Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 6.djvu/448

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390

GARVET


390


GASPARE


planatory text. Five of tlie six volumes contain, respectively, thie catacomlj-frescoes — and paintings from other quarters — gilded glasses, mosaics, sarcoph- agi, and non-sepulchral sculptures. The first vol- ume is devoted to the theoretical part of the work, i. e. to a history of Christian art properly so called.

In this vast collection Garrucci re-edited to some extent materials taken from earlier works. For hitherto unedited materials he used photographs or reproductions of some other kind. His engravings are not always very accurate, and in point of finish are inferior to those obtained liy more modern processes. His reproductions of catacomb-frescoes, in particular. have lost much of their value since the publication of the accurate work of Mgr. Wilpert (Pitture delle cata- combe romane, Rome, 1903). On the whole, how- ever, it must be said that the " Storia dell' arte cris- tiana" is yet far from Ijeing superseded by any similar work. Father Garrucci had more erudition than criti- cal judgment; in this respect his fellow-student De Rossi was far superior to him. Hence the text of Garrucci's publications is now of doubtful authority. The list of his publications covers 118 numbers in Sommervogel, " Bibliotheque de la compagnie de J^sus" (Brussels, 1902), III. Among them are the aforementioned "Storia dell' arte cristiana nei primi otto secoli della chiesa" (6 vols., Prato, 1872-81); " Dissertazioni archeologiche di vario argomento" (2 vols., Rome, 1864-65) ; " Le monete dell' Italia antica, Raccolta generale" (Rome, 1885).

Procaccini di Montescaglioso. Commemorazione del P. Baffaele Garrucci (Naples. 1885); Baumgartner, Pater Gar- rucci's Geschichte der christlichcn Kunst des Altertums in Slimmen aus Maria-Loach, X (1S76). pp. 15S-180; Garrucci on Christian Art in The Month. XXVIII (1876), pp. 47-60, a short account of the preceding article.

R. Maerb.

Garvey, Eugene A. See Altoona, Diocese of.

Garzon, Diocese of (Garzonensis), suffragan of Popayan in the Republic of Colombia. It comprises the provinces of Neiva and Sur, and lies east of Popayan. It is about 140 miles in length, and its breadth varies from 40 to 100 miles. It extends from H° to 4° north latitude, and lies between the 75° and 77° west longitude. The episcopal see is at Neiva, a town of 11,000 inhabitants, situated 150 miles S. W.of Bogotii, at a height of 1500 feet above sea-level, on the river Magdalena, which is navigable to this point. The diocese originally formed part of that of Tolima, which lay in the midst of the Cordilleras. As the territory was so extensive, the population very numerous, and the difficulties of visitation too great, the bishop petitioned the Holy See to divide the diocese. This was done by a decree of Leo XIII, 20 June, 1900. The northern half was erected into a new diocese — Ibagu(5, suffragan of Bogotd — and the southern half formed the Diocese of Garzon. Mgr. Est^ban Rojas, born at Hato in the Diocese of PopayAn, 15 January, 1859, had been raised to the See of Tolima, IS March, 1895. He was transferred to Neiva as first Bishop of Garzon. The cathedral is dedicated to the Immacu- late Conception of Our Lady. The population, of which a large part is of mixed origin, is almost entirely Catholic. Till recent years the public authorities neglected education and threw the whole burden on the clergy, but of lat« government schools are being established. (See Colombia, Republic op.)

Petre, The Republic of Colombia (London, 1906); Scruggs, The Colombian and Venezuelan Republics (Boston, 1902); Stubel, Die Vulkanberge von Colombia (Dresden, 1906): Hum- boldt, F«es des CordilUres, et monuments des peuples indigenes deVAmirique (Paris, 1*16).

A. A. MacErlean.

Gascoigne, Bm Thomas. Sec Popish Plot.

Gaspare del Bufalo, Blessed, founder of the Missionaries of the most Precious Blood (C.P.P.S.); b. at Rome on the feast of the Epiphany, 1786; d. 28 December, 1837. His parents were Antonio del


Bufalo, chief cook of the princely family of Altieri, and his wife Annunziata Quartieroni. Because of his delicate health, his pious mother had him confirmed at the tender age of one and a half years (1787). As he was suffermg from an incurable malady of the eyes, which threatened to leave him blind, prayers were offered to St. Francis Xavier for his recovery. In 1787, he was miraculously cured, wherefore he cherished in later life a special devotion to the great Apostle of India, and selected him as the special patron of the congregation which he founded. From his earliest years he had a great horror of even venial sins, and showed deep piety, a spirit of mortification, re- markable control over his evil inclinations (especially his innate irascibility and strong self-will), and also heroic love for the poor and the miserable. Having entered the (^'ollcgiinn Romanum at the age of twelve, he received in 1S()0 first tonsure, and one year later the four minor orders. As catechetical instructor at St. Mark's, his zeal won for him the name "The Little Apostle of Rome", and when but nineteen years old, he was appointed presitlent of the newly instituted catechetical school of Santa Maria del Pianto.

After his ordination (31 July, 1808), he obtained a canonry at St. Mark's, and soon instituted with Gae- tano Bonani a nocturnal oratory. He assisted Fran- cesco Albertini in founding the Archconfraternity of the Most Precious Blood, and worked with great zeal in the poorer districts of Rome, preaching frequently in the market-places. In 1810 he was summoned before General Miollis to swear allegiance to Napoleon. But neither threats nor promises could induce him to do so, because Pius VII had forbidden it. The words with which he announced his final decision have be- come famous: "Non posso, non debbo, non voglio" (I cannot; I ought not; I will not). In consequence he suffered banishment, and later on imprisonment in the foul dungeons of Imola and Rocca (1810-1814). After Napoleon's fall he returnetl to Rome, intending to enter the re-established Jesuit Order. But obey- ing his spiritual adviser, Albertini, he founded a congregation of secular priests to give missions and spread devotion to the Most Precious Blood. Through Cardinal Crist aldi he obtained the pope's sanction and, as a mother-house, the former convent of San Felice in Giano. Of this he took solemn possession, 11 August, 181 5. TheBullof beatification says, "Through Umbria, Emilia, Picenum, Tuscany, Campania, Samnium, in short all the provinces of Middle Italy, he wandered, giving missions". The very titles accorded to him by his contemporaries speak volumes : "II Santo", "Apostle of Rome", "II martello dei Carbonari" (Hammer of Italian Freemasonry).

How arduous some of his missions were may be gleaned from the fact that he frequently preached five times daily, sometimes even oftener. At Sanseverino fifty priests were not sufficient to hear confessions after his sermons. Though idolized by the people, he was not without enemies. His activity in converting the " briganti", who came in crowds and laid their guns at his feet after he had preached to them in their mountain hiding-places, excited the ire of the officials who profited from brigandage through bribes and in other ways. These enemies almost induced Leo XII to suspend del Bufalo. But after a personal con- ference, the pope dismissed him, remarking to his courtiers, "Del Bufalo is an angel". His enemies next tried to remove him from his post by procuring his promotion as "internuncio to Brazil". In vain, however, for his humility triumphed. A last attempt under Pius VIII (18.30) met with temporary success. Del Bufalo was deprivefl of faculties for a short time, and his congregation throatcned with extinction. But his wonderful humility agiiin manifested itself, and, though himself misjudged and his life-work menaced by the very authority that should have supported him, he showed no signs of resentment.