Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/742

 KIRKWALL

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KISFALUDT

1678), which enjoyed the greatest repute in his time; not only did it give an incentive to the more searching investigation of subterranean forces, Ijut it contrib- uted much to their final explanation. When again in Rome, Kircher liegan collecting all kinds of antiquities and ethnologically important remains, thus laying the foundation of the well-known museum which, as the "Museum Kircherianum", still attracts to-day so many visitors to the Roman College. Epoch-making also were Kircher's labours in the domain of decipher- ing hieroglj'phics, and, on the excavation of the so- called Pam'phylian obelisk, he succeeded in supplying correctly the portions which had been concealed from him. It must be remembered that in those days little or no attention was paid to this subject, and that it was therefore in itself a great service to have taken the initiative in this branch of investigation, however lacking his efforts may have been in the fundamental principles of the science as it is known to-day. Kir- cher also gave an impetus to the intimate study of the relations between the different languages: Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldaic, Syrian, Samaritan, Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Persian, Ethiopian, Italian, Ger- man, Spanish, French, Portuguese.

Thus in the most varied branches of science Kircher plaj-ed the role of pioneer. Even medicine received his attention, as is shown for example by his treatise, "Scrutinium physico-medicum contagiosae luis, qua; pestis dicitur" (Rome, 1658). He also tried to form a universal language ("Polygraphia seu artificium linguarum, quo cum omnibus totius mundi populis poterit quis correspondere", Rome, 1663). His scien- tific activities brought him into scientific correspond- ence with scholars labouring in the most different fields, as the numerous volumes of his extant letters show. It is to his inventive mind that we owe one of the earliest of our counting machines: the speaking-tube and seolian harp were perfected by him. He was also the inventor of the magic lantern which has since been brought to such perfection and is to-day almost indis- pensaljle.

That the most varied judgments should be formed and expressed on a man of such encyclopfedic knowl- edge was only to be expected. He tried to find a grain of truth even in the false sciences of alchemy, astrology, and horoscopy, which were still in his time much in vogue, nor is it surprising that in the province of astronomy he did not at this early date defend the Copernican System.

With all his learning and the vast amount of adula- tion which lie received on all sides, Ivircher retained throughout his life a deep humility and a cliildiike piety. In 1629 he had intimated to his general his desire to devote his life exclusively to the spreading of the Faith in China, but this wish remained unfulfilled, and, to console himself for this disappointment, he erected during iiis last years a sanctuary (della Men- torella) in honour of the Mother of God on the crest of the Sabine Hill near Rome, whither, during his life- time as now, thousands made pilgrimages and found help and consolation. In this sanctuary Ivircher's heart was buried, and at the beginning of the twen- tietli century this place of pilgrimage was distinguished by a gigantic statue of our Divine Redeemer on the neiglibouring crest of Guadagnole. To give an approx- imate idea of Kircher's literary activity it is only necessary to remark that during his sojourn in Rome no less than forty-four folio volumes came from his mervogel, "Bibl.Si-ri|itorum S..J.". Besides the works already named, il is sufficient to mention here: "Mag- nes sive de arte magiu-tica" (Rome, 1640; Cologne, 1643, 16.54); "] lingua a!gyptiaca restituta" (Rome, 1643); "Ars magna lucis et umbra;" (Rome, 1644); "Musurgia universalis sive ars consoni et dissoni" (Rome, 1650); "Itinerarium extatieum s. opificium coeleste" (Rome, 1656); " Iter extatieum secundum,
 * K'n. A full list (if his writings is to be found in Som-

mundi subterranei prodromus" (Rome, 1657); "Obe- liscus Pamphylius" (Rome, 1650).

P. Athan. Kircheri vita a semetipsa conscripla (manuscripts at Vienna and Munich), ed. Laugenmantel (16S4); Pfaff, Vita A. Kircheri (Fulda, 1631); Behlau. P. A. Kircher. cine Lebens- skizze (Heiligenstadt, 1874); Brischar, P. A. Kircher. Ein Lebensbild (Wurzburg, 1877); Biog. universeUe ancienne et modeme, XXII, 440-7; AUgem. deulsche Biog., XVI (1882).

Adolf Mvller.

Kirkwall, a parish, also a royal and parliamentary burgh and chief or county town of Orkney, in the north of Scotland (the name is Scandinavian, "Kirkju- vagr", i. e. "church-bay"). The original church was dedicated to St. Olaf (killed in 1033), and the land- ward part of the parish is still called St. Ola. The im- portance of Kirkwall is due, first, to its having long been the residence of the Norse earls of Orkney, who, while nominally under the Kings of Norway, were prac- tically independent; and, second, from its having become the seat of the bishops of Orkney. Magnus, Earl of Orkney, was treacherously killed by his cousin Haco about 1115; and his nephew Ronald undertook, if he recovered possession of the islands from Paul, Haco's son, to build a stone minster at Kirkwall in memory of his uncle Magnus, whose sanctity was said to be attested by miracles soon after his death. Ron- ald eventually became sole ruler of Orkney, and St. Magnus's church was begun in 1137, and was consti- tuted the cathedral of the See of Orkney, which had been founded in 1 102 (as a suffragan of Trondhjem, in Norway), the bisliop's seat having been originally at Birsa.

The cathedral was not completed by the founder, but additions were made by successive bishops of Orkney, this fact accounting for the great variety of architecture which it presents. It is one of the two ancient Scottish cathedrals (the other being Glasgow) which have been preserved entire to the present day; and, though not of any great size, remains, both within and without, one of the most striking and impressive churches in the kingdom. Its total length (outside) is 234 feet, width of transepts 101 feet, height of tower 133 feet. The tall steeple surmounting the tower was struck by lightning in 1671. The three bells in the tower are all of pre-Ref ormation date, though one was recast in 1682. The cathedral escaped destruction in the sixteenth century, owing to the zealous efforts of the bishop; but it fell into decay in succeeding cen- turies, there being no fimds to keep it in repair, until in 1805 and 1845 a certain amount of restoration was done by private benefactors and by the Government. Many ancient tomljs of former earls and bishops re- main in the cathedral, the choir of which is now used as a Presbyterian place of worsliip. Only a fragment of the episcopal palace — a tower built by Bishop Reid in 1540 — now remains, and the earl's castle has en- tirely disappeared.

Orkneyinga Saga, ed. Dasejjt (Rolls Scries, 1894), Rl-96, 239-301; Drtden. Description of Church of St. Magnus at Kirk- wall (Kirkwall, 1S7S); Mackintosh, Glimpses of Kirkwall and its people in the olden time (Kirkwall, 1887); Curious incidents from the ancient records of Kirkwall (Kirlcwall, 1891); Billings, Baronial and Eccles. Antiq. of Scotland (Edinburgh. 184S-S2).

D. O, Hunter-Blaih.

Kisfaludy, (1) SXndor, poet; b. at Siimeg, Hun- gary, 27 Sept., 1772; d. at Siimeg, 28 October, 1844. He went to school at Raab and later studieil phi- losophy and law at Presburg. In 1792 he gave up the study of law, and having joined the army, was appointed to the Hungarian lifeguards in Vienna. During his sojourn there he was especially attracted to the Hungarian writers living in Vienna at that time. In 1793 he was transferred to Italy, and stationed at Milan. After the surrender of that city to Napoleon in 1796, Kisfaludy was sent a prisoner of war to France, and confined in Provence, but was given his freedom the .same year; went to Klagenfurt, and from there was transferred to the Wallis regi-