LaforetBelgian philosopher and theologian, born at Graide, 23 January, 1823; died at Louvain, 26 ... |
Lafuente y Zamalloa, ModestoModesto Lafuente y ZamalloaSpanish critic and historian, b. at Ravanal de los Caballeros, 1 May, 1806; d. at Madrid, 25 ... |
LaganiaLaganiaA titular see in Galatia Prima. The town is mentioned by Ptolemy, V, i, 14, and in several ... |
Lagrené, PierrePierre LagreneA missionary in New France, b. at Paris, 12 Nov. (al. 28 Oct.), 1659; d. at Quebec in 1736. He ... |
LahoreLahore(LAHLORENSIS). Diocese in northern India, part of the ecclesiastical Province of Agra. Its ... |
LaibachLaibach(LABACENSIS). Austrian bishopric and suffragan of Görz, embraces the territory of the ... |
LaicizationLaicization( Latin laicus , lay). The term laity signifies the aggregation of those Christians who ... |
Lainez, JamesJames Lainez(LAYNEZ). Second general of the Society of Jesus , theologian, b. in 1512, at Almazan, ... |
LaityLaity(Greek laos , "the people"; whence laikos , "one of the people"). Laity means the body ... |
Lake IndiansLake IndiansCalled by themselves S ENIJEXTEE and possibly identical with the L AHANNA of Lewis and Clark ... |
Lalemant, CharlesCharles LalemantBorn at Paris, 17 November, 1587; died there, 18 November, 1674. He was the first superior of ... |
Lalemant, GabrielGabriel LalemantJesuit missionary, b. at Paris, 10 October, 1610, d. in the Huron country, 17 March 1649. He was ... |
Lalemant, JeromeJerome LalemantAlias H IEROSME . Jesuit missionary, b. at Paris, 27 April, 1593, d. at Quebec, 16 ... |
Lallemant, Jacques-PhilippeJacques-Philippe LallemantFrench Jesuit, b. at St-Valéry-sur-Somme about 1660; d. at Paris 1748. Little is known ... |
Lallemant, LouisLouis LallemantFrench Jesuit, b. at Châlons-sur-Marne, 1588; d. at Bourges, 5 April, 1635. After making ... |
Lalor, TeresaTeresa LalorCo-foundress, with Bishop Neale of Baltimore, of the Visitation Order in the United States ... |
Lamarck, Chevalier deChevalier de Lamarck(Jean-Baptiste-Pierre-Antoine de Monet; also spelled L A M ARCK ; botanical abbreviation ... |
Lamartine, Alphonse deAlphonse de LamartinePoet, b. at Mâcon Saône-et-Loire, France, 21 Oct., 1790; d. at Paris, l March, ... |
Lamb (in Early Christian Symbolism)The Lamb (In Early Christian Symbolism)One of the few Christian symbols dating from the first century is that of the Good Shepherd ... |
Lamb, PaschalPaschal LambA lamb which the Israelites were commanded to eat with peculiar rites as a part of the ... |
Lambeck, PeterPeter LambeckGenerally called LAMBEC[C]IUS, historian and librarian, b. at Hamburg, 13 April 1628; d. at Vienna, ... |
Lambert Le BègueLambert Le BeguePriest and reformer, lived at Liège, Belgium, about the middle of the twelfth century. ... |
Lambert of HersfeldLambert of HersfeldA medieval historian; b. in Franconia or Thuringia, c. 1024; d. after 1077. On 15 March 1058, ... |
Lambert of St-BertinLambert of St-BertinBenedictine chronicler and abbot, b. about 1060; d. 22 June, 1125, at St-Bertin, France. He came ... |
Lambert, Louis A.Louis A. LambertPriest and journalist, b. at Charleroi, Pennsylvania, 13 April, 1835; d. at Newfoundland, New ... |
Lambert, SaintSt. Lambert(LANDEBERTUS). Martyr, Bishop of Maestricht, b. at Maestricht between 633 and 638; d. at ... |
Lamberville, Jacques and Jean deJacques and Jean de LambervilleJacques de Lamberville Jesuit missionary, b. at Rouen, 1641; d. at Quebec, 1710. He joined the ... |
Lambillotte, LouisLouis LambillotteBelgian Jesuit, composer and paleographer of Church music ; born at La Hamaide, near Charleroi, ... |
Lambin, DenisDenis Lambin(DIONYSIUS LAMBINUS.) French philologist, b. about 1520, at Montreuil-sur-mer, in Picardy; d. ... |
Lambruschini, LuigiLuigi LambruschiniCardinal, b. at Sestri Levante, near Genoa, 6 March, 1776, d. at Rome, 12 May, 1854. As a youth ... |
Lambton, Ven. JosephJoseph LambtonEnglish martyr, b. 1569; d. at Newcastle-on-Tyne. The day of his death is variously given as 23 ... |
LamegoLamego(LAMECENSIS). Diocese situated in the district of Vizeu, province of Beira, Portugal. The ... |
Lamennais, Félicité Robert deFelicite Robert de LamennaisBorn at Saint-Malo, 29 June, 1782; died at Paris, 27 February, 1854. His father, Pierre Robert de ... |
Lamennais, Jean-Marie-Robert deJean-Marie-Robert de LamennaisFrench priest, brother of Félicité Robert de Lamennais, b. at St-Malo in 1780; d. ... |
Lamoignon, Family ofFamily of LamoignonIllustrious in the history of the old magistracy, originally from Nivernais. Owing to the nearness ... |
Lamont, Johann vonJohann von LamontAstronomer and physicist, b. 13 Dec., 1805, at Braemar in Scotland, near Balmoral Castle; d.. 6 ... |
Lamormaini, WilhelmWilhelm LamormainiConfessor of Emperor Ferdinand II, b. 29 December, 1570, at Dochamps, Luxemburg ; d. at ... |
Lamp and LampadariiLamp and LampadariiThere is very little evidence that any strictly liturgical use was made of lamps in the early ... |
Lamp, AltarAltar LampIn the Old Testament God commanded that a lamp filled with the purest oil of olives should ... |
LampaLampa(LAMPAE, LAPPA). A titular see in Crete, suffragan of Gortyna, was probably a colony of ... |
LamprechtLamprechtSurnamed D ER P FAFFE (The Priest). German poet of the twelfth century, of whom practically ... |
Lamps, Early ChristianEarly Christian LampsOf the various classes of remains from Christian antiquity there is probably none so numerously ... |
LampsacusLampsacusA titular see of Hellespont, suffragan of Cyzicus. The city is situated in Mysia, at the ... |
LamuelLamuelName of a king mentioned in Proverbs 31:1 and 4 , but otherwise unknown. In the opening verse we ... |
LamusLamusA titular see of Isauria, suffragan of Seleucia. In antiquity this village is mentioned by ... |
Lamy, BernardBernard LamyOratorian, b. at Le Mans, France, in June, 1640; d. at Rouen, 29 Jan., 1715. At the age of twelve ... |
Lamy, FrançoisFrancois LamyAn ascetical and apologetic writer of the Congregation of St-Maur, b. in 1636 at Montireau in ... |
Lamy, Thomas JosephThomas Joseph LamyBiblical scholar end orientalist, b. at Ohey, in Belgium, 27 Jan., 1827, d. at Louvain, 30 July, ... |
Lana, FrancescoFrancesco LanaBorn 10 Dec., 1631, at Brescia in Italy ; died in the same place, 22 Feb., 1687. Mathematician ... |
Lance, The HolyThe Holy LanceWe read in the Gospel of St. John (19:34) , that, after our Saviour's death, "one of the ... |
Lancelotti, Giovanni PaoloGiovanni Paolo LancelottiCanonist, b. at Perugia in 1522; d. there, 23 September, 1590. He graduated doctor of law in ... |
Lanciano and OrtonaLanciano and Ortona(LANCIANENSIS ET ORTONENSIS). Lanciano is a small city in the province of Chieti, in the ... |
Land-Tenure in the Christian EraLand-Tenure in the Christian EraThe way in which land has been held or owned during the nineteen hundred years which have seen in ... |
Lando, PopePope Lando(913-14). A native of the Sabina, and the son of Taino, elected pope seemingly in July or ... |
Landriot, Jean-François-AnneJean-Francois-Anne LandriotFrench bishop, b. at Couches-les-Mines near Autun, 1816, d. at Reims, 1874. Ordained in 1839 ... |
LanfrancLanfrancArchbishop of Canterbury, b. at Pavia c. 1005; d. at Canterbury, 24 May, 1089. Some say his ... |
Lanfranco, GiovanniGiovanni LanfrancoAlso known as CAVALIERE GIOVANNI DI STEFANO. Decorative painter, b. at Parma, 1581, d. in ... |
Langénieux, Benoit-MarieBenoit-Marie LangenieuxCardinal, Archbishop of Reims, b. at Villefranche-sur-Saône, Department of Rhône, ... |
Lang, MatthewMatthew LangCardinal, Bishop of Gurk and Archbishop of Salzburg, b. at Augsburg in 1468; d. at ... |
Langen, Rudolph vonRudolph von LangenHumanist and divine, b. at the village of Everswinkel, near Munster, Westphalia, 1438 or 1439; ... |
Langham, SimonSimon LanghamCardinal, Archbishop of Canterbury and Chancellor of England, b. at Langham in Rutland; d. at ... |
LangheimLangheimA celebrated Cistercian abbey situated in Upper Franconia (Bavaria), not far from Mein, in the ... |
Langhorne, Ven. RichardRichard LanghorneEnglish martyr, b. about 1635, d. at Tyburn, 14 July, 1679. He was the third son of William ... |
Langley, RichardRichard LangleyLayman and martyr, b. probably at Grimthorpe, Yorks, England, date unknown; d. at York, 1 Dec., ... |
LangresLangres(LINGONÆ). Diocese comprising the Department of the Haute-Marne. Suppressed by the ... |
