Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 9.djvu/448

 LUOOA 4

Lucca, ARcniwocKHK i)K (Lvcensis). — Lucca, tbc CApital of the tike nstueil pruvincc in TuKcuiiy, L'ciitrul Italy, ia situated on the Hivctr fk^rcliio in ii fertile oulti- vRted pl&in. Ita clilcf imlustriGs arc the ([Uorrying and dnssing of niorble, luid the production of nilk, wool, flax, and hemp. Itn olive oil etijoya a world- wide fame. Not«wortliy among the church buildingB ia the cathedral, which dat«s hock to the sixth cen- tury; it was reliuilt in the Homanutyle in the eleventh century, consecrated!>y Alexander II IM'O), and a^n restored in the quattrocento, when the IxMUtiful columns of the upiper archen were added. In the ajxtc are three large windowH painted by UkoIiiio da Piui. Of the Bculptural adornments wc may mention Civi- taJi's equestrian statue of ^t. Martin dividinK his clouk with the beggar, the Deposition by Nicold PiMiiio, and the Adoration of the Ma^i by (iiovojini da ]'ii<a — ull three on the fa<(ade. Within are pictun-H by Tinto- retto and Parmigianino, and n Madonna by l''n\ Barto- lommeo. But the most ct-lcbrated work in thi< Viillii Santo, an ancient crucifix carvetl in wood, with CliriKt

clothadinthe"colo-

bium", a long eleevelesa garment. Throughout the Middle Agea this image was regarded as a palladium by the Lucchcai, who, on their journeys to every country, dis- tributed facsimileB,

I4bcrata and Kt. Wil^fortis, of the "hcdifre Kummer- niii" of the Germans and the "Ontkom- mer" of the Dutch; Professor Schnurer of the University of Fribourg (Switscr- land), MB in prep- aration a study on this subject. San Frediano is the only example of Iximbarriarchitpcture

firescrved without notable aitomlion, excepting tin- acade, which is of the year laXI. H. Maria foris Por- tam, S. Michelc, S. Romano, and the other churches (fully eighty in nutalier), all possess valuable works of art. In the church of S. Francesco (ijuattroceiito) is the tomb of the Lucchcse poet, (luiiliccioni, Amoni; the profaneedifices isthc Palazzo Pubblico. formerly the ducal palace, liegun by Ammarati in lf>7S. con- tinued by Piniin 1729, and further I'nlargi-d by Print* Bacciochiintheninet^nthcfnlury; .vljoitiingare the library, with many valuabli- nianuwrif>t9>. and a |)ieture galleiy. The Manzi palticoali'o cont-uitiMii collection of pointings. There is i\ niugtiiliccnt aipie«Iuct nf 450 arvhes, constructed by Nattolini (ili'2:t:t2). The ar- chives of the Capitol and the archiepiscopiil palace are important for their many private dm'umenta of the early Middle Afnst. Ruins of a Ronian amphi- theatre of imperial timcfl still exist. The t^rritorv of Lucca is rich m mineral and thermal sprinKs. The celebrated taths of Lucca are al>out fifteen miles from the city.

Lucca was a city of the Ligurians. and is first men- tioned in 218 B.C., when the Roman general St^mpro- nius retired thither after an unsucceKsful I>altlc with Hannibal. InlTTB.c.aRomancolonywaHestahliKhed there. In 56 b. c. Ctesar, Pompey, and Crassus re- newed the triumvirate at Lucca. Durinjt the (lOthic wars the city was besieged and taken by Totila (550). Hoping for aBBistance from the Franks, the Lucchesi obstinately reaiflt«d the attack of Names, surrendering

5 LUOOA

onlyafterattiegcof st^vcii montbs (5S3). Itloterfdl into the hands uf the Ijumliunis, wao thenceforward a place (if great importance, and became the favourite scat of the Manjueaiies of Tuscany. In 981 Otto be- Htowcd on its bisitop civil jurisidictioii over the entire diocesan tcrritorj'; but in 1081 Henry IV made it a free city and conferred other favours upon it, espe- cially in the way of trade. This was the origin of the Republic of Lucca, which lasted until 1799. From 1088 to 1144 Lucca was continually at war with her rival Pistt, and either by conquest or purchase in- creased her possesHious. In 1160 the Guelph mar- SuesH linally surrendered all right of jurisdiction. lUcea was generally on the side of the pope against the emperor, and hccire joined the league of ^. (linesio (I1!I7). In the thirteenth century, despitt her wars wilh Pisa, >1orence, and the imperial cities, Lucca in- creased her pow(T and commerce. But in 1313 the city was taken by I'j^ucciono della Faggiuola, Lord of Pisa. The I.uecheHi, however, under the most dra- niutii' circumstances, freed themselves and chose for captain their fellow- citizen, Castrucdo degli Antelminelli, known as C'astracaoe (131G), the restorer of the military art, who had been im- prisoned by UgUD- cione. L'astruccio drove out the Pisans, obtained for life the title of Defender of the People, and re- ived from Louis

the Uavai

title <

the

from the Magra to Pistoia a

hereditarj' Duke of Luc descendants, how- ever, were deprived of the title by the same prince (1.^8- 9j. CaNtruccio adomciland fortified tiie city whose ter- ritory now extended id Vol terra.

On the death of f;astruccio, Louis conferred Luoca on Francesco, a relative aiul enemy of Castruecio. The Luccliesi, hon'ever, jilaced themselves under John of Bohemia; the latter, in i:i:i3, pawned the city to the Rossi of Parma, who ceded it to Mastino della Kcala (i:t:tr>), by whom it was sold to the Florentines for KMI.IXMflonns (i:t4I). This dispiea.sed the I>isanB, who occuuieil the city (1;J42). It was liberated by Charles IV (i:{<tO). who gave it an imperial vicar. From l:i7l) it was free. In 1-100 Paolo Ouinigi ob- tained the chief (lowt-r, which bo cxerciseil willi mod- eration and justice. .At the instigation of the Flur- entinet), who .soueht iKisM'ssion of the cit v, ( jiiinigi was lietrayed into (lie fiaiids uf Filipjiv Maria Visconti (U30), who causoii him to l« munlcrcd at Pavia. With the aid of Picciiiino, Lucca maintained her free- dom aguinst the I-'loren tines. After that the security of this littlo state, governed by the people, was undia- turlieil except by the revolt of the n/racnoni (the low- est dass^ in ir>'2l,:in<l the conspiracy of Piciro Fati- nelli (1512), who aspire<l to power. But in 1556 the Martinian law (Martino Bernardini) restricteti partici- pation in the ciA'cmmeut to the sons of citizens, and in 1li28 thin limitation was furtlter accentuated, until in 17S7 only eichty families enjoyed the right to public office. Among the institutions of this republic the discolaln descr\-ea mention. It was similar to the ostracism of the .Athenians. If a citizen, either through wealth or merit, obtained excessive favour among tAe people, twenty-five signatures were auffic!*s&.\B\«ii«-