Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 10.djvu/166

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154
GEN—GEN

more politic and cautious, pressing the necessity for union, and instrumental in drawing up a form which from its vagueuess and ambiguity might be accepted by both parties. It would seem that at Florence Pletho published the work on the difi‘erence between Aristotle and Plate (see Gemistus) which afterwards called forth a reply from Gennadius. Of this reply only the fragments quoted by Pletho in his counter-argument (Contra (i'ennadimn) have been preserved. They show that Gennadius, though Aris- totelian throughout, had an accurate knowledge of Aristotle. and was more moderate than some of his contemporaries, e.g., George of Trebizond. The next appearance of Gennadius is in 1453. After the capture of Constantinople by the Turks Mahomet, finding that the patriarchal chair had been vacant for some time, resolved to elect some one to the office. The choice fell on Scholarius, who is de- scribed as a layman. l’hile holding the episcopal oflice Gennadius drew up, apparently for the use of Mahomet, a symbol or confession of faith, which is very valuable as the earliest expression of the principles of the Greek Church. He also at this time had the pleasure of condemning to the flames the great work of his old opponent Pletho, the treatise on Laws (Nd/1.0L), of which considerable fragments have come down to us. The character of this work was accurately apprehended by Gennadius (see his Letter to flee Exarch Joseph, in Gass, as below), and his opposition to it is intelligible. After a short period of oflice at Constanti- nople Gennadius is said to have resigned the episcopal dignity and to have retired into a convent. The date of

his death is unknown.


The fullest account of his writings is given in Gass (Gennadius and Pictho, 1844), the second part of which contains Plctho’s Contra Gcnnadimn. See also F. Schultzc, Gcsch. dcr I’hil. d. Renaissance. i., 1874. A list of the known writings of Gennadius is given in F abricius, Bibliothcca Grmca, ed. Harlcss, vol. xi.

GENOA, in literary Italian Genova, in the local dialect Zene, in Latin and German Genua, in medizeval Latin Janna, and in French G’énes, one of the most important cities of Italy, is situated in what was formerly known as Liguria, on the northern coast of the Mediterranean near the middle of the Gulf of Genoa. The latitude of its lighthouse is 44° 24' 16” N., and its longitude 8° 54' 15" E. By rail Genoa is 115 English miles NE. of Nice and 119 miles KW. of Leghorn. The city, as seen from the sea, is “built nobly,” and deserves the title it has acquired or assumed of the Superb. Finding only a small space of level ground along the shore, it has been obliged to climb the lower hills of the Liguriau Alps, which afford many a coign of vantage for the effective display of its architectural magnificence. The original nucleus of the city is that portion which lies to the east of the port in the neighbourhood of the old pier (Mole Vecchio). In the 10th century it began to feel a lack of room within the limits of its fortifications; and accordingly, in the middle of the 12th century, it was found necessary to extend the line of circumvallation. Even this second circuit, however, was of small compass, and it was not till 132030 that a third line took in the greater part of the modern site of the city proper. This presented about 3 miles of rampart towards the land side, and can still be easily traced from point to point through the city, though large portions, especially towards the east, have been dismantled. The present line of circumvallation dates from 1626—1632, the period when the independence of Genoa was threatened by the dukes of Savoy. From the mouth of the Bisagno in the east, and from the lighthouse point in the west, it stretches inland over hill and dale to the great fort of Sperone, i.e., the Spur, on the summits of Monte Peraldo at a height of 1650 feet,—the circuit being little less than 12 miles, and all the important points along the line being defended by forts or batteries. Of course a large portion of the enclosed area is open country, dotted only here and there with houses and gardens. There are eight gates in all,—the more important being PortaPila and Porta ltomana towards the east, and the new Porta Lanterna or Lighthouse Gate to the west.

The irregular relief of its site, and its long confincment within the limit of fortifications which it had outgrown, have both contributed to render Genoa a picturesque con- fusion of narrow streets, lanes, and alleys, which it would almost require the delicate diminutivcs of Italian to name, varied with stairways climbing the steeper slopes, and bridges spanning the deeper valleys. As there are large portions of the town which are quite inaccessible to ordinary carriages, and many even of the more important streets have very little room for traflic, porters and chairs take to a Considerable extent the place of cabs, and goods are largely transported by means of mules. In the middle of the 16th century the Government gave commencement to a system of more spacious thoroughfares than had previously been in vogue by laying out the street which still bears the name of Via Nuova; in 1606 the Via Balbi, as it was ultimately called from the palaces of the Balbi family, began to stretch westwards; and at length, about 1778, a connexion between these two streets was effected by the opening up of Via Nuovissima. The line thus produced, extending as it does from the Piazza Fontane Morose westward for about a mile to the Piazza Verde is still the route most in favour with the fashionable world of Genoa. As early as the middle of the 17th century the Via liulia was driven through the midst of the small streets between the ducal palace and the Porta d’Arco ; but it was not till about 1825 that the Via Carlo Felice gave free route betwecn the palace and the Piazza F ontane Morose. The Via Lorenzo and the long line of street which, under the names of Carlo Alberto, S. Benedetto, and Milano, runs round the port to its western extrcmitgr, also belong to this century. The spacious Via Roma, running east from Via Carlo Felice to meet the Via Assarotti, has been built since 1870; and the area of the Piazza ('avour was only about the same time cleared of the old houses. The great public promenade of Acquasola already mentioned was laid out by the architect Carlo Barabiuo between 1821 and 1837; and it has been connected with the gardens of the Villetta (ii Negri, pur- chased by the municipality about 1865.

Of the churches of Gcnoa, which number upwards of

eighty, the principal is the cathedral of St Laurence (i1 duomo di San Lorenzo). Tradition makes its first foundation contemporary with St Laurence himself; thcre is distinct historic mention of a church on the site in the latter part of the 9th century; and a document of 987 implies that it was even then the metropolitan church. Itc- constructed about the end of the 11th and beginning of the 12th century, it was formally consecrated by Pope Gelasius II., 18th October 1118; and since then it has undergone a large number of extensive though partial renovations. In the facade the lower part, with its three elaborate doorways in the Gothico-Moorish style, dates from the 12th century; the upper part belongs to the 14th; and the belfry which rises above the right-hand doorway was erected about 1520 by the (loge, Ottaviano da ('ampo- fragoso. To the 13th century is assigned the central nave, which was, however, both lengthcned and heightened in the 14th; and the cupola was erected after the designs of the architect Galeasso Alessi invited to Genoa about 1550. Among the artists who have con- tributed to the internal decoration the most noteworthy are Damiano of Bergamo, who rcpresentcd the Slaughter of the Innocents and the Martyrdom of St Laurence in the woodwork of the choir; Lazzaro Tavarone, who painted the roof about 1622 ; G. B. Bianco, who furnished

the bronze statue of the Madonna of the city in 1652;