Lanigan, JohnJohn LaniganChurch historian, b. at Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1758; d. at Finglas, Dublin, 8 ... |
LanspergiusLanspergius(JOHN JUSTUS OF LANDSBERG). Carthusian monk and ascetical writer, b. at Landsberg in Bavaria ... |
LanternLanternIn Italian or modern architecture, a small structure on the top of a dome, for the purpose of ... |
Lanterns, AltarAltar LanternsLanterns are used in churches to protect the altar candles and lamp, if the latter for any ... |
Lanzi, LuigiLuigi LanziAn Italian archeologist, b. at Mont Olmo, near Macerata, in 1732; d. at Florence in 1810. In ... |
LaodiceaLaodiceaA titular see, of Asia Minor, metropolis of Phrygia Pacatiana, said to have been originally ... |
LaosLaos(Vicariate Apostolic) Separated from the Vicariate Apostolic of Siam by a decree of 4 ... |
Laplace, Pierre-SimonPierre-Simon LaplaceMathematical and physical astronomer, b. in Beaumont-en-Auge, near Caen, department of Calvados, ... |
Lapland and LappsLapland and LappsAbout 150,000 square miles of the most northerly regions of Europe, from the Atlantic Ocean to the ... |
Lapparent, Albert Auguste deAlbert Auguste de LapparentFrench geologist, b. at Bourges, 30 Dec., 1839; d. at Paris, 12 May, 1908. He made a brilliant ... |
Laprade, Victor deVictor de LapradeFrench poet and critic, b. at Montbrison in 1812; d. at Lyons in 1883. He first studied ... |
LapsiLapsi( Latin, labi, lapsus ). The regular designation in the third century for Christians who ... |
Lapuente, Venerable Luis deVenerable Luis de Lapuente(Also, D'Aponte, de Ponte, Dupont). Born at Valladolid, 11 November, 1554; died there, 16 ... |
LarandaLarandaA titular see of Isauria, afterwards of Lycaonia. Strabo (XII, 569), informs us that Laranda ... |
LaresLaresFormerly a titular archiepiscopal see in pro-consular Africa. In ancient times it was a ... |
LarinoLarino(Larinum). Diocese in the province of Capmobasso, Southern Italy. Larinum was a city of the ... |
LarissaLarissaThe seat of a titular archbishopric of Thessaly. The city, one of the oldest and richest in ... |
Larke, Blessed JohnBl. John LarkeEnglish martyr ; died at Tyburn, 7 March, 1543-4. He was rector of St. Ethelburga's ... |
Larrey, Dominique-JeanDominique-Jean LarreyBaron, French military surgeon, b. at Baudéan, Hautes-Pyrénées, July, 1766; ... |
Larrey, Dominique-JeanDominique-Jean LarreyBaron, French military surgeon, b. at Baudéan, Hautes-Pyrénées, July, 1766; ... |
Larue, Charles deCharles de LarueBorn 29 July, 1685 (some say 12 July, 1684), at Corbie, in France ; died 5 Oct., 1739, at St. ... |
Lasaulx, Ernst vonErnst von LasaulxScholar and philosopher, born at Coblenz, 16 March, 1805; died at Munich, 9 May, 1861. His ... |
Lascaris, ConstantineConstantine LascarisGreek scholar from Constantinople; born 1434; died at Messina in 1501. Made a prisoner by the ... |
Lascaris, JanusJanus LascarisAlso called John; surnamed Rhyndacenus (from Rhyndacus, a country town in Asia Minor ). He ... |
Laski, JohnJohn LaskiJ OHN A L ASCO . Archbishop of Gnesen and Primate of Poland, b. at Lask, 1456; d. at ... |
Lassberg, Baron Joseph Maria Christoph vonBaron Joseph Maria Christoph von LassbergA distinguished German antiquary, born at Donaueschingen, 10 April, 1770; died 15 March, 1855. He ... |
Lassus, Orlandus deOrlando de Lassus(Original name, Roland de Lattre), composer, born at Mons, Hainault, Belgium, in 1520 (according ... |
Last Judgment, TheGeneral Judgment (Last Judgment)(Judicium Universale, Last Judgment). I. EXISTENCE OF THE GENERAL JUDGMENT 1 Few truths are ... |
Last Supper, TheThe Last SupperThe meal held by Christ and His disciples on the eve of His Passion at which He instituted the ... |
Lataste, MarieMarie LatasteBorn at Mimbaste near Dax, France, 21 February, 1822; died at Rennes, 10 May, 1847; was the ... |
Latera, Flaminius Annibali deFlaminius Annibali de LateraHistorian, born at Latera, near Viterbo, 23 November, 1733; died at Viterbo, 27 February, 1813. He ... |
Lateran Council, FifthFifth Lateran CouncilWhen elected pope, Julius II promised under oath that he would soon convoke a general ... |
Lateran Council, FirstFirst Lateran CouncilThe Council of 1123 is reckoned in the series of ecumenical councils. It had been convoked in ... |
Lateran Council, FourthFourth Lateran CouncilFrom the commencement of his reign Innocent III had purposed to assemble an ecumenical council, ... |
Lateran Council, SecondSecond Lateran CouncilThe death of Pope Honorius II (February, 1130) was followed by a schism. Petrus Leonis (Pierleoni), ... |
Lateran Council, ThirdThird Lateran CouncilThe reign of Alexander III was one of the most laborious pontificates of the Middle Ages. Then, ... |
Lateran CouncilsLateran CouncilsA series of five important councils held at Rome from the twelfth to the sixteen century. From ... |
Lateran, Christian Museum ofChristian Museum of LateranEstablished by Pius IX in 1854, in the Palazzo del Laterano erected by Sixtus V on the part of ... |
Lateran, Saint JohnSaint John LateranTHE BASILICA This is the oldest, and ranks first among the four great "patriarchal" basilicas ... |
Lathrop, George ParsonsGeorge Parsons LathropPoet, novelist, b. at Honolulu, Hawaii, 25 August, 1851; d. at New York, 19 April, 1898. He was ... |
Latin ChurchLatin ChurchThe word Church ( ecclesia ) is used in its first sense to express whole congregation of ... |
Latin Kingdom of JerusalemLatin Kingdom of JerusalemThe Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was founded as a result of the First Crusade, in 1099. Destroyed ... |
Latin Literature in Christianity (Before the Sixth Century)Latin Literature in Early ChristianityThe Latin language was not at first the literary and official organ of the Christian Church in ... |
Latin Literature in Christianity (Sixth to Twentieth Century)Latin Literature in Christianity (Sixth To Twentieth Century)During the Middle Ages the so-called church Latin was to a great extent the language of poetry, ... |
Latin, EcclesiasticalChurch LatinIn the present instance these words are taken to mean the Latin we find in the official textbooks ... |
Latini, BrunettoBrunetto LatiniFlorentine philosopher and statesman, born at Florence, c. 1210; the son of Buonaccorso Latini, ... |
Latreille, Pierre-AndréPierre-Andre LatreilleA prominent French zoologist; born at Brives, 29 November, 1762; died in Paris, 6 February, 1833. ... |
LatriaLatriaLatria ( latreia ) in classical Greek originally meant "the state of a hired servant" (Aesch., ... |
LatrociniumRobber Council of Ephesus (Latrocinium)(L ATROCINIUM ). The Acts of the first session of this synod were read at the Council of ... |
Latter-Day Saints, The Church of Jesus Christ ofMormonism( Also called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.) This religious body had ... |
Lauda SionLauda SionThe opening words (used as a title of the sequence composed by St. Thomas Aquinas, about the year ... |
LaudsLaudsIn the Roman Liturgy of today Lauds designates an office composed of psalms and canticles, ... |
LauraLauraThe Greek word laura is employed by writers from the end of the fifth century to distinguish ... |
Laurence O'Toole, SaintSt. Lawrence O'Toole(L ORCAN UA T UATHAIL ; also spelled Laurence O'Toole) Confessor, born about 1128, in the ... |
Laurentie, Pierre-SébastienPierre-Sebastien LaurentieFrench publicist; b. at Houga, in the Department of Gers, France, 21 January, 1793; d. 9 ... |
Lausanne and GenevaLausanne and GenevaDiocese of Lausanne and Geneva (Lausannensis et Genevensis). Diocese in Switzerland, immediately ... |
Lauzon, Jean deJean de LauzonFourth governor of Canada, b. at Paris, 1583; d. there, 16 Feb., 1666. He was the son of ... |
Lauzon, Pierre dePierre de LauzonA noted missionary of New France in the eighteenth century, born at Poitiers, 26 September, ... |
Lavérendrye, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur deSieur de LaverendryeDiscoverer of the Canadian West, born at Three Rivers, Quebec, 17 November, 1685; died at ... |
LavaboLavaboThe first word of that portion of Psalm 25 said by the celebrant at Mass while he washes his hands ... |
Laval University of QuebecLaval University of QuebecThe University of Laval was founded in 1852 by the Seminary of Quebec; the royal charter granted ... |
