Another session (not recognised either by Greeks or Latins) was held at Constantinople, to which place the bishops had been cited by the empress Irene, who was present, with her son Constantine, and addressed the as- sembly. The decree of the council and the passages from the fathers read at Nicrea were repeated, and the former was again subscribed. The Council of Constan- tinople against image-worship was anathematized, and the memory of Germanus of Constantinople, John of Damascus, and George of Cyprus held up to veneration. Twenty-two canons of discipline were published.
1. Insists upon the proper observation of the canons of the Church.
2. Forbids to consecrate those who do not know the Psalter, and will not promise to observe the canons.
3. Forbids princes to elect bisho])s.
7. Forbids to consecrate any church or altar in which relics are not contained.
14. Forbids those who are not ordained to read in the synaxis from the Ambon.
15 and 10. Forbid plurality of benefices, and luxury in dress among the clergy.
20. Forbids rfoMbte monasteries, for men and for women.
This council was not for a long period recognised in France. The grounds upon which the French bishops opposed it are contained in the celebrated Caroline Books, written by order of Charlemagne. Their chief objections were these : 1. That no Western bishops, ex- cept the pope, by his legates, were present. 2. That the decision was contrary to their custom, Avhich was to use images, but not in any way to worship them. 3. That the council was not assembled from all parts of the Church, nor was its decision in accordance with that of the Catholic Church.
The Caroline Books were answered by pope Adrian, but with little effect so far as the Gallican Church was concerned, which continued long after this to reject this council altogether. See Labbe, Cone, vii, 1-9G3 ; JMansi, Concil. xii, 951 ; xiii, 820 ; Walch, Historie der Ketzer- eien, x, 419 sq. ; Neander, Ck. Hist, iii, 318 sq. ; Landon, Manual of Councils, s. v.
Nicaise, St. (Latin, Nicasius) (1), a Christian martyr who lived in the 3d century, was one of the
NICAISE
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companions of St. Denis, and received from him the mission of converting to the Christian faith the people who inhabited the territory of the Yelocasses (ancient Vexin). Before separating, it is said the apostle of the Parisians conferred npon him the episcojial dignity ; but this fact is questioned by some hagiographers. Usnard especially gives to St. Nicaise only the title of priest. Some localities situated between the Oise and the Epte had been evangelized by him, when, the third day after the martyrdom of St. Denis, the prefect, Sisinnius Fes- ceniiinus, passed through the village of Ecos, where was found Nicaise, with Quirin and Scubicule, companions of his apostolic labors. The prefect stopped the three evangelists, and, upon their obstinate refusal to sacrifice to idols, had them beheaded, October 11, 285 or 286. A Christian Avoman, called Pientia, soon after herself a subject for martyrdom, buried the bodies of the mar- tyrs on a small island formed by the Epte, which has since become the borough of Gasny-sur-Epte (vadum Nicasii). It follows then from the acts of these apostles of the Vexin that Nicaise never came as far as Rouen. This city, however, considers him as her first bishop. Since the redaction of the new Breviary of Rouen, his day is celebrated with that of the bishop St. Mellon, the first Sunday of October. The remains of St. Nicaise and of St. Scubicule were, in the 9th century, brought to Meulan, where a church was erected luider the invo- cation of the first of these martj-rs, and the body of St. Quirin was transferred to Malmedy, in the diocese of Liege, in Belgium. See A eta Sanctorum, month of Oc- tober ; Godescard, Vies des Saints ; Butler, Lives of the Saints. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biorj. Generale, s. v.
Nicaise, St. (2), of Rheims, a Roman Catholic bishop and a Christian martyr, famed especially for his eloquence, was of Gallic origin, and is presumed to have been a native of Rheims. The time of his birth is not known. He flourished in the 5th century. Even the date of his accession to the episcopal seat of his native place is unknown. It is only certain that he was the immediate successor of Severus. Flodoard reports that he founded at Rheims the first church m honor of the Holy Virgin, and that he transferred to it at the same time the seat of the bishopric, which was in the church of the Holy Apostles. The year 401 is fixed for the construction of this new cathedral, which Nicaise con- secrated by the shedding of his blood when, several years after, the A'andals took and sacked the city of Rheims. When the barbarians appeared before the city to besiege it, Nicaise boldly exhorted his flock to the defence, preaching at the same time repentance and submission to the ^vill of God. When the Vandals had refused all terms of agreement, and by force had made themselves masters of Rheims, Nicaise boldly went to meet them upon the threshold of his cathedral, attended by his clergy and singing hymns. They had no regard either for his character or his supplications in favor of the people who surrounded him, and after making him suffer many outrages the)' beheaded him. The beauty of Eutropia, his sister, who was near him, appeared to disarm the barbarians; but the Christian virgin, fearing more tlieir love than their hatred, excited herself the furj' of her brother's executioner, and also received the martyr's crown. Several persons of the clergy and of the people were also put to death, and among this num- ber several distinguished ecclesiastical students. St. Nicaise and his companions were buried in the cemetery of the church of St. Agricolus, which then took the name of the martyr bishop. It is an error of Flodoard, fol- lowed by several other authors, who has made St, Nicaise contemporaneous with St. Lupus, bishop of Troyes, and with St. Aignan, bishop of Orleans. The latter prelates lived at the time of tlie invasion of the Huns, under the conduct of Attila, in 451, and not the irruption of the Vandals in 407. Besides, Flodoard seems to hesitate upon the time of the martyrdom of St. Nicaise; for his text bears, Suh eadem Vandulurvm rel Iliinnorum perse- cutione. The death of St. Nicaise and his companions