Gerard Bouttats - Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I

Nicola Avancini (1 December 1611 – 6 December 1686) was an Italian Jesuit cleric,

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

and

ascetical Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

writer. Avancini was born in the

Tyrol Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...

. He entered the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

in 1627, and for some years held the chair of rhetoric and philosophy at

University of Graz The University of Graz (german: link=no, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, ), located in Graz, Austria, is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria. History The unive ...

, and subsequently that of theology at

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. He was rector of the Colleges of

Passau Passau (; bar, label=Central Bavarian, Båssa) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany, also known as the Dreiflüssestadt ("City of Three Rivers") as the river Danube is joined by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's popu ...

, Vienna, and

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

, Provincial of the Austrian Province, Visitor of Bohemia, and at his death Assistant for the German Provinces of the Society. In the midst of these duties he published works on philosophy, theology, and sacred literature. His ''Meditations on the Life and Doctrines of Jesus Christ'' has maintained some popularity. This work, originality in Latin, was translated into the principal European languages and went through many editions. The English version in use contains much additional matter drawn from the works of other authors. But these meditations, in their simple as well as their extended form, have assisted in the task of daily meditation. To Nicola Avancini has been attributed the ''Imperium Romano-Germanicum, a Carolo Magno Primo Romano-Germanico Caesare, per Quadraginta Novem Imperatores et Germaniae Reges, et ex his per XIV..'' published in Vienna in 1658 (Typis Matthiae Cosmerovii). The book contains panegyrics of 50 German-Roman emperors written by Avancini in verse. C. J. Piripach wrote the Introductory "oratio". The Flemish engraver

Gerard Bouttats Gerard Bouttats or Gerhardt Bouttats (Antwerp, circa 1630 – probably Vienna after 1668) was a Flemish people, Flemish, draughtsman engraver and printmaker, known for his prints of portraits, allegories, and devotional works.

who worked for the University of Vienna engraved the frontispiece and the 50 imperial busts that illustrate the text.Nicola Avancini, ''Imperium Romano-Germanicum, a Carolo Magno Primo Romano-Germanico Caesare, per Quadraginta Novem Imperatores et Germaniae Reges, et ex his per XIV.''
at the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

Library Avancini was also the author of sermons and a large number of

dramas Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been c ...

, suitable for presentation by college students. Avancini's ''Pietas victrix'' (Vienna 1650) is considered one of the most important

New Latin New Latin (also called Neo-Latin or Modern Latin) is the revival of Literary Latin used in original, scholarly, and scientific works since about 1500. Modern scholarly and technical nomenclature, such as in zoological and botanical taxonomy ...

Jesuit dramas. The historical drama centres around

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...

's victory over his co-emperor and adversary,

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized ...

, in the decisive

Battle of the Milvian Bridge The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October 312. It takes its name from the Milvian Bridge, an important route over the Tiber. Constantine won the battle and started on the pa ...

(312 BC).

Modern Editions of Avancini's works

* Pietas victrix = Der Sieg der Pietas, ed., transl. and with introduction by Lothar Mundt and Ulrich Seelbach, Tübingen: Niemeyer 2002 (Frühe Neuzeit 73)

Sources

References

Bibliography

*Martina Egger: Nikolaus von Avancini S.J., die Theologie eines Jesuitendramatikers. Innsbruck 2001. *Walter Neuhauser: "Zur Lyrik des Tiroler Jesuitendichters Nikolaus Avancini", Serta Philologica Aenipontana 7-8 (1962), 425–456. {{DEFAULTSORT:Avancini, Nicola 17th-century Italian Jesuits 1612 births 1686 deaths