Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/162

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NOURRISSON


134


NOVARA


Nourrisson, Jean-Fkmx, philosopher, b. at Thi- ers, Depart iiiont of Puy-de-D6me, 18 July, 1825; d. at Paris, 13 June, 1899. He received his education in the college of his native city and in the College Stanislas (Paris), where, at the age of nineteen, imme- diately after completing his studies, he was appointed professor. In accordance with the wishes of his fa- ther, he applied himself first to the study of law, but his own inclinations led him in another direction, and he finally tlecidcd to devote himself to philosophy. Ho W!is appointed to the chair of philosophy in the CoUegeStanislas (1849), received the Doctorate (1852), and was made professor of philosophy successively in the Lyc(c de Rennes (1854), the University of Clermont-Ferrand (1855), the Lycee Napoleon, Paris (18.58) and the College de France (1874). Nourri-sson obtained three prizes in competitions on the philoso- phy of Leibniz (I860), and on the role of psychology in the philosophy of 8t. Augustine (1864), subjects proposed by the Institut de France. In 1870 he be- came a member of the Acad^mie des Sciences morales et politiques in the section of philosophy. Nourrisson was one of the best representatives of French spiritu- alistic philosophy in the nineteenth century. Not only was he a deep thinker, a penetrating philosopher and historian, but a firm believer, convinced that "conscience remains hesitating, and that convictions come to nothing, unless the teachings of religion com- plete the data of reason" (letter tode Barante, 5 Dec., 1856).

Besides a number of reports, memoirs, and articles in the "Journal des D6bats", "Revue des Deux Mondes", "Re\'ue Contemporaine", "Corres- pondant", etc., Nourrisson's works are: "Quid Plato de ideis senserit" (Paris, 1852); "Essai .sur la philoso- phiedeBossuet" (Paris, 1852); "Les Peres del'Eglise latine" (Paris, 1856); "Le cardinal de Bi'rulle" (Paris, 1856); "ExTJosition de la theorie platonicienne des id^es" (Paris, 1858); "Tableau des progr^s de la penste humaine depuis Thales jusqu'S, Leibniz" (Paris, 1858), the third edition was augmented and brought down to Hegel's time (1867); "Histoire et philosophic" (Paris, 1860); second enlarged edition tinder the title "Portraits et etudes" (Paris, 1863); " La philosophic de Leibniz" (Paris, 1860); "Le dix- huitieme siecle et la Revolution frangaise" (Paris, 1863), 2nd ed., 1873, under the title "L'ancienne France et la Revolution" ; " La nature humaine: essais de psychologic appliquee" (Paris, 1865); "La philoso- phic de Saint-Augustin " (Paris, 1865); "Spinoza et le naturaUsme contemporain " (Paris, 1866); "De la Ubert(5 et du hazard, essai sur Alexandre d'Aphrodi- sias" (Paris, 1S70) ; " Machiavel" (Paris, 1875); "Trois r^volutionnaires: Turgot, Necker, Bailly" (Paris, 1885); "Pascal, physicien et philosophe" (Paris, 1885); "Philosophes de la nature: Bacon, Bayle, Toland, Buffon" (Paris, 1887); " Defense de Pascal " (Paris, 1888); " Voltaire et le voltairianisme" (Paris, s. d.); "Rousseau et le rousseauisme" (Paris, 1904), a posthumous work edited byPaul Nourrisson.

Tii^DKNAT, Une Carriire Uniteraitaire, Jean-Felix Nourrisson (Paris, 19U1).

C. A. DUBRAY.

Nourry, Le. See Le Nottrry, Denis-Nicolas.

Novara, Diocese of (Xovariensis), the capital of the province of Xovara, Piedmont, Italy, noted for the manufacture of wool, cotton, and silk textiles, and machinery. The cathedral originally Romanesque has been modified. The high altar is the work of Thorwaldsen, Marchesi, and Finelli; the baldachin is by Tenarini, and there are paintings by Bordine, Crespi, and other artists, besides some ancient mo- saics; the baptistery dates from the fifth century. The cathedral archives contain codices and other documents from the eighth century. The church


of St. Gaudentius, a work of Pellegrino Pellegrini, was begun in 1553 to replace the; ancient basilica built by St. fiaudentius and torn down to make room for the fortifications; Renaissance in style, although the cupola does not harmonize, it con- tains valuable paintings and frescoes by Lombard, Caccia, Procaccini, Crespi, Gilardini, Sogni, Saletta, and Fiamminghino. The city has an institute of arts and trades, a museum of antiquities, and several pri- vate galleries, among them the Leonardi. Novara was the birthplace of the ancient jurist, C. Albucius Silo, Peter Lombard, the philologist Cattaneo, the painter Caccia, and the Jesuit Tornielli. Novara, for- merly Novaria, was inhabited by Ligurians and Sa- lassians. Under the Carolingians, it was the seat of a count, but the power of the counts passed gradually to the bishops, confirmed by Otho I (969), in the person of Bishop Aupaldus. From the time of Henry III, Novara was a commune, governed by two consuls and by a consul, called Maggiorc. P>equently at war with Vercelli and Milan, it joined Frederick Barbarossa


The Cathedra


against the latter city, but in 1168 was compelled to join the Lombard League. After the peace of Con- stance it contended with the Counts of Bi&ndrate, Vercelli, and its own bishops, unwilling to be deprived of their sovereign rights in which they had been again confirmed by Frederick Barbarossa. LIpon the ex- pulsion of the bishop in 1210, Innocent III threatened to suppress the diocese. Later, when iMaitin dclla Torre became lord of Milan, Novara gave its allegiance tohim,thentothe Visconti.from which time it formed part of the Duchy of Milan, with rare intervals; in 1.536-38 it belonged to Monferrato, 1556-1602 to the Farnese of Parma, 1734 to the Savoy. Because of its position, Novara has been the scene of im- portant battles: in April, 1500, Louis the Moor, Duke of Milan, intended to besiege here Trivulzi, appointed governor by the King of France, but abandoned by his Swiss troops, he was taken prisoner. On 6 June, 1513, the Swiss in the pay of the King of Spain, drove out the French; on 10 April, 1812, the troops that had re- belled against King Charles Felix were dispersed there ; on 23 March, 1849, Radetzky inflicted upon the Pied- montese a defeat that compelled King Charles Albert to abdicate.

In the fourth century, Novara was in the Diocese of Vercelli; its first bishop, St. Gaudentius, was conse- crated by St. Simplicianus, Bishop of Milan (397-400) . St. Lawrence is said to have introduced the Faith into Novara. St. Julius and St. Julian assisted Gaudentius in the conversion of the diocese. The list of bishops has been preserved on two ivory diptychs, one in the cathedral dates from 1168; the other in the church of St. Gaudentius from 1343. Among the bishops were St. Agabius (417); St. Victor