Laval, François de MontmorencyFrancois de Montmorency LavalFirst bishop of Canada, b. at Montigny-sur-Avre, 30 April, 1623, of Hughes de Laval and ... |
LavantLavant(LAVANTINA) An Austrian bishopric in the southern part of Styria, suffragan of Salzburg. The ... |
Laverdière, Charles-HonoréCharles-Honore LaverdiereFrench-Canadian historian, born Chateau-Richer, Province of Quebec, 1826; died at Quebec, 1873. ... |
Laverlochère, Jean-NicolasJean-Nicolas LaverlochereMissionary, born at St. Georges d'Espérance, Grenoble, France, 6 December, 1812; died at ... |
Lavigerie, Charles-Martial-AllemandLavigerieFrench cardinal, b. at Huire near Bayonne, 13 Oct., 1825; d. at Algiers, 27 Nov., 1892. He ... |
Lavoisier, Antoine-LaurentAntoine-Laurent LavoisierChemist, philosopher, economist ; born in Paris, 26 August, 1743; guillotined 8 May, 1794. He ... |
LawLawI. CONCEPT OF LAW A. By law in the widest sense is understood that exact guide, rule, or ... |
Law, CanonCanon LawThis subject will be treated under the following heads: I. General Notion and DivisionsII. Canon ... |
Law, Cemeteries inCemeteries in LawCemeteries in Civil Law It would be impossible here to deal in detail with the various ... |
Law, Civil (Influence of the Church on)Influence of the Church on Civil LawChristianity is essentially an ethical religion; and, although its moral principles were meant ... |
Law, CommonCommon Law(Latin communis , general, of general application; lex , law) The term is of English ... |
Law, Divine (Moral Aspect of)Moral Aspect of Divine LawDivine Law is that which is enacted by God and made known to man through revelation. We ... |
Law, InternationalInternational LawInternational law has been defined to be "the rules which determine the conduct of the general ... |
Law, MosaicMosaic LegislationThe body of juridical, moral, and ceremonial institutions, laws and decisions comprised in the ... |
Law, NaturalNatural LawI. ITS ESSENCE In English this term is frequently employed as equivalent to the laws of nature, ... |
Law, RomanRoman LawIn the following article this subject is briefly treated under the two heads of; I. Principles; ... |
Lawrence Justinian, SaintSaint Lawrence JustinianBishop and first Patriarch of Venice, b. in 1381, and d. 8 January, 1456. He was a descendant ... |
Lawrence O'Toole, SaintSt. Lawrence O'Toole(L ORCAN UA T UATHAIL ; also spelled Laurence O'Toole) Confessor, born about 1128, in the ... |
Lawrence of Brindisi, SaintSt. Lorenzo Da Brindisi(Also: Lawrence, or Laurence, of Brindisi.) Born at Brindisi in 1559; died at Lisbon on 22 ... |
Lawrence, SaintSt. LawrenceMartyr ; died 10 August, 258. St. Lawrence, one of the deacons of the Roman Church, was one ... |
Lawrence, SaintSt. Lawrence (Of Canterbury)Second Archbishop of Canterbury, d. 2 Feb., 619. For the particulars of his life and ... |
Laws, PenalPenal LawsThis article treats of the penal legislation affecting Catholics in English-speaking countries ... |
Lay AbbotLay Abbot( abbatocomes, abbas laicus, abbas miles ). A name used to designate a layman on whom a king ... |
Lay BrothersLay BrothersReligious occupied solely with manual labour and with the secular affairs of a monastery or ... |
Lay CommunionLay CommunionThe primitive discipline of the Church established a different punishment for certain crimes ... |
Lay ConfessionLay ConfessionThis article does not deal with confession by laymen but with that made to laymen, for the ... |
Lay TithesLay TithesUnder this heading must be distinguished (1) secular tithes, which subjects on crown-estates were ... |
Laymann, PaulPaul LaymannA famous Jesuit moralist, b. in 1574 at Arzl, near Innsbruck; d. of the plague on 13 November, ... |
LazaritesCongregation of the Mission (Vincentians)A congregation of secular priests with religious vows founded by St. Vincent de Paul. The ... |
LazarusLazarusLazarus (Greek Lazaros , a contraction of Eleazaros --see 2 Maccabbees 6:18 — meaning ... |
Lazarus of Bethany, SaintSt. Lazarus of BethanyReputed first Bishop of Marseilles, died in the second half of the first century. According ... |
Lazarus of Jerusalem, Order of SaintOrder of St. Lazarus of JerusalemThe military order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem originated in a leper hospital founded in the ... |
Le Blant, Edmond-FredericEdmond-Frederic Le BlantFrench archeologist and historian, born 12 August, 1818; died 5 July, 1897 at Paris. He studied ... |
Le Camus, Emile-Paul-Constant-AngeEmile-Paul-Constant-Ange Le CamusPreacher, theologian, scripturist, Bishop of La Rochelle and Saintes, b. at Paraza, France, ... |
Le Camus, EtienneEtienne Le CamusFrench cardinal, b. at Paris, 1632; d. at Grenoble, 1707. Through the influence of his father, ... |
Le Caron, JosephJoseph Le CaronOne of the four pioneer missionaries of Canada and first missionary to the Hurons, b. near ... |
Le Coz, ClaudeClaude Le CozFrench bishop, b. at Plouévez-Parzay (Finistère), 1740; d. at Villevieux (Jura), ... |
Le Fèvre, JacquesJacques Le FevreA French theologian and controversialist, b. at Lisieux towards the middle of the seventeenth ... |
Le Gobien, CharlesCharles Le GobienFrench Jesuit and founder of the famous collection of "Lettres édifiantes et curieuses", ... |
Le Gras, Venerable Louise de MarillacVenerable Louise de Marillac Le GrasFoundress of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul , born at Paris, 12 August, 1591, ... |
Le Hir, Arthur-MarieArthur-Marie Le HirBiblical scholar and Orientalist ; b. at Morlaix (Finisterre), in the Diocese of Quimper, ... |
Le Loutre, Louis-JosephLouis-Joseph Le LoutreA missionary to the Micmac Indians and Vicar-General of Acadia under the Bishop of Quebec, b. ... |
Le MansLe MansDIOCESE OF LE MANS (CENOMANENSIS). Comprises the entire Department of Sarthe. Prior to the ... |
Le Mercier, FrançoisFrancois Le MercierOne of the early missionaries of New France , b. at Paris, 4 October, 1604; d. in the island of ... |
Le MoyneLe MoyneThe name of one of the most illustrious families of the New World, whose deeds adorn the pages ... |
Le Moyne, SimonSimon Le MoyneA Jesuit missionary, b. at Beauvais, 1604; d. in 1665 at Cap de la Madeleine, near Three ... |
Le Nourry, Denis-NicolasDenis-Nicolas Le NourryDenis-Nicolas Le Nourry, of the Congregation of St-Maur, ecclesiastical writer, b. at Dieppe in ... |
Le PuyLe Puy(Aniciensis). Diocese comprising the whole Department of Haute Loire, and is a suffragan of ... |
Le Quien, MichelMichel Le QuienFrench historian and theologian, b. at Boulogne-sur-Mer, department of Pas-de-Calais, 8 Oct., ... |
Le Sage, Alain-RenéAlain-Rene Le SageWriter, b. at Sarzeau (Morbihan), 1668; d. at Boulogne-sur-Mer, 1747. The son of a notary who ... |
Le Tellier, Charles-MauriceCharles-Maurice Le TellierArchbishop of Reims, b. at Turin, 1642; d. at Reims, 1710. The son of Michel Le Tellier and ... |
Le Tellier, MichelMichel Le TellierBorn 16 October, 1643, of a peasant family, not at Vire as has so often been said, but at Vast ... |
Le Verrier, Urbain-Jean-JosephUrbain-Jean-Joseph le VerrierAn astronomer and director of the observatory at Paris, born at Saint Lô, the ancient ... |
LeónLeonDIOCESE OF LEÓN (LEONENSIS) Suffragan of Michoacan in Mexico, erected in 1863. In the ... |
León, Luis deLuis de LeonSpanish poet and theologian, b. at Belmonte, Aragon, in 1528; d. at Madrigal, 23 August, 1591. ... |
Lead, Diocese ofLead(LEADENSIS). The Diocese of Lead, which was established on 6 August, 1902, comprises all that ... |
League of the CrossThe League of the CrossA Catholic total abstinence confraternity founded in London in 1873 by Cardinal Manning to ... |
League, GermanGerman (Catholic) LeagueOnly three years before the League was established, Duke Maximilian of Bavaria (d. 1651), who ... |
League, TheThe LeagueI. THE LEAGUE OF 1576 The discontent produced by the Peace of Beaulieu (6 May, 1576), which ... |
Leander of Seville, SaintSt. Leander of SevilleBishop of that city, b. at Carthage about 534, of a Roman family established in that city; d. ... |
LeavenworthLeavenworthDiocese of Leavenworth (Leavenworthensis). Suffragan to St. Louis. When established, 22 May, ... |
LebanonLebanonLebanon (Assyr. Labn nu ; Hebrew Lebanôn ; Egypt. possibly, Ramunu ; Greek Libanos ... |
LebedusLebedusTitular see of Asia Minor, suffragan of Ephesus. It was on the coast, ninety stadia to the east ... |
