Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/308

 ORCISTUS

27.6

ORDEALS

famou8 fresco of "Tho Last . I mlgment", still to be soon in the Strozzi eliapel in S. Maria Novella, a eoiiiposi- tion inspired by the " Divina Comniedia, and eoin- prisinj; the JudVinent, I'aradise, and Hell as its three parts. Tliis fresi-o h:is been erroneously attributed to Andrea, who became the most fani<ius<if the t'ioni, iDUt Ix)renzo ( ihiberti testifies to its beinf; the work of Nardo. In the same way, the "Triumph of Death" and "The Last .ludgment" in the Canipo Santo of Pisa, owing to their similarity to the S. iSLiria Novella freseo, used to be attributed to Nardo and Andrea di Clone. Both these brothers were registered in the Florentine Guild of Painters in 1357. In that year Andrea (Oreagna) collaborated with Francesco di Talento on plans for the enlargement of S. Maria del Fiore. In 1358 he executed mosaics for the fagade of the cathedral of Orvieto. ^'asari makes Andrea Pi- sano his master in the art of sculpture, but this honour is more probably ilue to Neri di Fieravante, his spon- sor when he matriculated in the Guild of "masters of stone and wood", in 1352.

According to Vasari, the Brotherhood of Orsam- michele took the offerings made to the Blessed Virgin during the plague of 1348 and used them to build around her image an elaborately ornamented marble tabernacle. Oreagna was entrusted with this work, which he completed in 1359. For brilliancy and rich- ness of architecture as well as of decoration, Burck- hardt regards this tabernacle as the most perfect work of its kind in Italian Gothic. The mysteries of the life of the Blessed Virgin are represented in bas-relief with a series of allegorical figures of the Virtues. The Announcement of Mary's Death and the Assump- tion are especially worthy of note. This tabernacle of Orsammichele is Orcagna's only authentic sculp- tural work, but his manner is discernible in the "An- nunciation" of Santa Croce and in the bas-reliefs of the Campanile of S. Maria del Fiore which repre- sent the Virtues and Liberal Arts.

The chief paintings of Oreagna which have survived are: a St. Matthew, painted, in collaboration with his brother Jacopo, for S. Maria Novella, now in the Uffizi; a "Virgin with Angels", in the Somzee collec- tion at Brussels; a "Vision of St. Bernard", in the Academy of Florence; a "Coronation of the Virgin", executed for San Pier Maggiore, Florence, now in the National Gallery, London. In 1357 Tommaso di Rossello Strozzi commissioned Oreagna to paint an altar-piece for the same chapel in which Nardo had painted the frescoes. This re-table is divided into five parts: in the centre Christ is enthroned, a pyramidal crown on his brow, two little angels at his feet, playing music; at Christ's right hand is the Blessed Virgin, presenting St. Thomas Aquinas to Him; at His left hand is the Precursor who indicates Christ to a kneel- ing St. Peter. In the last two compartments are seen, on one side St. Lawrence and St. Paul, on the other St. Michael and St. Catherine. Oreagna was commis- sioned in the following year to paint the life of the Blessed Virgin on the walls of the choir of S. Maria Novella. These paintings were ruined by damp, ow- ing to a leakiiiL' roW Oreagna in Notizie dei professori del diseffno, II (Flor.nr,-, ] 7t;si ; Crowe and Cavalca- 8ELLE, A New Hulory of Pninluoj in Italy, II (London, 1865); BuRCKHARDT AND BoDE, Le Cieerone, II, 328; Fr. tr. GERARD (Paris. 1892); Bryan. Diet, Painters and Engraters, I (London, 1903); Suida, Florenlinische Maler um die WiUe des XIV Jahr- hunderts (.Strasburg, 1905): Ventcri, Storia delV arte italiana, IV, 037; V, 707 (Milan, 1906-07).

Gaston Sortais.

Orcistus, titular see in Galatia Secunda. It is only mentioned in Peutinger's "Table". An inscription of 331 fixes the site at Alikol Yaila, also called Alekian, in the vilayet of Angora. It was then a station at the

intersection of four roads ami formed part of the "Dio- cese of Asia"; consequently it must luive belonged to Phrj'gia. In 451 it was in Galatia Sicurula or Salu- taris, probably from the formation of that province about 386-95. The name comes from .a tribe called Orel, which dwelt in the phiins on the eastern fron- tier of Phrvgia. Only three bishops arc known: Dom- nus, at Ephc.sus (451); Longinus, ;it Chalcedon (451); ami Segermas, :it Const:intin(.pl<' (HIIL'l. Bui, the .see is mentioned by the "Nolitia' episcop:ituum" until the thirteenth century among the suffragans of Pes- sinus.

Leake, Asia Minor, 71 ; Hamilton, Researches in Asia Minor, I, 44(J; Ramsay, Asia Minor, 228; Le Quien, Oriens Christ., I, 493.

S. P^TRIDilS.

Ordeals {Judicium Dei: Anglo-Saxon, ord&l; Ger. Urleil) were a means of obtaining evidence by trials, through which, by the direct interposition of God, the guilt or innocence of an accuised person was firmly established, in the event that the truth could not be proved by ordinary means. These trials owed their existence to the firm belief that an omniscient and just God would not permit an innocent person to be re- garded as guilty and punished in consequence, but that He would intervene, by a miracle if necessary, to proclaim the truth. The ordeals were either imposed by the presiding judge, or chosen by the contesting parties themselves. It was expected that God, ap- proving the act imposed or permitted by an authorized judge, would give a distinct manifestation of the truth to reveal the guilt or innocence of the accused. It was believed from these premises that an equitable judgment must surely result. Ordeals are of two kinds: those undergone only by the accused, and those taken part in by both parties to the action. It was the common opinion that the decision of God was made known in the result of the test, either immediately or after a short time. Ordeals were resorted to when the contesting parties were unable to bring forward further evidence, for according to the ancient Cierman law, the production of evidence was not arranged for by the court itself, but was left to the contestants.

Ordeals were known and practised by various peo- ples of antiquity, and are still to be met with to-day among uncivilized tribes. The Code of Hammurabi prescribes their use for the ancient Babylonians. The person accused of a certain crime was subjected to the test of cold water, which consisted in the person's plunging into a river; if the river bore him away his guilt was established; if he remained quiet and unin- jured in the water, his innocence was believed to have been proved (Winkler, "Die Gesetze Hammurabis", Leipzig, 1902, 10). Among the Jews existed the test of the Water of Jealousy, conducted by the priests, in which the woman accused of adultery must consume the draught in their presence, after liaving' offered certain sacrifices, and the effects of which estab- lished the woman's guilt or innocence (Num., v, 12- 31). Among the Indians are to be found likewise various kinds of ordeals, particularly that of the red- hot iron. This test of holding a red-hot iron was also known among the Greeks. The Romans, however, with their highly-developed system of dispensing justice, did not employ this means of obtaining proof. Ordeals found their chief development among the Germanic peoples, in Germany itself as well as in those kingdoms which came into existence, after the migra- tion of the nations, in the old Roman Provinces of Gaul, Italy, and Britain. They were an essential part of the judicial system of the Germanic races in pagan times, were preserved and developed after the con- version of these peoples to Christianity, became wide- spread and were in constant use.

The Christian missionaries did not in general com- bat this practice. They opposed only the duel, and endeavoured to minimize the barbarity attendant