Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/463

 VICH

40.':

VICH

Maria of the Srrvites (1310) took place the miradrs of Si. Philip Bonizi di Damiani. The most reniarkaMe secular buildings are Ihe I heal re, huill hy Palladio in 1580 for the Aceademia dcgH Oiimpici, and I lie Basilica — the building itself (iotliie of 1144, though Palladio built the outer portico in two orders. Near the latter are the clock tower (1224-1446), 268 feet in height, and the Rotondo, another work of Palladio's (1570), with four porticoes. There are numerous private palaces which were transformed by Palladio and his pupils. A special feature is the multitude of towers which still remain. The Communal Library was founded by Count Giovanni M. Bertolo. The Museum contains a picture-gallery exclusively de- voted to Vicentine painters. Of the philanthropic institutions many, like the hospital, date back to the fourteenth century, (jthers to the fifteenth.

Vicentia was a city of the Veneti, from whom it was taken by the Gauls. In Roman times it was of httle importance, though it had the francliisc in 45 B.C. It suffered by the incursions of the Goths and Hun.s, but is not mentioned in connexion with the Gothic War. In the eighth century we find a Lombard Duke of Vicenza. When the Othos handed over the gov- ernment of the city to the bishop, its communal organiza- tion had an oppor- tunity to develop, and separated it.self from the episcopal authority. It took an active part in the Lombard League, compelling Padua and Trevi.so to join. and its podesta, Ezzelino 111, il Balbo, was cap- tain of the league. When peace was restored, however, the old rivalry with Padua, Bassano, and other cities was renewed, besides which there were the internal factions of the Vivaresi (GhibeUines) and the Maltraversi (Guelphs). The tyrannical Ezzelino IV drove the Guelphs out of Vicenza, and caused his brother, Alberico, to be elected podestS, (1230). The city joined the Second Lombard League against Frederick II, and was sacked by that monarch (1237), after which it formed part of Ezzelino's dominions. On his death the old government was restored — a consiglin maggiore of four hundred members and a consiglio minorc of forty members — and formed a league with Padua, Treviso, and \'erona. Three years later the Vicentines entrusted the protection of the city to Padua, so as to safeguard republican liberty; but this protectorate {cusloflia) quickly became dominion, and for that reason Vicenza in 1311 voluntarily submitted to the Scaligeri of Verona. In 1404 it submitted to Venice, and thenceforward shared the history of that republic. It wa.s besieged by the Emperor Sigismund, and Maximilian I held possession of it in 1509 and 1516. In 1848 it rose against Austria, l)ut was recovered after a stubborn resistance. Vicenza was the native city of the historian Ferreto dei Ferreti (fourteenth century), the poet Trissino (1478-15.53), the traveller Pigafeita, companion of Magalhaes, the architects Palladio and Scamazzi, and the engraver Valerio Belli.

Among its patron saints the city venerates St. Lontius, bishop and martyr, and Sts. Theodore and

.\pollonius, bishops and confessors in the fourth (•(-ntury. The Christian cemetery discovered recently near the Church of Sts. Felix and Fortunatus, dates from the earlier half of the fourth century, and these two saints were probably martyred under Diocletian. The first bishop of whom there is any certain record is Horontius (590), a partisan of the Schism of the Three Chapters. Other bishops were: Vitalis (901), high chancellor of King Berengarius; Girolamo (1000), deposed by Henry II for political sedition; Torengo, in whose episcopate a number of bishops rebelled against the episcopal authority; Blessed Giovanni Cacciafronte (1179-85), a Benedictine, .slain by one of his own vassals. Uberto was deposed by Innocent III (1212) as a despoiler of church property, but the canons put off until 1219 the election of his successor, Gilberto, who was forced by the tyranny of Ezzelino to live in exile. Blessed Bartolommeo da Breganze (1256), a Dominican, had previously been Bishop of Nicosia, in Cyprus, and legate in Syria. Under Bishop Emi- liani (1409) took place the apparition of the Blessed Virgin on Monte Berico which led to the foundation of the famous sanctuary, 3280 feet above the sea level. Pietro Barbo (1451) was afterwards Pope Paul II. Cardinal Giovanni Batti.sta Zeno (1468) was dis- t inguished for his sanctity and learn- ing. Matteo Priuli (1.563) founded the seminary and made efforts for reform. .Alvise M. GanrioUi (1779) restored many churches and the seminary. The See of Vicenza was sulTragan of Aquileia, then of Udine, and since 1818 of Venice. The diocese contains: 219 parishes, with 477,000 souls; 699 secular and 39 regular priests; 10 houses of male religious and 52 sisters; 4 schools for boys, and 52 for girls. The Catholic Press com- prises "II Berico" (tri-weekly, Vicenza), "La Ris- cossa" (tri-weekly, Breganze), and six other periodi- cals.

Cappelletti, Le chie^e d'lUiUa, X; Castellini, Storia deUa citta di Vicenza (14 vols.. Vicenza. 1782-1822); Riccardo, Storia dei Vencom Ficendni' (Vicenza. 1786); Giarolo, La necro- policrisliana di Vicenza (Vicenza. 1909).

U. Benigni.

Vich, Diocese of (Vicensis, Ausonensis), suffragan of Tarragona, bounded on the north by Gerona, on the east by Gerona and Barcelona, on the south by Barcelona and Tarragona, on the west by Tarragona and Lerida. It hes within the four Catalonian provinces, but the greater i)art of it in that of Barcelona. The capital has 9.500 inhabitants. Vich is of very ancient origin; it was called Ausa by the Romans, and Iberian coins hearing this name have been found there. The Goths called it Ausona. After its destruction by the Moors only one quarter (Viais) was rebuilt, and this was called Vicu^ Auso- yicnxis, from which the name Vich was derived. The introduction of Christianity was undoubtedly very remote, as martyrs of Ausa are recorded in the time of Decius, and in the earliest records of the Tarra- conensian sees the Bishop of Vich is one of the very first mentioned. None, however, is mentioned by name until 516 when Cinidius ie named as assisting