Nuuez, Don Pedro Villavicencio, a Spanish painter of note, was born at Seville of a noble family in 1635. He studied design as an accomplishment, but made such excellent progress that he was induced to enter the school of Murillo, although without the in- tention of practicing painting. He was greatly beloved by that master, and studied for some time in his school ; after which he visited Malta for the discharge of his duties as a knight of St. John, and studied under Mattio Preti, called II Calabrese. Nunez followed for a short time the vigorous style of that master, but afterwards returned to the tender and harmonious coloring of Mu- rillo. According to Bermudez, he was distinguished in portraits, and painted children in a very beautiful man- ner, little inferior to jMurillo. He presented several of his pictures to the academy of Seville, where he died in 1700. There is a fiolg Familg by him at Alton Tow- ers, the seat of lord Shrewsbury, which partakes of the dark style of Preti. — See Spooner, Biog. Hist, of the Fine Arts, ii", 623.
Nunneries, convents for nuns. The origin of so- cieties for female recluses, or nuns, was probably con- temporary with that of monasteries, and both advanced together. The nunneries, or convents, as they are gen- erally termed, though with less accuracy, since co7i- rent properly signifies a religious house for either men or women, are now generally devoted to some form of work for the Church. (For an account of their houses and their work in the United States at the present time, see article IMonachism.) The rules of the dif- ferent nunneries differ widely, but all agree in requir- ing absolute obedience of all the members. It is only necessary here to specify a few particulars peculiar to the religious orders of females. Of these the most striking perhaps is the strictness, in the regularly au- thorized orders of nuns, of the " cloister," or enclosure, which no extern is ever permitted to enter, and beyond which the nuns are never permitted to pass without express leave of the bishop. The superior of a lum- nery is termed abbess, princess, or mother superior. Tlie authority of the mother superior is very compre- hensive; hut it is strictly defined and separated from that of the priest. The officers are, ordinarily speak- ing, elected by chapters of their own body, with the approval of the bishop, unless the convent be one of the class called exempt houses, which are immediately subject to the authority of the Holy See. The cere- mony of the solemn blessing or inauguration of the abbess is reserved to the bishop, or to a priest delegated by him. See Nun.
Nuptial Deities are those gods among the an- cient heathen nations who presided over marriage cer- emonies. Tiiese included some of the most eminent as well as of the inferior divinities. Juno, Jupiter,
NUPTIALS
241 NUREMBERG, DIETS OF
Venus, and Diana were considered so indispensable to the celebration of all marriajjes that none could be solemnized without them. Iksidcs, several inferior gods and goddesses were worshipped on such occasions. Jugatiiius joined the bride and bridegroom together in the yoke of matrimony; JDomiducus conducted the bride to the house of the bridegroom ; Virijilaca rec- onciled husbands to their wives; ]\[anturna was in- voked that the wife might never leave her husband, but abide with him on all occasions, whether in pros- perity or adversitj'. See Marriage.
The Roman Missal has a '• Mass for the Bridegroom and Bride," which may be said on certain days as a votive mass, after the luiptial ceremony. This mass has its own introit, gradual, tract, epistle (Eph. v, 22- 33), gospel (Matt, xix, 3-6), and prayers; but the com- memoration of it may be introduced into the mass for a Sunday, etc. The following is its nuptial benediction :
"The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob be with you, and himself fulfil his own blessin-,' in you; that y<ni may see your children's children to the third and fourth generation, and afterwards have eternal life without end, by the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigueth God, world without end. Amen."
The priest solemnly admonishes them to be faithful to one another, to remain chaste in the time of prayer, and especially of fasts and solemnities, to love one another, and to keep themselves in the fear of God; and then sprinkles them with holy water; after which the mass is finished in the usual manner. The nuptial benediction is withheld, mass is not celebrated, nor is solemnization of marriage in the church allowed, where one of the parties is a heretic or schismatic. See Mat- rimony.
Nviptials relate to betrothal, dowry, virginity, wed- ding, paranymphs, marriage -supper, bride and bride- groom, wedlock, etc. (each of which see in its place). For monographs, see Volbeding, Index Pi-orjrammatiun, p. 153.
Nura, an ancient goddess among the Chinese, wor- shipped before the time of Confucius. She presided over the war of the natural elements, stilling the voice of storms, and establishing the authority of law. She caused the world to spring from the primitive chaos, and out of the elemental confusion brought natural order.
Nuremberg (Ger. Niimlerg ; Lat. Norimherga or Norku), a fortified city of the Bavarian province of Middle Franconia, situated in 40^ 28' N. lat. and 11° 5' E. long., and now having a population of about 82,000, is noted in ecclesiastical history as the seat of several important Church councils, two of which in the Refor- mation period decided the fate of the new movement. Aside from this relation to ecclesiastical history, Nurem- berg is famed as one of the most remarkable and inter- esting cities of Germany, on account of the numerous remains of mediseval architecture which it presents in its picturesque streets, with their gabled houses, stone balconies, and quaint carvings. Indeed, no city retained until the Austrian-Prussian war of 1806 a stronger im- press of the characteristics which distinguished the wealthy burgher classes in the Middle Ages; and its double lines of fortified walls, separated from each other by public walks and gardens, and guarded by seventy towers, together with the numerous bridges which span the Pegnitz, on whose banks the city is built, gave it distinctive features of its own. At present the demo- lition of the old walls is fast removing many of the an- cient landmarks, and there remain only the houses to trace the age of this quaint old city, once an independ- ent sovereignty. Among the most remarkable of its numerous pulilic buildings are the old palace or castle, commanding from its high position a magnificent view of the surrounding country, and interesting for its an- tiquity and for its gallery of paintings, rich in gems of early German art ; the town-hall, which ranks among VII.-Q