Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/392

 VENICE

340

VENICE

They maintained important relations with the city of Augsburg, from which the products were distributed through the North. On the other hand, the silver of the Tyrolean mines was brought to Venice. The special industries of Venice were the manufacture of chemicals — cream of tartar, cinnabar (vermilion), shellac, white lead, and iriaca (the "universal medi- cine"), sugar-refining, tanning, the preparation of furs imported from Russia, the manufacture of imitation pearls and gems, and goldsmith's work. The indus- tries had their guilds, with chapels of their own in various churches. It was in Venice that banks of deposit and circulation originated, and Venice was the first state to raise a public loan (1156, the nionte vecchio; the monie nuovo was issued in 1580; the mwnssimo, in 1610). Banking law had its origin in Venice. As early as 1253 marine insurance was made obligatory by law. The Doge Renier Zeno (1253-68) had a code of navigation and commerce compiled. One important branch of commerce was the supply of the African Mussulman princes with tools and timber for building, a practice forbidden under excommunica- tion by the popes because it tended to the perpetua- tion of piracy. Printing was an important industry. Venice was also a thriving centre of the slave trade.

Art. — In Venice art found an exceptionally favour- able field. The traditions of centuries, however, and relations with the East retarded the influence of that new art impulse which had reached other Italian cities in the thirteenth century. In paint- ing, especially, Venetian artists in the fourteenth century were still trammelled by the Byzantine tradi- tion. The first art to become emancipated was architecture, architects and workmen from the main- land being employed. It appears that the Roman- esque style, no less than the Gothic, in Venice felt the influence of the environment. When, with its con- quests on the mainland, the repubhc had become an Italian power, it soon became one of the principal centres of art; its immense wealth, both pubhc and private, afforded opportunity to the choicest geniuses for the creation of the works already mentioned in this article. It is to be noted, however, that few of the famous artists of the so-called Venetian Sehool were really Venetians. They were mostly natives of the Venetian provinces, and therefore Lombards. First to inaugurate the revival, or rixasciinenio, in painting was the Paduan Guardiento (1365), a pupil of Giotto. Next the three Muranesi, Antonio, Gio- vanni, and Andrea, were eminent, influenced by the German and Flemish schools, and the Vivarini, Barto- lommeo (1450-99) and Luigi (1461-1.503). These, as well as JacobcUo del Fiore, Carlo Crivelli, Fra Fran- cesco da Negroponte, and also Jacopo and Gentile Bellini, exhibit, as compared with the contemporary Lombards, an art still in the archaic stage. With Giovanni Bellini Venetian art attains perfection, while at the same time displaying its own special jjrerogative, mastery of colouring. To this Sehool belong the following Venetians: G. B. Cima (da Cone- gliano); Vittore Carpaccio; Giorgio Barbarelli (Gior- gione), from whom his fellow student, Tiziano Vecelli (Titian), learned much; Sebastiano del Piombo, who carried to Rome the art of colour; the two Palma, the elder of whom (Palma Vecchio) has various styles at his command; Jacopo Robust! (Tintoretto), the master of lights and shadows of whom Titian was jealous, and who knew how to combine beavity and idealism with Titian's power and naturalness; I'aolo VcrDiicse, the exponent of the Venetian Sclinol. Hut aft IT him I he repute of Vonetianpainting was soon broughl low by his successors. Only with (iiovaiuii liallisla Tieiiolo, a pupil of G. B. Piazzetta, in the eighlcenlh century, does Venetian painting, with a still iiioic perfect tei^linic, C(!lebrate a glorious resur- rection. Kvcn in the nineteenth century the Venetian

painters remained faithful to the tradition of their School; conspicuous among them, Giacomo Fa\Tetto and Giulio Ciardi. In sculpture even more than in painting Venice took her artists from abroad. The most distinguished of the fifteenth century were Pietro Lombardo and liis sons TuUio and Andrea. Verrocchio modelled perhaps the finest equestrian statue in the world. Also eminent were Alessandro Leopardo and his sons, and the brothers Antonio and Lorenzo Bregno, to whose credit are the finest monu- ments in the various churches of the city.

Ecclesiastical History. — The Venetian islands at first belonged to the Diocese of Altino or of Padua. It is certain that Bishop Tricidius of Padua took refuge on the island of Malamocco. But when Tri- cidius returned to Padua there still remained a bishop at Malamocco (Methamancus), and the Venetian islands remained under his jurisdiction until 775. In that year, with the consent of Adrian I and the Patri- arch of Grado, an episcopal see was erected on the island of Olivolo (afterwards called Castello) with jurisdiction over Gemini, Rialto, Luprio, and Dorso- duro. The first bishop (nominated by the doge) was Obelerius, who was invested and enthroned by the doge, and consecrated by the patriarch. The rest of the islands which now form Venice remained under the Patriarch of Grado. To succeed him (798), the doge named a certain Crist of oro, whom, on account of his extreme youth, Giovanni, Patriarch of Grado, refused to consecrate. Giovanni was killed, and his successor, after much hesitation, consecrated Crist oforo. Under the fotirth bishop, Orso, the relics of St. Mark were brought to Venice; the legend, that St. Mark himself had preached the Gospel at Venice, grew up in later times. As many bodies of saints had already been brought from the East, so, following the conquest of Constantinople, a still greater number now came to Venice, besides the Madonna called Nicopana, which is still in St. Mark's. Marco II Michel (1225) finally secured the exemption of the clergy from lay jurisdiction, except in cases involving real property. Jacopo Albertini (1311) became attached to the schism of Louis of Bavaria, whom he crowned with the Iron Crown (1327), and was therefore deposed. Under Nicolo Morosini (1336) the dispute between the clergy and the Government concerning the mortu- ary tithes was settled, though it began afresh under Paolo Foscari (1367) and was ended only in 1376.

During the Schism of the West, Venice always adhered to the Roman obedience. In 1457, upon the death of Domenico Michel, Patriarch of Grado, Nicho- las V suppressed the patriarchate and the Bishopric of Castello, incorporating them both in the new Patri- archate of Venice (Bull, "Regis a-terni''), and thus Venice succeeded to the whole metropolitan jurisdic- tion of Grado, including the sees of Dalmatia. The election of the patriarch belonged to the Senate, and this practice sometimes led to differences between the republic and the Holy See. In like manner parish- ioners elected their parish priests, by the right of patronage. Girolamo Quirini, O.P. (1519-54), had many disputes with the clergy, wnth the Government, and with the Holy See; to avoid these disputes, the Senate decreed that in future no one but a senator should be eligible. Those elected after this were frequently laymen. Giovanni Trevisano, O.S.B. (1.560), introduced the Tridentine reforrns, founding the seminary, holding synods, and <'ollecting the regu- lations made by his predecessors (Const it utiones et privilegia patriarchatus et cleri Vcnetiarum). In 15S1 the rtxila Aiinxlulim was sent to Venice; a libellus cxiiDrliitoniix was published, in which the lisita highly praises the clergv of Venice.

In 1807, by favour of the Viceroy of Italy, the Neapolitan Nicola Gambroni was promoted to the patriarchate and of his own authority tr.ansferred the patriarchal seat to the Basilica of St. Mark, uniting