Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 6.djvu/295

 FRASCATI

243

FRASCATI

he distributed among the poor, the foreign missions, and convents whose property had been seized by the Itahan Government. As a theologian FranzeHn takes high rank. From the first, his works were recognized as a mine of rich material for the preacher no less than the professor; and for years he was accustomed to receive numerous letters from priests in all parts of the world, spontaneously acknowledging the great aid in preaching they had derived from his books. Of his works, which liave gone through numerous editions, the treatise "I)e Divina Traditione et Seriptura" (Rome, 1870) is considered classical. The others are " De SS. Eucharistise Sacramento et Sacrificio" (1S6S); "De Sacramentis in Genere" (1S6S); "De Deo Trino" (1869); "De Deo Uno" (1870); "De Verbo Incar- nato" (1870) ; some smaller treatises, and the posthu- mous " De Ecclesia C'hristi" (1887).

Bonavj:m\ /,'•", ■' M nnrir intomo alia vita dcW Em. Cardinal. (, ' - / .merlin (Rome, 1887); Walsh,

John Bap:. I t /i .inrf a ,S7ud^ (Dublin. 1895);

Commaitan: > I ..- ,- "in:<! ;i-.:imi Auctons in Franzeun's posthumi.ms \M.nk, Iti: Lccit-sta Cfiristi (Rome, 1887); Hurter, Momenclator.

John F. X. Mukphv.

Frascati, Diocese of (Tdsculana), one of the six suburbicarian (i. e. neighbouring) dioceses from an immemorial date closely related to the Roman ('hurch. The city of Frascati is about twelve miles from Rome on the northern slopes of the Alban Hills, pleasantly and healthfully situated. Its principal source of wealth is its vineyards, which yield an ex- cellent wine. The history of the city (population, 10,000) is bound up with that of ancient Tusculum, which, according to the legend, was founded byTele- gonus, the son of Ulysses and Circe. In the kingly period Tusculum was an ally of Rome, to which it later became subject. After the expulsion of Tar- quinius Superbus, Octavius Manilius, the tyrant of Tusculum, and son-in-law of Tarquinius, roused the Latin communes against the Roman Republic (507 B.C.) ; they were routed, however, at the battle of Lake Regillus (490 B.C.). In 493 the Latin League with Rome was renewed. After the disastrous battles of Vesuvius and Trifanum (33S B.C.), Rome, in order to detach Tusculum and other towns from the Latin Ijeague, conferred on them the privilege of the highest citizenship (jus suffragii et honorunt). While the other Latin towns waned steadily, Tusculum grew and became in the course of time the favourite pleasure resort of the rich Roman nobles, who.se sumptuous villas were scattered over the slopes of the hill; many of them can e\en yet be identified among the mass of ruins. The Villa of LucuUus, now the Villa Torlonia, the most s])lentlid of them all, was famous for its li- brary. The Villa of .4grippina, the Villa of Claudius, and those of the Flavian emperors stood on the site of modern Frascati. That of Marcus Porcius Cato, the Censor, rose on the site now occupied by the village of Monte Porzio Catone, named therefrom. Tiberius, Julia, and Vespasian also had villas at Tusculum. The exact site of Cicero's villa, where he wrote the " Disputationes Tusculanse" and other works, is a matter of learned controversy. In the opinion of some it occupied the present site of the monastery of Grottaferrata; others hold that it was near the mod- ern Villa Rufinella. A more probable opinion is that it stood on the knoll above Grottaferrata. To adorn it Cicero commissioned his friend Attieus to purchase statues in .Athens, the cost of which almost ruined him financially. When he was exiled in .58 B.C. the villa was sacked, and the Consul Gabinius carried otf much booty to his own house. On the top of the hill near the western gate of the old town, there are to be seen even to-day the ruins of an immense villa, discovered by Canina, who drew a plan of it; it is commonly but erroneously known as the Villa of Tiberius. The an- cient town was built along the ridge of the hill, about 2000 feet above the sea-level. There remain the ruins

of the Greek theatre, the fortress with megalithic walls, and an amphitheatre locally known as Scuola di Cicerone (Cicero's School) ; there are also rough roads paved with huge polygonal blocks of stone, and lined with tombs, grottoes, etc. Excavations were begim by the Jesuits in 1741, and were placed by Lucien Bonaparte under the direction of Biondi and -Amati in 1S19; later Maria Christina of Savoy had the work carried on by Canina, who wrote a description of the discoveries. Some of the most beautiful sculptures in the Vatican Museum and elsewhere at Rome were found at Tusculum.

Among the many inscriptions found at Frascati very few are Christian, and the excavations so far show no trace of early Christianity. The basilica of the monastery at Grottaferrata, and the chapel of San Ce.sario, close to the mudcrn episcopal residence,

Cathedral of ^^. Pietuo, Fr.\sc.\ti Designed by Girolamo Fontana

are the only Christian monuments that antedate the destruction of ancient Tusculum in 1191. Neverthe- less from its very proximity to Rome, Tusculum must have received the Christian Faith at an early date. Perhaps the villa of the Acihi, a Christian family, on the site of which stands the monastery of Grottafer- rata, was the cradle of Christianity for the people of Tusculum. The first known Bishop of Tusculum is Vitalianus in 680, whose subscription appears on Pope Agatho's letter to the Sixth General Council. Being one of the suburbicarian bishops, the Bishop of Tuscu- lum from the seventh century was bound to take his turn in replacing the pope at the functions in the Lat- eran; but it is not till the time of Bishop Pietro (1050) that we find the title of cardinal given to the Bishop of Tusculum. From the tenth century onwards the Counts of Tuscuhun exercised a preponderant influ- ence over the Government of Rome and the papacy itself. Theophylactus, Senator of the Romans and founder of the family, was the husband of Theodora, who under Sergius III was absolute mistress of Rome, and whose daughter Marozia married Alberic I, Mar- grave of Camerino and Duke of Spoleto, father of Al- beric II, who from 932 to 954 ruled Rome under the