Lebrun, CharlesCharles LebrunFrench historical painter, born in Paris, 1619; died at the Gobelin tapestry works, 1690. This ... |
Lebwin, SaintSt. Lebwin(LEBUINUS or LIAFWIN). Apostle of the Frisians and patron of Deveater, b. in England of ... |
LecceLecce(LICIENSIS). Diocese ; suffragan of Otranto. Lecce, the capital of a province in Terra ... |
Leclerc du Tremblay, FrançoisFrancois Leclerc du TremblayA Capuchin, better known as P ÈRE J OSEPH , b. in Paris, 4 Nov., 1577; d. at Rueil, ... |
Leclercq, ChrestienChrestien LeclercqA Franciscan Récollet and one of the most zealous missionaries to the Micmac of ... |
Lecoy de La MarcheLecoy de La Marche(RICHARD-ALBERT). French historian; b. at Nemours, 1839; d. at Paris, 1897. He left the ... |
LecternLectern(Lecturn, Letturn, Lettern, from legere , to read). Support for a book, reading-desk, or ... |
LectionaryLectionary( Lectionarium or Legenda ). Lectionary is a term of somewhat vague significance, used ... |
LectorLectorA lector (reader) in the West is a clerk having the second of the four minor orders. In all ... |
Ledge, AltarAltar LedgeOriginally the altar was made in the shape of an ordinary table, on which the crucifix and ... |
Ledochowski, Miecislas HalkaMiecislas Halka LedochowskiCount, cardinal, Archbishop of Gnesen-Posen, b. at Gorki near Sandomir in Russian Poland, 29 ... |
LeedsLeeds(LOIDIS; LOIDENSIS). Diocese embracing the West Riding of Yorkshire, and that part of the city ... |
Lefèvre d'Etaples, JacquesJacques Lefevre d'EtaplesFrequently called "Faber Stapulensis." A French philosopher, biblical and patristic scholar; ... |
Lefèvre de la Boderie, GuyGuy Lefevre de la BoderieFrench Orientalist and poet; b. near Falaise in Normandy, 9 August, 1541; d. in 1598 in the house ... |
Lefèvre, Family ofFamily of LefevreThere were various members of the Lefèvre family engaged in tapestry weaving in the ... |
Lefebvre, CamilleCamille LefebvreApostle of the Acadians, b. at St. Philippe, P. Q., 1831; d. at St. Joseph, N. B., 1895. The ... |
LegaciesLegacies(Latin Legata ). I. DEFINITION In its most restricted sense, by a pious legacy or bequest ... |
LegateLegate( Latin legare , to send). Legate, in its broad signification, means that person who is sent ... |
Legends of the SaintsLegends of the SaintsUnder the term legend the modern concept would include every untrue tale. But it is not so ... |
Legends, Literary or ProfaneLiterary or Profane LegendsIn the period of national origins history and legend are inextricably mingled. In the course of ... |
LeghornLeghorn (Livorno)(LIBURNENSIS.) Suffragan of Pisa. Leghorn ( Italian Livorno ), in Tuscany, is the capital ... |
LegioLegioTitular see of Palestina Secunda, suffragan of Scythopolis. It figures for the first time in a ... |
Legipont, OliverOliver LegipontBenedictine, bibliographer, born at Soiron, Limburg, 2 Dec., 1698; died at Trier, 16 Jan., 1758. ... |
LegistsLegistsTeachers of civil or Roman law, who, besides expounding sources, explaining terms, elucidating ... |
LegitimationLegitimation( Latin legitimatio ). The canonical term for the act by which the irregularity contracted ... |
Legrand, LouisLouis LegrandFrench theologian and noted doctor of the Sorbonne, b. in Burgundy at Lusigny-sur-Ouche, 12 ... |
Lehnin, Abbey ofAbbey of LehninFounded in 1180 by Otto II, Margrave of Brandenburg, for Cistercian monks. Situated about ... |
Leibniz, System ofSystem of LeibnizI. LIFE OF LEIBNIZ Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz was born at Leipzig on 21 June (1 July), 1646. ... |
Leigh, Venerable RichardVen. Richard LeighEnglish martyr, born in Cambridgeshire about 1561; died at Tyburn, 30 August, 1588. Ordained ... |
LeipzigLeipzigChief town in the Kingdom of Saxony, situated at the junction of the Pleisse, Parthe, and Weisse ... |
Leipzig, University ofUniversity of LeipzigThe University of Leipzig in Saxony is, next to Heidelberg, the oldest university in the German ... |
LeitmeritzLeitmeritz(L ITOMERICENSIS ), in Austria, embraces the northern part of the Kingdom of Bohemia (see map ... |
Lejeune, JeanJean LejeuneBorn at Poligny in 1592; died at Limoges, 19 Aug., 1672; member of the Oratory of Jesus, founded ... |
Lelong, JacquesJacques LelongA French bibliographer, b. at Paris, 19 April, 1665 d. there, 13 Aug., 1721. As a boy of ten, he ... |
LembergLembergSeat of a Latin, a Uniat Ruthenian, and a Uniat Armenian archbishopric. The city is called Lwow ... |
Lemcke, HenryHenry LemckeMissionary in the United States b. at Rhena, Mecklenburg, 27 July, 1796; d. at Carrolltown, ... |
Lemercier, JacquesJacques LemercierBorn at Pontoise, about 1585; died at Paris, 1654. Lemercier shares with Mansart and Le Muet the ... |
Lemos, Thomas deThomas de LemosSpanish theologian and controversialist, b. at Rivadavia, Spain, 1555, d. at Rome 23 Aug., ... |
Lennig, Adam FranzAdam Franz LennigTheologian, b. 3 Dec., 1803, at Mainz ; d. there, 22 Nov., 1866. He studied at Bouchsal under the ... |
Lenormant, CharlesCharles LenormantFrench arch æologist, b. in Paris, 1 June, 1802; d. at Athens, 24 November, 1859. After ... |
Lenormant, FrançoisFrancois LenormantArchæologist; son of Charles Lenormant, b. at Paris, 17 January, 1837; d. there, 9 ... |
LentLentOrigin of the word The Teutonic word Lent , which we employ to denote the forty days' fast ... |
Lentulus, PubliusPublius LentulusPublius Lentulus is a fictitious person, said to have been Governor of Judea before Pontius, and ... |
Leo DiaconusLeo DiaconusByzantine historian; b. at Kaloe, at the foot of Mount Tmolos, in Ionia, about the year 950; the ... |
Leo I (the Great), PopePope St. Leo I (The Great)(Reigned 440-61). Place and date of birth unknown; died 10 November, 461. Leo's pontificate, ... |
Leo II, Pope SaintPope Saint Leo IIPope (682-83), date of birth unknown; d. 28 June, 683. He was a Sicilian, and son of one Paul. ... |
Leo III, Pope SaintPope St. Leo IIIDate of birth unknown; died 816. He was elected on the very day his predecessor was buried (26 ... |
Leo IV, PopePope Saint Leo IV(Reigned 847-55) A Roman and the son of Radoald, was unanimously elected to succeed Sergius ... |
Leo IX, PopeLeo IX(1049-54), b. at Egisheim, near Colmar, on the borders of Alsace, 21 June, 1002; d. 19 April, ... |
Leo V, PopePope Leo VVery little is known of him. We have no certainty either as to when he was elected or as to ... |
Leo VI, PopePope Leo VIThe exact dates of the election and death of Leo VI are uncertain, but it is clear that he was ... |
Leo VII, PopeLeo VIIDate of birth unknown; d. 13 July, 939. A Roman and priest of St. Sixtus, and probably a ... |
Leo VIII, PopeLeo VIIIDate of birth unknown; d. between 20 February and 13 April, 965. When the Emperor Otho I ... |
Leo X, PopePope Leo X(G IOVANNI DE M EDICI ). Born at Florence, 11 December, 1475; died at Rome, 1 December, ... |
Leo XI, PopePope Leo XI(ALESSANDRO OTTAVIANO DE' MEDICI). Born at Florence in 1535; died at Rome 27 April, 1605, on ... |
Leo XII, PopePope Leo XII(A NNIBALE F RANCESCO C LEMENTE M ELCHIORE G IROLAMO N ICOLA DELLA G ENGA ) Born ... |
Leo XIII, PopePope Leo XIIIBorn 2 March, 1810, at Carpineto; elected pope 20 February, 1878; died 20 July, 1903, at Rome. ... |
Leo, BrotherBrother LeoFriar Minor, companion of St. Francis of Assisi,date of birth uncertain; died at Assisi, 15 ... |
Leocadia, SaintSaint LeocadiaVirgin and martyr, d. 9 December, probably 304, in the Diocletian persecution. The last great ... |
Leodegar, SaintSaint Leodegar(LEGER) Bishop of Autun, b. about 615; d. a martyr in 678, at Sarcing, Somme. His mother ... |
LeonLeon(THE DIOCESE AND CIVIL PROVINCE OF LEON) HISTORY Probably before the time of Trajan, the ... |
Leonard of ChiosLeonard of ChiosBorn at an uncertain date on the Island of Chios, then under Genoese domination; died in Chios ... |
Leonard of Limousin, SaintSt. Leonard of LimousinNothing absolutely certain is known of his history, as his earliest "Life", written in the ... |
Leonard of Port Maurice, SaintSt. Leonard of Port MauricePreacher and ascetic writer, b. 20 Dec., 1676, at Porto Maurizio on the Riviera di Ponente; d. ... |
Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da Vinci(LEONARDO DI SER PIERO DA VINCI) Florentine painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and ... |
Leonidas, SaintSt. Leonidas( Or LEONIDES.) The Roman Martyrology records several feast days of martyrs of this ... |
