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SPONTINI

the college of Trevi, which was opened in 1674. Giotta da Vespignano painted a beautiful fresco in the Church of the Holy Cross. In the Church of San Martino was a very valuable painting, repre- senting "The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin in Heaven", attributed by some to Giovanni Spagna, but more likely a work of Pietro Vannucci (Perugino); it is now in the Pinacoteca Vannucci, Perugia.

In tlie valley below the town is the celebrated church and shrine of Santa Maria delle Lagrime (Our Lady of the Tears). The story of the miraculous image is briefly this: Diotallevio d'Antonio, who hved near the road leading from Spoleto to Trevi, had painted an image of the Madonna and Child on the outside wall of his house. One day tears were noticed falhng from the eyes of the Madonna. The report of this extraordinary phenomenon, which continued for some time, spread far and wide. Official records of the occurrence were made by the municipal authorities. Many graces and favours were obtained through prayer before the picture. A smaU chapel was erected in August, 1485, and Mass was daily offered therein. On 26 July, 1846, Santa Maria delle Lagrime was chosen patroness of the town. On 27 March, 1487, the large basilica was begun, which on its com- pletion, 8 March, 1489, was confided to the Olivetans. A contemporary account of the miraculous origin of the shrine by Father Francesco Mugnoni, an Olive- tan, who resided within a short distance of d'An- tonio's house, is preserved- The basilica contains Perugino's "The Adoration of the Magi", and Gio- vanni Spagna's "Deposition from the Cross". The shrine has been enriched with many beautiful offerings in commemoration of the numerous benefits conferred upon the people of the neighbourhood and visiting pilgrims through the intercession of Our Lady of Tears. Notable among these is a representa- tion, in silver relief, of the city of Ferni given by its inhabitants and neighbouring towns in remembrance of their deUverance from the plague.

The archbishop, Mgr. Domenico Serafini, a Bene- dictine of the Congregation of Monte Cassino, was born at Rome on 3 .Avigust, 18.52; professed at Subiaco on 16 June, 1874; ordained priest on 21 October, 1877;' appointed procurator-general of the congrega- tion five years later; in June, 1892, he was elected abbot -general; on 19 .\pril, 1900, he was named arch- bishop and on 6 May, 1900, consecrated, in succession to Mgr. Mariano Elzeviro Pagliari (born at Camerino, in the Marches, on 11 September, 1834, and named to the see on 28 February, 1879). Spoleto has no suf- fragan see; it has 172 pari.shes, with 170 secular and 60 regular clergy, 92, .souls, 14 monasteries for men, and 1 1 convents for women, 3 colleges for boys, and 2 for girls. Its seminary serves for southern Umbria. A CathoUc weekly and a religious periodical are pub- lished here.

Cappelleto, Le Chiese d' Italia, IV (Venice, 1857) : Campello, DMe lli.ilorie di Spolelo CSpoIeto. 1672) ; Barbanti, RistreUo delV antico e moderno stnio di Spolelo (Foligno. 1731) ; Sax.=»i, Drijli edi- fizi e deiframmetili nloriri di Spolelo; Fattf^ ttt, V.";.--' (*,'■(<■.»- diplomatiche riujtardanli la serie dei dii'> '•''"; !> tn,

IStil); A^GT-lA-HoTx, Spoleto e dinlorh' -; .i * • 1 'i Ii -w, Ceachichte des langobardisehen Herzogtwrt >/> .'. 1; ,ii . i^MU): Manassei, Alcum documenti per la storm 'i^ii^- nttn di Ttrni et Spoleto trascritti ed annotati in Archiv star. ilaL, XXII (1S7.5). 367-il.i; Sansi, Storia dei commune di Spolelo dal secolo XII. al XVII in Aerad. spolel. (1879); Pila Cabocci, Delia zecca e deUe monele di Spoleto (Camerino. 1.8.86) ; Prampouni. La rocca di Spoleto in Rev. Europe^, XII (1879^, 92-7; Hardouin, Concilia, VII. 239; Mansi. Coni-ilia. XXIII. 344; Uohelu, Italia sacra. X. 114; LODI, Brere storia delle cose memorabili di Trevi (Milan, 1647) ; BxRizzA, Isloria delta Vergine deUe lyagrime di TrCTi(Miian. 1721); Alberti, Notizie antiche e modeme risguardanti Bevagna cittti deW L'mbria. raccoUe in compendio: Giorgetti. Breve islorico compendia delV imagine miracolosa di Maria delta delle Lacrime. venerato alln /aide di Trevi neW Umbria (Tod\.l7S2). ^ BjjjjjGNI

Spondanus (de Sponde), Henri, a convert from Calvinism, Bishop of Pamicrs, and one of the con- tinuators of Baronius, b. at Maul6on, in the French Department of B.'uwes-Pyr^n^es, 6 January, 1508; d.

at Toulouse, 18 May, 1643. After studying human- ities at the Calvinist college of Ort hez, he accompanied the royal ambassador to Scotland and, upon his return, took up the study of jurisprudence. In 1589 he was jurist at the Parliament of Tours. Convinced of the truth of the Catholic religion by the writings of Bellarmine and the instructions of Duperron, he became a Catho- lic, 21 Sept., 1.59."). In 1600 he ai- companied Cardi- nal de Sourdis to Rome, where he was ordained priest on 7 March, 1606; Pope Paul V then appointed him reviser of the briefs of the PcEnitentiaria. In 1625 he was created Bishop of Pamiers, in which capacity he laboured with great zeal for the preservation of Catholicism and converted numerous Protestants. Owing to ill-health he resigned his diocese in 1639 and retired to Toulouse. His writings are: "Les cimetieres sacres" (Bordeaux, 1596); ".\nnales ecclesiastici C;Esaris Baronii in Epitomen redacti" (Paris, 1612); "Annales sacri a mundi creatione ad ejusdem redemptionem" (Paris, 1637), an epitome of the "Annals" of Tornielle; "Annalium Baronii continuatio ab a. 1197 quo is desinit ad a. 1622" (Paris, 1639).

Frizon, Vita Spondani in later editions of the last-named work; Raess, Die Convertiten seit der Reformation. Ill (Freiburg, 1866), 285-95.

Michael Ott.

Sponsor. See Baptism; Contirmatign.

Spontini, Gasparo Luigi Pacifico, composer, b. at Magolati, near Jesi, Ancona, 14 Nov., 1774; d. there, 14 Jan., 1851. He was intended for the Church, but decided on a musical career. In 1791 he entered the Conservatorio de' Turchini at Naples, where he had Sala, Tritto, and Tarantino as masters, and soon displayed his skill in composition. Between the veais 1796 and 1799 he had written six operas, which were duly produced in Rome and Flor- ence, and in 1800 succeeded Cima- rosa iis Court composer at Palermo. In 1803 he settled in Paris, and for a time did not make any marked impression, but in 1804 his "Milton" (one-act opera) attracted considerable attention, and his triumph was assured by the jjroduction of "LaVestale" (15 Dec, 1807) and " Fernando Cortez " (28 November, 1809). He w.as appointed conductor of Italian Opera at the OdC-on in 1810, and brought forward many notable works by various composers.

Pacifico .Sponti.ni I ronterapor3r>' portrait