Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/157

 SOLEMNITY

133

SOLESMES

especially in the treatment of the heads, plastic model- ling, and colouring. A beautiful Descent from the Cross, painted in 1503, is still in existence. About this date he also painted many portraits and in this way came into connexion with Cardinal Charles d'Amboise, for whom he painted a number of pictures during the years 1507-9 at Gaillon in Normandy. These works are now in galleries in England. During the second half of his working period he changed his style to a brighter tone and his works are easily recog- nized by the clear, luminous colours and the manner in which they flow into and blend-with one another. The School of Leonardo, however, is always per- ceptible. Among other paintings belonging to this time is a Madonna with a Child lying on a cushion to whom she otTers the brca.st ; the figures are surrounded by a beautiful landscap(>. This picture is in the Louvre and the same gallery has another of his works, a Salome receiving from the executioner the head of John the Baptist, with the delicate face turned away from the object. The Poldi-Pezzoli Gallery of Milan contains a large number of his works; among these are: "Repose on the Flight to Egypt" (1515), one of the best pictures of Leonardo's school; "St. Cathe- rine"; " St. Anthony " ; " The Crowning with Thorns ". His last and most important work is the "Assump- tion of the Blessed \'irgin ", at the Certosa near Pavia, which, however, he was not able to complete.

(.3) Andrea's brother Cbistoforo Solari, called II Gobbo, sculptor and architect, b. at Milan before 1475; d. in 1527. In 1490 he went with Andrea to Venice where some sculptures executed by him are still in existence. In 1498 he returned to Klilan and entered the service of Ludovico Sforza at whose order he executed his chief work, the tomb of Ludovico's wife. The figures of Beatrice d'Este and Ludovico upon the tomb belong in their massive severity, in- dividuality of treatment, and technical excellencies to tlie best works of the early Renaissance in Lom- bardy. The monument was erected in the Church of Maria delle Grazie, but was unfortunately destroyed at a later era; in 1821 the two statues were taken to the Certosa near Pavia. Besides the.se, a number of statues in the cathedral of Milan are ascribed to him: four doctors of the Church, Adam and Eve, Sebastian, Christ bound to the pillar. They are marked by a less vigorous naturalism, the influence of a stay at Rome, whither he went after the overthrow of the Sforza family. From 1503 he was again in Milan, where he took charge of the construction of the cathedral. He also designed the great cupola of Santa Maria della Passione at Milan. (4) Antonio Solari, b. in 1382; d. 1445. He is called II Zingaro (the gypsy), a nickname probably given him either because his father was apparently a Bohemian blacksmith who had emigrated to ^'eniee, or from the wandering life he himself led until he settled permanent!)' in Naples. He is said to ha\e worked at his father's trade until his love for the beautiful daughter of an artist led him to turn to art. As at Naples he was very soon able to win the favour of Queen Joanna, it was not long before he became the most important painter of the capital. He founded a school which produced a num- ber of miisters of moderate ability. His most im- portant work, which is also the best production of Neapolitan painting at that period, is a series of twenty frescoe.s in the court of a monastery near San Severino which show traces of the influence of the schools of V'enice and Ferrara. They represent the life of St. Benedict and contain a large number of lifelike figures in dignified nniirn with -t:itues.

Aloe, Le ;i!:»ur( ,/.//,) ,■; n, ■ , .,, m Na-

voli, dinolanti i futti >/■!:.' /; -, ,;,' , 1836);

MOSCHIMI, Memorir ,1,11,: : !, 1 •. . N /. , ,[,;;,,, / ZingaTO,

piltori WneziiKio (Vonico, 1S2.S) ; Krizzoni, U Soilumn. Giiademio Fcrari, Ajidre<i S'lkiri Uluf^lrali in tre opere in Milano receniemente recuperate in Arch. sl,ir. arte, IV (Rome, 1891); Ventdri, Eine umbehimmle mnrmorgriippe ton Cristoforo Solari in Mitth. Inst, listerr. nesch., V CInn.sbrut:k, 1.SS4), 29.-)-302,

Beda Kleinschmidt.

Solemnity (from Lat, solel and annus), a yearly celebration, is used to denote the amount of intrinsic or extrinsic pomp with which a feast is celebrated. Intrinsic solemnity arises from the fact that the feast is primarium for the entire Church, or for a special place, because in it a saint was born, lived, or died; or because his relics are honoured there. Extrinsic solemnity is added hy feriatio, by the number of sacred ministers, decoration of the church or adjoining streets, the ringing of bells, the number of candles, costly vestments, etc. In the "Roman MartjTology " Easter Sunday is announced as the "solemnity of solemni- ties"; the first Sunday of October, as the solemnity of the Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. The term "solemnity" is also used in contracts, especially matrimony, in votive Masses, in vows, and in eccle- siastical trials.

Francis Mershman.

Solesmes, Abbey of, a Benedictine monastery in De|iartment of Sarthe, near Sable, France. It was founded in 1010 by Geoffrey, seigneur of Sable, as a priory dependent on the Abbey of St-Pierre de la Couture at Le Mans. During the Hundred Years' War it was twice pillaged and once almost entirely de- stroyed by fire. Apart from these disasters its history was uneventful for several centuries. Towards the end of the fifteenth century the rebuilding of the church was commenced. Prior Philibert de la Croix changing it from basilica form to that of a Latin cross. His successor, Jean Bougler (1505-1556), com- pleted the restoration of the church, added the tower, and rebuilt the cloisters, sacristy, and library. Under his direction two famous groups of statuary, known as the "Saints of Solesmes", were set up in the church. It is not known for certain who the sculptors were, but the groups were probably the work of several hands. They are placed in the two transeptal chapels and form one of the chief attractions of the place. One represents the entombment of Our Lord and the other various episodes of the Dolours of Our Lady. The groups contain eight and fifteen life-size figures respectively, besides various subsidiary figures, and are adorned with bas-reliefs and other sculptural ornamentation. Some of the faces, notably that of Mary Magdalen, are wonderfully exjaressivc; that of Jcseph of Arimathea is supposed to be a portrait of King Rene (d. 1480). In the sixteenth century these masterjiieces were in danger of being destroyed by the Huguenots and other Iconoclxsts, but the monks saved thein by erecting barricades. Jean Bougler was the last Regular Prior of Solesmes, a succession of com- mendatorj' priors being appointed after his death. In 1664 the monastery was absorbed by the Congrega- tion of St, Maur, and in 1722 it was, with the excep- tion of the church, entirely rebuilt on a larger scale. In 1791 it w:i.s suppressed and the buildings passed into private hands, so remaining for forty years. In 1831 the property was put up for sale, and Dom Prosper Gu^ranger, then a young priest of twenty- seven, who had been born in the neighbourhood and had long lamented its state of desecration, was in- spired to acquire it and restore it to God and the Church as a home of monastic life. He set about raising the necessary funds, bought the entire prop- erty, and, with five other like-minded zealous priests, took possession in 1833. Three years later, with the