Leontius ByzantinusLeontius Byzantinus( Leontios Byzantios ) An important theologian of the sixth century. In spite of his ... |
Leontius, SaintSaint LeontiusBishop of Fréjus, in Provence. France, b. probably at Nîmes, towards the end of ... |
LeontopolisLeontopolisA titular archiepiscopal see of Augustamnica Secunda. Strabo (XVII, 1,19, 20) places it near ... |
Leopoldine Society, TheThe Leopoldine SocietyEstablished at Vienna for the purpose of aiding the Catholic missions in North America. When ... |
LepantoLepantoItalian name for Naupactos (Naupactus) a titular metropolitan see of ancient Epirus. The name ... |
LeprosyLeprosyLeprosy proper, or lepra tuberculosa , in contradistinction to other skin diseases commonly ... |
Leptis MagnaLeptis MagnaLeptis Magna, a titular see of Tripolitana. Founded by the Sidonians in a fine and fertile ... |
LerosLerosTitular see of the Cyclades, suffragan of Rhodes. According to Strabo (XIV, i, 6), this island ... |
Leroy-Beaulieu, AnatoleAnatole Leroy-BeaulieuFrench publicist, b. at Lisieux, Calvados, in 1842; d. at Paris, 15 June, 1912. After ... |
LesbiLesbiA titular see in Mauretania Sitifensis, suffragan of Sitifis, or Sétif, in Algeria. It ... |
LesbiLesbiA titular see in Mauretania Sitifensis, suffragan of Sitifis, or Sétif, in Algeria. It ... |
Lescarbot, MarcMarc LescarbotFrench lawyer, writer, and historian, b. at Vervins, between 1565 and 1570; d. about 1629. ... |
Lescarbot, MarcMarc LescarbotFrench lawyer, writer, and historian, b. at Vervins, between 1565 and 1570; d. about 1629. ... |
Lescot, PierrePierre LescotOne of the greatest architects of France in the pure Renaissance style, b. at Paris about ... |
Lescot, PierrePierre LescotOne of the greatest architects of France in the pure Renaissance style, b. at Paris about ... |
LesinaLesina(PHARIA: HVAR; PHARENSIS, BRACHIENSIS, ET ISSENSIS) Diocese in Dalmatia ; includes the three ... |
Leslie, JohnJohn LeslieBishop of Ross, Scotland, born 29 September, 1527, died at Guirtenburg, near Brussels 30 May, ... |
Lessius, LeonardLeonard Lessius(LEYS) A Flemish Jesuit and a theologian of high reputation, born at Brecht, in the ... |
Lessons in the LiturgyLessons in the Liturgy(Exclusive of Gospel). I. HISTORY The reading of lessons from the Bible, Acts of Martyrs , or ... |
Lestrange, Louis-Henri deLouis-Henri de Lestrange(In religion, DOM AUGUSTINE) Born in 1754, in the Château de Colombier-le-Vieux, ... |
Lesueur, François EustacheFrancois Eustache LesueurJesuit missionary and philologist, of the Abnaki mission in Canada ; born (according to notes ... |
Lesueur, Jean-FrançoisJean-Francois LesueurComposer, b. at Drucat-Plessiel, near Abbeville, 15 Feb., 1760; d. at Paris, 6 October, 1837. He ... |
LeteLeteA titular see of Macedonia, known by its coins and inscriptions, mentioned in Ptolemy (III, ... |
Letourneux, NicolasNicolas LetourneuxA well-known French preacher and ascetical writer of Jansenistic tendencies, born at Rouen, 30 ... |
Letters, EcclesiasticalEcclesiastical Letters(LITTERÆ ECCLESIASTICÆ) Ecclesiastical letters are publications or announcements of ... |
LeubusAbbey of LeubusA celebrated ancient Cistercian abbey, situated on the Oder, northwest of Breslau, in the ... |
LeuceLeuceA titular see of Thrace, not mentioned by any ancient historian or geographer. However, its ... |
Levadoux, MichaelMichael LevadouxOne of the first band of Sulpicians who, owing to the distressed state of religion in France, ... |
Levau, LouisLouis Levau(LE VAU) A contemporary of Jacques Lemercier and the two Mansarts, and the chief architect of ... |
LevitesLevites(From Levi , name of the ancestral patriarch, generally interpreted "joined" or "attached ... |
LeviticusLeviticusThe third book of the Pentateuch, so called because it treats of the offices, ministries, rites, ... |
LexLex(LAW) The etymology of the Latin word lex is a subject of controversy. Some authorities ... |
Lezana, Juan Bautista deJuan Bautista de LezanaTheologian, born at Madrid, 23 Nov., 1586; died in Rome, 29 March, 1659. He took the habit at ... |
LiègeLiege(The Diocese of Liège; canonical name L EODIENSIS ). Liège (V ICUS L ... |
LibelLibel( Latin libellus , a little book) A malicious publication by writing, printing, picture, ... |
Libellatici, LibelliLibellatici, LibelliThe libelli were certificates issued to Christians of the third century. They were of two ... |
Liber Diurnus Romanorum PontificumLiber Diurnus Romanorum PontificumA miscellaneous collection of ecclesiastical formularies used in the papal chancery until the ... |
Liber PontificalisLiber Pontificalis(BOOK OF THE POPES). A history of the popes beginning with St. Peter and continued down to ... |
Liber SeptimusLiber SeptimusThree canonical collections of quite different value from a legal standpoint are known by this ... |
Libera MeLibera Me(Domine, de morte aeterna, etc.). The responsory sung at funerals. It is a responsory of ... |
Libera NosLibera NosThe first words of the Embolism of the Lord's Prayer in the Roman Rite. Most liturgies ... |
Liberal Arts, The SevenThe Seven Liberal ArtsThe expression artes liberales , chiefly used during the Middle Ages, does not mean arts as we ... |
LiberalismLiberalismA free way of thinking and acting in private and public life. I. DEFINITION The word liberal ... |
Liberatore, MatteoMatteo LiberatoreA philosopher, theologian, and writer, born at Salerno, Italy, 14 August, 1810; died at Rome, ... |
Liberatus of CarthageLiberatus of Carthage(Sixth century) Archdeacon ; author of an important history of the Nestorian and ... |
LiberiaLiberiaA republic on the west coast of Africa, between 4° 20´ and 7° 20´ N. lat., ... |
Liberius, PopePope Liberius(Reigned 352-66) Pope Julius died on 12 April, according to the "Liberian Catalogue", and ... |
Libermann, Ven. Francis Mary PaulVen. Francis Mary Paul LibermannFounder of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which was afterwards merged in the ... |
LibrariesLibrariesLibraries, that is to say, collections of books accumulated and made accessible for public or ... |
Libri CaroliniCaroline Books (Libri Carolini)A work in four books (120 or 121 chapters), purporting to be the composition of Charlemagne, and ... |
LichfieldLichfieldANCIENT DIOCESE OF LICHFIELD (LICHFELDENSIS). This diocese took its rise in the conversion ... |
Lidwina, SaintSt. LidwinaBorn at Schiedam, Holland, 18 April 1380; died 14 April, 1433. Her father, Peter by name, came of ... |
Lieber, Ernst MariaErnst Maria LieberBorn at Camberg in the Duchy of Nassau, 16 Nov., 1838; died 31 March, 1902. He was the principal ... |
Lieber, MorizMoriz LieberPolitician and publicist, b. at the castle of Blankenheim in the Eifel, 1 Oct., 1790, d. at ... |
Liebermann, Bruno Franz LeopoldBruno Franz Leopold LiebermannCatholic theologian, b., at Molsheim in Alsace 12 Oct., 1759; 4. at Strasburg, 11 Nov., 1844. ... |
LiesbornLiesbornA former noted Benedictine Abbey in Westphalia, Germany, founded in 815; suppressed in 1803. ... |
Liesborn, Master ofThe Master of LiesbornA Westphalian painter, who in 1465 executed an altar-piece of note in the Benedictine monastery ... |
LiessiesLiessiesA Benedictine monastery near Avesnes, in the Diocese of Cambrai, France (Nord), founded about ... |
LifeLife(Greek zoe ; Latin vita ; French La vie , German Das Leben ; vital principle; Greek ... |
LigamenLigamen( Latin for bond ). The existing marriage tie which constitutes in canon law a public ... |
LightsLightsUpon the subject of the liturgical use of lights, as an adjunct of the services of the Church, ... |
LigugéLigugeA Benedictine Abbey, in the Diocese of Poitiers, France, was founded about the year A.D. 360, ... |
Liguori, Saint AlphonsusSt. Alphonsus LiguoriBorn at Marianella, near Naples, 27 September, 1696; died at Nocera de' Pagani, 1 August, 1787. ... |
LilienfeldCistercian Abbey of LilienfeldLilienfeld, a Cistercian Abbey fifteen miles south of St. Polten, Lower Austria, was founded ... |
Lilius, AloisiusAloisius LiliusAloisius Lilius, principal author of the Gregorian Calendar, was a native of Cirò or ... |
LilleLilleThe ancient capital of Flanders, now the chief town of the Département du Nord in France. ... |
Lillooet IndiansLillooet IndiansAn important tribe of Salishan linguistic stock, in southern British Columbia, formerly holding a ... |
