Nivelle, Gabriel Nicolas

Nivelle, Gabriel Nicolas a French theologian noted as a polemic, was born at Paris in 1687. While yet quite young he was appointed commendatory prior of St. Gredon, in the diocese of Nantes. He studied theology In. the seminary of St. Magloire, where he continued afterwards to reside, and became one of the most zealous among the appellants. He drew up petitions, visited members of the clergy in Paris, and kept up active communications with the provinces on the subject. Compelled to leave St. Magloire, he retired, in 1723, to the Val de Grace; and in 1730 was for four months a prisoner in the Bastille, where he still, however, continued his efforts. He died at Paris Jan. 7, 1761. He wrote La Constitution Unigenitus .f defree a l'Eglise universelle, ou recueil general des actes d'appel interjetees au futur concile general de cette constitution et des Lettres Pastoralis oficii (Cologne, 1757, 4 vols. fol.): — also, in making use of the memoirs of abbot Boucher, Relation de ce qui s'est passe dans les assenablees de la faculte de theologie au sujet de la Constitution Unigenifus (7 vols. 12mo). He was one of the writers of the Hexaptes ou les six Colonnes sur la Constitution Unigenitus (1714 sq., 7 vols. 4to), and of the Cri de lt Foi (1719, 3 vols. 12mo). He also published two posthumous works of Petilpied: Examen paciqique de l'acceptation et duifond de la Consiitution Uniqenitus (1749, 3 vols. 12mo), and Traite de la liberte (1754, 2 vols. 12mo). See Necrologe des defenseurs de la verite (supplement).