Panvinio, Onufrio

Panvinio, Onufrio an Italian monk noted as as historian and antiquarian, was born at Verona in 1529, and took at an early age the habit of the Order of St. Augustine. He pursued his studies at Rome, whence he was called to Florence in 1554 to fill the chair of theology in that city; but soon afterwards, at his own request, was superseded in the office, and obtained leave from his superiors to visit the chief cities of Italy in order to collect inscriptions. At Venice he became acquainted with Sigonio, who had been appointed professor of belles-lettres in that city in 1552, and he was not less enthusiastically attached than Panvinio himself to the study of antiquities. The acquaintance soon ripened into a lasting friendship. At Rome Panvinio was patronized by cardinal Cervini, who in 1555 became pope Marcellus II, and by him Panvinio was appointed to a situation in the library of the Vatican, with a salary of six gold ducats a month. The pope, however, died a short time after his, election, and Panvinio was then patronized by cardinal Farnese, who gave him apartments in his palace, admitted him to his table, and treated him in other respects with the greatest liberality. Panvinio died at Palermo April 7, 1568, while visiting there. He was a man of great learning and indefatigable industry. Niceron, in his Memoires, mentions twenty- seven works by Panvinio which had been printed; and Maffei, in his Verona Illustrata, gives a list of Panvinio's MSS. in different libraries of Italy and Germany. The most important of his works are the following, some of which were not printed till after his death: Epitome Pontificum Romanorum usque ad Paulumn IV (Venice, 1557, fol.): — Viginti-septem Pontificum Romanorum Elogia et Imagines (Rome, 1568, fol.): — Fasti et Triumphi Romanorum a Romulo usque ad Carolun V (Venice, 1557; Mader published another edition in 1662 at Helinstindt): — In Fastos Consulares Appenddix: — De Ludis Sacul ribus et Antiquis Romanorum Nominibus (Heidelb. 1588, fol.): De Baptismate, Pascali Origine, et Ritu consecrandi Agnos Dei (Rome, 1560, 4to): — De Sibyllis et Carminibus Sibyllinis (Venice, 1567, 8vo): — De Triumpho Commentarius (Venice, 1573, fol.; Helmstadt, 1676, 4to, by Mader): — De Ritu sepeliendi Mortuos apud Veteres Christianos et eorumn Cenmeterii; (Louvain, 1572, 8vo): De Republica Romana Libri III (Venice, 1581, 8vo): De Bibliotheca Pontficis Vaticana (Tarragona, 1587, 4to): — De Ludis Circensibus Libri II, et de Triunmphis Liber I (Venice, 1600, fol.): — Amplissimi Oniatissimique Triumphi, ex Antiquissimis Lapidum et Numnmorum Monumentis, etc. Descriptio (Rome, 1618, fol.): De Antiquitate et VirisIllustribus Verona Libri VIII (Padua, 1648, fol.). The following treatises are contained in the great collection of Graevius, "Thesaurus Antiquitatum Romanarum:" De Civitate Romana and De Imperio Romano, in vol. i; De Antiquis Romanorumn Nominibus, in vol. ii; Antique Urbis Iznago, in vol. iii; De Lutis Circensibus, De Ludis Scecularibus, and De Triumpho Commentarius, in vol. 9; His great treatise De Cerimoniis Curie Romanc, in 11 vols. folio, is in MS. in the royal library at Munich. See Reuter De Onuphrio Panvinio (Altorf, 1797, 4to); Aschbach, Kirchen- Lexikon, 4:423, 424; Weiss, in Biographic Universelle, s.v.; Tiraboschi,

Storia della Letteratura Italiana, vol. vii; English Cyclop. s.v. . Piper, Monumental Theol. § 163,216. (.J. n.W.)