LimaLima (Peru)(Limana). The city of Lima, in the Department of the same name, is the capital of the Republic ... |
LimboLimbo(Late Latin limbus ) a word of Teutonic derivation, meaning literally "hem" or "border," as ... |
Limbourg, Pol dePol de LimbourgA French miniaturist. With his two brothers, he flourished at Paris at the end of the fourteenth ... |
LimburgLimburg(L IMBURGENSIS ) Diocese in the Kingdom of Prussia, suffragan of Freiburg. I. HISTORY ... |
LimerickLimerick(LIMERICENSIS) Diocese in Ireland ; includes the greater part of the County of Limerick and ... |
LimogesLimoges(LEMOVICENSIS). Diocese comprising the Departments of Haute Vienne and Creuse in France. ... |
LimyraLimyraLimyra, a titular see of Lycia, was a small city on the southern coast of Lycia, on the Limyrus, ... |
Linacre, ThomasThomas LinacreEnglish physician and clergyman, founder of the Royal College of Physicians, London, b. at ... |
LinaresLinares[Or MONTEREY or NUEVO LEÓN; ARCHDIOCESE OF (DE LINARES)] In 1777, at the request of ... |
LincolnLincoln (Nebraska)(LINCOLNIENSIS) Suffragan of Dubuque, erected 2 August, 1887, to include that part of the ... |
LincolnLincoln (England)ANCIENT DIOCESE OF LINCOLN (LINCOLNIENSIS). This see was founded by St. Theodore, Archbishop ... |
Lindanus, William DamasusWilliam Damasus Lindanus(VAN LINDA) Bishop of Ruremonde and of Ghent, b. at Dordrecht, in 1525; d. at Ghent, 2 ... |
Linde, Justin Timotheus Balthasar, Freiherr vonJustin Timotheus Balthasar, Freiherr von LindeHessian jurist and stateman, b. in the village of Brilon, Westphalia, 7 Aug., 1797; d. at Bonn ... |
Lindemann, WilhelmWilhelm LindemannA Catholic historian of German literature, b. at Schonnebeck near Essen, 17 December, 1828; d. ... |
Lindisfarne, Ancient Diocese and Monastery ofAncient Diocese and Monastery of Lindisfarne(Lindisfarnensis). The island of Lindisfarne lies some two miles off the Northumberland coast, ... |
Lindores, Benedictine Abbey ofBenedictine Abbey of LindoresOn the River Tay, near Newburgh, Fifeshire, Scotland, founded by David, Earl of Huntingdon, ... |
Line, Saint AnneSt. Anne LineEnglish martyr, d. 27 Feb., 1601. She was the daughter of William Heigham of Dunmow, Essex, a ... |
Linens, AltarAltar LinensThe altar-linens are the corporal, pall, purificator, and finger- towels. The Blessed Sacrament ... |
Lingard, JohnJohn LingardEnglish priest and historian b. at Winchester, 5 February, 1771; d. at Hornby, 17 July, 1851. He ... |
Linköping, Ancient See ofLinkoping(LINCOPIA; LINCOPENSIS.) Located in Sweden ; originally included Östergötland, the ... |
LinoeLinoeA titular see of Bithynia Secunda, known only from the "Notitiae Episcopatuum" which mention ... |
Linus, Pope SaintPope St. Linus(Reigned about A.D. 64 or 67 to 76 or 79). All the ancient records of the Roman bishops ... |
LinzLinzD IOCESE OF L INZ (L INCIENSIS ). Suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vienna . I. HISTORY ... |
LippeLippeOne of the Confederate States of the German Empire. The occasional use of the designation "Lippe ... |
Lippi, FilippinoFilippino LippiItalian painter, son of Filippo Lippi, b. at Prato, in 1458; d. at Florence 18 April, 1515. His ... |
Lippi, FilippoFilippo LippiItalian painter, b. at Florence about 1406; d. at Spoleto, 9 October, 1469. Left an orphan at ... |
Lippomano, LuigiLuigi Lippomano( Or Aloisius Lipomanus Lippomano). A cardinal, hagiographer, b. in 1500; d. 15 August, ... |
LipsanothecaLipsanothecaA term sometimes used synonymously with reliquary, but signifying, more correctly, the little box ... |
Lipsius, JustusJustus Lipsius(JOSSE LIPS) A philologian and humanist of the Netherlands, b. at Overyssche, 18 Oct., ... |
LisbonLisbonPatriarchate of Lisbon (Lisbonensis). Includes the districts of Lisbon and Santarem. The area ... |
LismoreLismore (Australia)DIOCESE OF LISMORE (LISMORENSIS) The Diocese of Lismore extends over a territory of 21,000 ... |
Lismore and WaterfordWaterford and Lismore(Waterfordiensis et Lismorensis), suffragan of Cashel. This diocese is almost coterminous with ... |
Lismore, School ofSchool of LismoreAs the School of Armagh in the North of Ireland, and that of Clonmacnoise in the centre, so the ... |
Lister, ThomasLister( alias Thomas Butler) Jesuit writer, b. in Lancashire, about 1559; d. in England, probably ... |
Liszt, FranzFranz LisztAdmittedly the greatest pianist in the annals of music, and a composer whose status in musical ... |
LitanyLitany(Latin litania , letania , from Greek lite , prayer or supplication) A litany is a ... |
Litany of LoretoLitany of LoretoDespite the fact that, from the seventeenth century onwards, the Litany of Loreto has been the ... |
Litany of the Holy NameLitany of the Holy NameAn old and popular form of prayer in honour of the Name of Jesus. The author is not known. ... |
Litany of the SaintsLitany of the SaintsThe model of all other litanies, of great antiquity. HISTORY It was used in the "Litania ... |
Literature, EnglishEnglish LiteratureIt is not unfitting to compare English Literature to a great tree whose far spreading and ever ... |
LithuaniaLithuania( German Litauen ) An ancient grandy-duchy united with Poland in the fourteenth century. ... |
Lithuanians in the United StatesLithuanians in the United StatesThe Lithuanians ( Lietuvys ; adjective, lietuviskas ) are a people of Russia, occupying the ... |
LittaLittaA noble Milanese family which gave two distinguished cardinals to the Church. I. ALFONSO ... |
Little Flowers of St. Francis of AssissiFioretti di San Francesco d'AssisiLittle Flowers of Francis of Assisi , the name given to a classic collection of popular legends ... |
Little Office of Our LadyLittle Office of Our LadyA liturgical devotion to the Blessed Virgin, in imitation of, and in addition to, the Divine ... |
Little RockLittle Rock(PETRICULANA) The State of Arkansas and the Indian Territory, parts of the Louisiana ... |
Littré, Paul-Maximilien-EmilePaul-Maximilien-Emile LittreA French lexicographer and philosopher ; born at Paris, 1 February, 1801; died there, 2 June, ... |
Liturgical BooksLiturgical BooksUnder this name we understand all the books, published by the authority of any church, that ... |
Liturgical ChantLiturgical ChantTaking these words in their ordinary acceptation, it is easy to settle the meaning of "liturgical ... |
LiturgyLiturgyThe various Christian liturgies are described each under its own name. ( See ALEXANDRINE ... |
Liturgy of JerusalemLiturgy of JerusalemThe Rite of Jerusalem is that of Antioch. That is to say, the Liturgy that became famous as ... |
Liturgy of the HoursDivine Office("Liturgy of the Hours" I. THE EXPRESSION "DIVINE OFFICE" This expression signifies ... |
Liutprand of CremonaLiutprand of Cremona(Or L UIDPRAND ). Bishop and historian, b. at the beginning of the tenth century; d. after ... |
LiverpoolLiverpoolDiocese of Liverpool/a>/Liverpolium (Liverpolitana). One of the thirteen dioceses into ... |
LiviasLiviasA titular see in Palestina Prima, suffragan of Cæsarea. It is twice mentioned in the Bible ... |
LivornoLeghorn (Livorno)(LIBURNENSIS.) Suffragan of Pisa. Leghorn ( Italian Livorno ), in Tuscany, is the capital ... |
LlancarvanLlancarvanLlancarvan, Glamorganshire, Wales, was a college and monastery founded apparently about the ... |
LlandaffLlandaffANCIENT DIOCESE OF LLANDAFF (LANDAVENSIS) The origins of this see are to be found in the sixth ... |
Llanthony PrioryLlanthony PrioryA monastery of Augustinian Canons, situated amongst the Black Mountains of South Wales, nine ... |
Lloyd, Saint JohnSt. John LloydWelsh priest and martyr, executed at Cardiff, 22 July, 1679. He took the missionary oath at ... |
Loaisa, Garcia deGarcia de LoaisaCardinal and Archbishop of Seville, b. in Talavera, Spain, c. 1479; d. at Madrid, 21 April, ... |
LoangoLoangoVICARIATE APOSTOLIC OF LOANGO (LOWER FRENCH CONGO). Formerly included in the great Kingdom of ... |
Loaves of PropositionLoaves of PropositionHeb. "bread of the faces", i.e. "bread of the presence (of Yahweh )" ( Exodus 35:13 ; 39:35 , ... |
Lobbes, Benedictine Abbey ofBenedictine Abbey of LobbesLocated in Hainault, Belgium, founded about 650, by St. Landelin, a converted brigand, so that ... |
Lobera, AnnAnn Lobera(Better known as V ENERABLE A NN OF J ESUS ). Carmelite nun, companion of St. Teresa; ... |
