Nicolaus von Avancini

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Nicolaus von Avancini SJ (born December 1, 1611 in Brez / Trentino , † December 6, 1686 in Rome ) was a Jesuit , educator , poet and Latin playwright of the Baroque period .

life and work

Avancini was born in Brez as a member of an old South Tyrolean noble family. He attended the Jesuit grammar school in Graz and joined the order in 1627. At the Graz Jesuit university he studied from 1630 philosophy and taught from 1633 philosophy and rhetoric at the Jesuit schools of Trieste , Zagreb and Ljubljana . In 1637 he continued his studies in Vienna and stayed there as a theological lecturer.

The Vienna years brought him to the height of his dramatic work. His Latin pieces, provided with German periochs (programs), were staged in splendid productions with great mechanical effort and achieved significant audiences. His Pietas victrix was premiered in front of three thousand spectators, including the entire imperial court. In total he wrote about forty school dramas.

His most successful work was the ascetic book of edification based on the model of Thomas von Kempen , called Vita et doctrina Jesu Christi , which was reprinted over thirty times by 1750.

He fulfilled numerous prominent functions in the order. After 1665 he served successively as rector of the Jesuit colleges and universities of Passau , Vienna and Graz . He later served as the Order Provincial for Bohemia, then as assistant to the Jesuit general in Rome.

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Avancini, Nicolaus von
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Jesuit pedagogue, poet and Latin playwright of the Baroque period
DATE OF BIRTH December 1, 1611
PLACE OF BIRTH Brez , South Tyrol
DATE OF DEATH December 6, 1686
Place of death Rome