Giulio Cesare Cordara
Encyclopedia
Giulio Cesare Cordara was an Italian historian and littérateur.
in Piedmont
, the scion of an illustrious and ancient family that came originally from Nice
. Young Cordara studied at Rome
under the Jesuits, and became a Jesuit himself at the age of fourteen. Subsequently he taught in various colleges of the order, soon acquiring a great reputation not only for knowledge of general literature, but especially for proficiency in poetry, rhetoric and history. A brilliant discourse on Pope Gregory XIII, the founder of the Roman College, and a satire on the Cabalists of the day won for him admission into the Academy of the Arcadians.
Several poetical works of his appeared under the pen name of Pameno Cassio. He was in high favor with the exiled Stuarts, then residing in Rome, on account of an allegorical drama, La Morte di Nice, which he composed in honor of the titular King James III, and a history in Latin of the expedition into Scotland of Charles Edward Stuart
, Prince of Wales, which some of his admirers look upon as his most finished production. His satires on The Literary Spirit of the Times, published in 1737, are of a high order of merit. In them he pillories a class of contemporary writers who arrogated to themselves the literary censorship of their day, condemned the classification of the sciences and the methods of instruction then in vogue, and even the accepted principles of taste. A seventh and revised edition was brought out at Augsburg in 1764.
His best known work is The History of the Society of Jesus first published in Rome in 1750, with a posthumous, second volume in 1859. This work, written in Latin, was a continuation of the history of the Society of Jesus by Niccolò Orlandini
, Francesco Saccini and Joseph Juvency, and embraced the period of Mutius Vitelleschi (1616–1633). He is also the author of a history of the German College in Rome (1770).
When the Society of Jesus was suppressed, Cordara, who had been a member for more than half a century, withdrew from Rome to Turin
and later to Alessandria
, where the King of Sardinia had allowed some members of the Society to live unmolested. Notwithstanding his advanced age and his new mode of life, Cordara continued his literary labours and published much in prose and verse. Sommervogel enumerates more than sixty works, large and small, of which he is the author.
He died at Alessandria in 1785. The citizens of his native town erected a marble statue to his memory, in the church of the Barnabites
where he was interred.
Biography and works
He was born at CalamandranaCalamandrana
Calamandrana is a comune in the Province of Asti in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km southeast of Turin and about 20 km southeast of Asti...
in Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, the scion of an illustrious and ancient family that came originally from Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. Young Cordara studied at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
under the Jesuits, and became a Jesuit himself at the age of fourteen. Subsequently he taught in various colleges of the order, soon acquiring a great reputation not only for knowledge of general literature, but especially for proficiency in poetry, rhetoric and history. A brilliant discourse on Pope Gregory XIII, the founder of the Roman College, and a satire on the Cabalists of the day won for him admission into the Academy of the Arcadians.
Several poetical works of his appeared under the pen name of Pameno Cassio. He was in high favor with the exiled Stuarts, then residing in Rome, on account of an allegorical drama, La Morte di Nice, which he composed in honor of the titular King James III, and a history in Latin of the expedition into Scotland of Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Stuart
Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie or The Young Pretender was the second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of Great Britain , and Ireland...
, Prince of Wales, which some of his admirers look upon as his most finished production. His satires on The Literary Spirit of the Times, published in 1737, are of a high order of merit. In them he pillories a class of contemporary writers who arrogated to themselves the literary censorship of their day, condemned the classification of the sciences and the methods of instruction then in vogue, and even the accepted principles of taste. A seventh and revised edition was brought out at Augsburg in 1764.
His best known work is The History of the Society of Jesus first published in Rome in 1750, with a posthumous, second volume in 1859. This work, written in Latin, was a continuation of the history of the Society of Jesus by Niccolò Orlandini
Niccolò Orlandini
-Biography:He was born at Florence.He entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1572, became rector of the Jesuit college at Nola and was master of novices at Naples for five years....
, Francesco Saccini and Joseph Juvency, and embraced the period of Mutius Vitelleschi (1616–1633). He is also the author of a history of the German College in Rome (1770).
When the Society of Jesus was suppressed, Cordara, who had been a member for more than half a century, withdrew from Rome to Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
and later to Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
, where the King of Sardinia had allowed some members of the Society to live unmolested. Notwithstanding his advanced age and his new mode of life, Cordara continued his literary labours and published much in prose and verse. Sommervogel enumerates more than sixty works, large and small, of which he is the author.
He died at Alessandria in 1785. The citizens of his native town erected a marble statue to his memory, in the church of the Barnabites
Barnabites
The Barnabites, or Clerics Regular of Saint Paul is a Roman Catholic order.-Establishment of the Order :It was founded in 1530 by three Italian noblemen: St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria The Barnabites, or Clerics Regular of Saint Paul (Latin: Clerici Regulares Sancti Pauli, abbr. B.) is a Roman Catholic...
where he was interred.