LoccumCistercian Abbey of Loccum(LUCCA, LOCKEN, LOCKWEEN, LYKE, LYCKO) A Cistercian abbey in the Diocese of Minden, formerly ... |
LochlevenLockleven(From leamhan , an elm-tree) Lochleven, a lake in Kinross-shire, Scotland, an island of ... |
Lochner, StephenStephen LochnerA painter, born at Meersburg, on the Lake of Constance, date of birth unknown; died at ... |
Loci TheologiciLoci TheologiciLoci theologici or loci communes , are the common topics of discussion in theology. As ... |
Locke, MatthewMatthew LockeComposer; born at Exeter, in 1629; died August, 1677. He was a chorister of Exeter Cathedral ... |
Lockhart, WilliamWilliam LockhartSon of the Rev. Alexander Lockhart of Waringham, Surry; b. 22 Aug., 1820; d. at St. Etheldreda's ... |
Lockwood, Venerable JohnVen. John LockwoodVenerable John Lockwood, priest and martyr, born about 1555; died at York, 13 April, 1642. He ... |
LodiLodi(LAUDENSIS) A suffragan of Milan. Lodi, the capital of a district in the Province of Milan, ... |
Logia, JesuJesu LogiaFound partly in the Inspired Books of the New Testament, partly in uninspired writings. The ... |
LogicLogicLogic is the science and art which so directs the mind in the process of reasoning and ... |
Logos, TheThe LogosThe word Logos is the term by which Christian theology in the Greek language designates the ... |
Lohel, JohannJohann Lohel(JOHANN LOHELIUS) Archbishop of Prague, b. at Eger, Bohemia, 1549; d. 2 Nov., 1622. Of poor ... |
Lohner, TobiasTobias LohnerBorn 13 March, 1619, at Neuötting in the Diocese of Salzburg ; died 26 (probably) May, ... |
Loja, Diocese ofLoja(Lojana), suffragan of Quito, Ecuador, includes the greater part of the Provinces of Loja and El ... |
LollardsLollardsThe name given to the followers of John Wyclif, an heretical body numerous in England in the ... |
Loménie de Brienne, Etienne-Charles deEtienne-Charles de Lomenie de BrienneFrench cardinal and statesman; b. at Paris, 1727; d. at Sens, 1794. He was of noble lineage, ... |
Loman, SaintSaint LomanBishop of Trim in Ireland, nephew of St. Patrick, was remarkable as being the first placed over ... |
Lombard, PeterPeter LombardTheologian, b. at Novara (or perhaps Lumello), Italy, about 1100; d. about 1160-64. He studied ... |
Lombard, PeterPeter LombardArchbishop of Armagh, b. at Waterford, about 1555; d. at Rome, 1625; belonged to a respectable ... |
LombardyLombardyA word derived from Longobardia and used during the Middle Ages to designate the country ruled ... |
London (England)LondonLondon, the capital of England and chief city of the British Empire, is situated about fifty ... |
London (Ontario)London (Ontario)DIOCESE OF LONDON (LONDINENSIS) Diocese in Canada, established 21 February, 1855; see ... |
Longstreet, JamesJames LongstreetSoldier and Catholic convert. Born 8 January, 1821, at Edgefield, South Carolina, U.S.A.; died ... |
Lope de Vega Carpio, Félix deFelix de Lope de Vega CarpioPoet and dramatist, b. at Madrid, 1562; d. 23 Aug., 1635. With Lope de Vega begins the era of ... |
Lopez-Caro, FranciscoFrancisco Lopez-CaroSpanish artist, b. at Seville in 1598; d. at Madrid in 1662; he was a pupil of Juan de Las ... |
Lord's PrayerLord's PrayerAlthough the Latin term oratio dominica is of early date, the phrase "Lord's Prayer" does not ... |
LoreaLoreaTitular see in the province of Arabia, suffragan of Bostra. The city figures in the different ... |
Lorenzana, Francisco Antonio deFrancisco Antonio de LorenzanaCardinal, b. 22 Sept., 1722 at Leon in Spain ; d. 17 April, 1804, at Rome. After the completion ... |
Lorenzetti, Pietro and AmbrogioPietro and Ambrogio LorenzettiSienese painters. The time of their birth and death is not known. Their dated works extend ... |
Lorenzo da Brindisi, SaintSt. Lorenzo Da Brindisi(Also: Lawrence, or Laurence, of Brindisi.) Born at Brindisi in 1559; died at Lisbon on 22 ... |
Loreto, Holy House ofSanta Casa di Loreto (Holy House of Loreto)(The Holy House of Loreto). Since the fifteenth century, and possibly even earlier, the "Holy ... |
Loreto, Litany ofLitany of LoretoDespite the fact that, from the seventeenth century onwards, the Litany of Loreto has been the ... |
LoretteLorette(Full name, Notre-Dame de la Jeune Lorette , "Our Lady of New Loretto") An Indian village ... |
Lorrain, Claude deClaude de LorrainFrench painter and etcher, b. in 1600 at Chamagnc on the banks of the Moselle in Lorraine ; d. ... |
LorraineLorraineI. ORIGIN By the Treaty of Verdun in 843, the empire of Charlemagne was divided in three ... |
Lorsch AbbeyLorsch Abbey( Laureshamense Monasterium , called also Laurissa and Lauresham ). One of the most ... |
LorymaLorymaA titular see of Caria, small fortified town and harbour on the coast of Caria, not far from ... |
Los Angeles and MontereyMonterey and Los AngelesDIOCESE OF MONTEREY AND LOS ANGELES (MONTEREYENSIS ET ANGELORUM). Comprises that part of the ... |
Lossada, Luis deLuis de LossadaPhilosopher, b. at Quiroga, Asturias, Spain in 1681; d. at Salamanca, in 1748. He entered the ... |
Lossen, Karl AugustKarl August LossenGerman petrologist and geologist, born at Kreuznach (Rhine Province), 5 January, 1841; died at ... |
LotLotSon of Abraham's brother Aran ( Genesis 11:27 ), therefore Abraham's nephew (his "brother": ... |
LotteryLotteryA lottery is one of the aleatory contracts and is commonly defined as a distribution of prizes by ... |
Lotti, AntonioAntonio LottiComposer, born at Venice in 1667; died there, 5 January, 1740 and studied under Legrenzi, ... |
Lotto, LorenzoLorenzo LottoItalian portrait painter, born at Venice, 1480; died at Loreto, 1556. This eminent artist was ... |
LoucheuxLoucheuxThe would-be Kuchin of some ethnologists, and the Tukudh of the Protestant missionaries; ... |
Louis Allemand, BlessedBlessed Louis AllemandCardinal, Archbishop of Arles, whose name has been written in a great variety of ways (Alamanus, ... |
Louis Bertrand, SaintSt. Louis BertrandBorn at Valencia, Spain, 1 Jan., 1526; died 9 Oct., 1581. His patents were Juan Bertrand and ... |
Louis IX, SaintSt. Louis IXKing of France, son of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile, born at Poissy, 25 April, 1215; died ... |
Louis of Casoria, VenerableVen. Louis of CasoriaFriar Minor and founder of the Frati Bigi; b. at Casoria, near Naples, 11 March, 1814; d. at ... |
Louis of Granada, VenerableVen. Louis of GranadaTheologian, writer, and preacher; b. of very humble parentage at Granada, Spain, 1505; d. at ... |
Louis of Toulouse, SaintSt. Louis of ToulouseBishop of Toulouse, generally represented vested in pontifical garments and holding a book and a ... |
Louis XIVLouis XIVKing of France, b. at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 16 September, 1638; d. at Versailles, 1 September, ... |
Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, SaintSt. Louis de MontfortMissionary in Brittany and Vendee; born at Montfort, 31 January, 1673; died at Saint Laurent sur ... |
Louise de Marillac Le Gras, VenerableVenerable Louise de Marillac Le GrasFoundress of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul , born at Paris, 12 August, 1591, ... |
Louise, SisterSister LouiseEducator and organizer, b. at Bergen-op-Zoom, Holland, 14 Nov., 1813; d. at Cincinnati, Ohio, 3 ... |
LouisianaLouisianaI. COLONIAL The history of Louisiana forms an important part of the history of the United ... |
Louisville, Diocese ofLouisvilleComprises that part of Kentucky west of the Kentucky River and western borders of Carroll, Owen, ... |
Lourdes, Brothers of Our Lady ofBrothers of Our Lady of Lourdes(Abbreviation C.N.D.L. — Congregation de Notre-Dame de Lourdes) A community devoted to ... |
Lourdes, Notre-Dame deLourdesNotre-Dame de Lourdes, in the Department of Hautes Pyrenées, France, is far-famed for the ... |
Louvain, University ofUniversity of LouvainIn order to restore the splendour of Louvain, capital of his Duchy of Brabant, John IV of the ... |
Love, Theological Virtue ofLoveThe third and greatest of the Divine virtues enumerated by St. Paul ( 1 Corinthians 13:13 ), ... |
Low ChurchLow ChurchThe name given to one of the three parties or doctrinal tendencies that prevail in the ... |
Low SundayLow SundayThe first Sunday after Easter. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it is apparently ... |
Lower California, Vicariate Apostolic ofVicariate Apostolic of Lower CaliforniaIncludes the territory of that name in Mexico (Sp. Baja or Vieja California ), a peninsula ... |
Lower CriticismBiblical CriticismThe object of textual criticism is to restore as nearly as possible the original text of a work ... |
Loyola University (Chicago)Loyola University (Chicago)Loyola University is the outgrowth of St. Ignatius College, founded by the Jesuits in 1869 for ... |
Loyola University (New Orleans)Loyola University (New Orleans)Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana, is (1912) the only Catholic university in what is ... |
Loyola, Saint IgnatiusSt. Ignatius LoyolaYoungest son of Don Beltrán Yañez de Oñez y Loyola and Marina Saenz de Lieona ... |
LuçonLuconDiocese of Luçon (Lucionensis). Embraces the Department of La Vendée. It was ... |
LublinLublinDIOCESE OF LUBLIN (LUBLINENSIS). The city of Lublin is in Russian Poland, capital of the ... |
Luca, Giovanni Battista deGiovanni Battista de LucaA Cardinal and Italian canonist of the seventeenth century, b. at Venusia, Southern Italy, in ... |
Lucas, FrederickFrederick LucasA member of Parliament and journalist, b. in Westminster, 30 March, 1812, d. at Staines, ... |
LuccaLuccaARCHDIOCESE OF LUCCA (LUCENSIS). Lucca, the capital of the like named province in Tuscany, ... |
LuceraLuceraDIOCESE OF LUCERA (LUCERINENSIS). Lucera is a very ancient city in the province of Foggia in ... |
LucerneLucerneChief town of the Canton of Lucerne in Switzerland. The beginnings of the town, as well as the ... |
Lucian of AntiochLucian of AntiochA priest of the Church of Antioch who suffered martyrdom (7 January, 312), during the reign ... |
Lucic, JohnJohn Lucic(Or LUCIUS) Croatian historian, b. early in the seventeenth century, at Trojir, or Tragurion, ... |
LuciferLucifer( Hebrew helel ; Septuagint heosphoros , Vulgate lucifer ) The name Lucifer ... |
Lucifer of CagliariLucifer of Cagliari(LUCIFER CALARITANUS) A bishop, who must have been born in the early years of the fourth ... |
Lucina, Crypt ofCrypt of LucinaThe traditional title of the most ancient section of the catacomb of St. Callistus. According to ... |
Lucius I, Pope SaintPope Saint Lucius IReigned 253-254; died at Rome, 5 March, 254. After the death of St. Cornelius , who died in ... |
Lucius II, PopePope Lucius II(Gherardo Caccianemici dal Orso) Born at Bologna, unknown date, died at Rome, 15 February, ... |
Lucius III, PopePope Lucius III(Ubaldo Allucingoli) Born at Lucca, unknown date ; died at Verona, 25 Notaember, 1185. ... |
Lucy, SaintSt. LucyA virgin and martyr of Syracuse in Sicily, whose feast is celebrated by Latins and ... |
Ludger, SaintSaint Ludger(Lüdiger or Liudger) Missionary among the Frisians and Saxons, first Bishop of Munster ... |
Ludmilla, SaintSt. LudmillaWife of Boriwoi, the first Christian Duke of Bohemia, b. at Mielnik, c. 860; d. at Tetin, near ... |
Ludolph of SaxonyLudolph of Saxony(Ludolph the Carthusian ). An ecclesiastical writer of the fourteenth century, date of ... |
Ludovicus a S. CaroloLudovicus a S. Carolo(LUDOVICUS JACOB) Carmelite writer, b. at Châlons-sur-Marne (according to some at ... |
Lueger, KarlKarl LuegerA burgomaster of Vienna, Austrian political leader and municipal reformer, born at Vienna, 24 ... |
LugoLugoDIOCESE OF LUGO (LUCENSIS) Diocese in Galicia, Spain, a suffragan of Santiago, said to have ... |
Lugo, Francisco deFrancisco de LugoJesuit theologian, b. at Madrid, 1580; d. at Valladolid, 17 September, 1652. he was the elder ... |
Lugo, John deJohn de LugoSpanish Jesuit and Cardinal, one of the most eminent theologians of modern times, b. at ... |
LugosLugosDiocese in Hungary, suffragan of Fogaras and Alba Julia of the Uniat-Rumanian Rite, was ... |
Luini, BernardinoBernardino LuiniMilanese painter, b. between 1470 and 1480; d. after 1530. The actual facts known respecting the ... |
Luke, Gospel of SaintGospel of Saint LukeThe subject will be treated under the following heads: I. Biography of Saint Luke ... |
Lulé IndiansLule IndiansA name which has given rise to considerable confusion and dispute in Argentine ethnology, owing ... |
Lully, Jean-BaptisteJean-Baptiste LullyComposer, b. near Florence in 1633; d. at Paris, 22 March, 1687. He was brought to France when ... |
Lully, RaymondRaymond Lully(RAMON LULL) "Doctor Illuminatus", philosopher, poet, and theologian, b. at Palma in Majorca, ... |
Lumen ChristiLumen ChristiThe versicle chanted by the deacon on Holy Saturday as he lights the triple candle. After ... |
LuminareLuminare(A word which gives in the plural luminaria and has hence been incorrectly written in the ... |
Lummi IndiansLummi Indians(Abbreviated from Nuglummi , about equivalent to "people", the name used by themselves). ... |
Lumper, GottfriedGottfried LumperBenedictine patristic writer, born 6 Feb., 1747, at Füssen in Bavaria ; died 8 March, ... |
Luna, Pedro dePedro de LunaAntipope under the name of Benedict XIII, b. at Illueca, Aragon, 1328; d. at the ... |
LundLund[LUNDA; LONDUNUM (LONDINUM) GOTHORUM (SCANORUM, SCANDINORUM, or DANORUM)]. In the Län of ... |
LunetteLunetteThe lunette, known in Germany as the lunula and also as the melchisedech, is a crescent-shaped ... |
Luni-Sarzana-BrugnatoLuni-Sarzana-BrugnatoDiocese in the province of Genoa. Luni (originally Luna) was an Etruscan city, but was seized by ... |
LupusLupus(SERVATUS LUPUS, LOUP) Abbot of Ferrières, French Benedictine writer, b. in the ... |
Lupus, ChristianChristian Lupus(WOLF) Historian, b. at Ypres (Flanders), 23 July, 1612; d. at Louvain, 10 July, 1681. He ... |
Luscinius, OttmarOttmar Luscinius(NACHTGALL) An Alsatian Humanist, b. at Strasburg, 1487; d. at Freiburg, 1537. After ... |
Lusignan, Jean-Baptiste-AlphonseJean-Baptiste-Alphonse LusignanFrench-Canadian writer, b. at St-Denis on the Richelieu, P.Q., 27 September, 1843; d. 5 January, ... |
Lussy, MelchiorMelchior LussyStatesman, b. at Stans, Canton of Unterwalden, Switzerland, 1529; d. there 14 Nov., 1606. Even in ... |
LustLustThe inordinate craving for, or indulgence of, the carnal pleasure which is experienced in the ... |
Luther, MartinMartin LutherLeader of the great religious revolt of the sixteenth century in Germany ; born at Eisleben, 10 ... |
LutheranismLutherans and LutheranismThe religious belief held by the oldest and in Europe the most numerous of the Protestant ... |
Lutzk, Zhitomir, and Kamenetz, Diocese ofLutzk, Zhitomir, and Kamenetz(LUCEORIENSIS, ZYTOMIRIENSIS, ET CAMENECENSIS). Diocese located in Little Russia. Its present ... |
LuxemburgLuxemburgThe small remnant of the old duchy of this name and since 11 May, 1867, an independent neutral ... |
Luxeuil AbbeyAbbey of LuxeuilSituated in the Department of Haute-Saône in Franche-Comté, in the Diocese of ... |
LycopolisLycopolisA titular see in Thebais Prima, suffragan of Antinoë. As Siout or Siaout it played a ... |
LyddaLyddaA titular see of Palestina Prima in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. The town was formerly ... |
Lydgate, JohnJohn LydgateBorn at Lydgate, Suffolk, about 1370; d. probably about 1450. He entered the Benedictine abbey ... |
LyingLyingLying, as defined by St. Thomas Aquinas , is a statement at variance with the mind . This ... |
Lynch, JohnJohn LynchHistorian, b. at Galway, Ireland, 1599; d. in France, 1673; was the son of Alexander Lynch, who ... |
Lyndwood, WilliamWilliam LyndwoodBishop of St. David's and the greatest of English canonists, b. about 1375; d. in 1446. He had ... |
Lyons, Archdiocese ofLyonsThe Archdiocese of Lyons (Lugdunensis) comprises the Department of the Rhône (except the ... |
Lyons, Councils of (Introduction)Councils of LyonsPrevious to 1313 the Abbé Martin counts no less than twenty-eight synods or councils held ... |
Lyons, First Council ofFirst Council of LyonsInnocent IV, threatened by Emperor Frederick II, arrived at Lyons 2 December, 1244, and early in ... |
Lyons, Second Council ofSecond Council of LyonsThe Second Council of Lyons was one of the most largely attended of conciliar assemblies, there ... |
LyrbaLyrbaA titular see of Pamphylia Prima, known by its coins and the mention made of it by Dionysius, ... |
LysiasLysiasA titular see of Phrygia Salutaris, mentioned by Strabo, XII, 576, Pliny, V, 29, Ptolemy, V, 2, ... |
LystraLystraA titular see in the Province of Lycaonia, suffragan of Iconium. On his first visit to this ... |
- Trending Saints:
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