Visconti was the name of an illustrious family of Lombardy, which separated itself from the sovereignty of Milan at the close of the 13th century. The follow- ing members are of ecclesiastical importance :
1. Giovanni de', fourth son of Matteo the Great, was born in 1290, and, having entered the monastic life, was made cardinal by the antipope Nicholas V (1329), and became bishop of Novara (1330). In 1317 he had been nominated to the see of IMilan, and in 1333 he se- cured authority from John XXII to take charge of that diocese, and finally (July 17, 1342) from Clement VI tlie title of archbishop. In 1350 he ransomed the city of Bologna from the papal troo]is, and in 1353 he for a while successfully resisted the political combination against him, but in the midst of these events he died, at Milan, Oct. 5, 1354.
2. Giuseppe, born about 1570, entered the ecclesi- astic ranks, and was one of the four doctors chosen l)y cardinal F. Borromeo to arrange the books and manu- scripts of his new Ambrosiau library. lie fulfilled all his duties with zeal and intelligence. He died at Mil- an in 1633, leaving a few works, for which see Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gemrale, s. v.
3. Ottone de', real founder of the political power of the family, was born in 1208 at Ucogne, a village be- tween the Great Lake and the Simplon. He early at- tached himself to cardinal Ottaviano Ubaldini, who presented him to pope Urban IV, and he was accord- ingly appointed archbishop of Milan, July 12, 1262. His administration was a stormy one during the con- test against the Guelphs, and he finally resigned his political affairs to his grand-nephew Matteo (surnamed the Great). He died at the Convent of Chiaravalla, Aug. 18, 1295. See Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, s. v.
Visdelou, Claude de, a French missionary, was born in August, 1656, at the Castle of Bienassis in Ple- neuf (C6tes-du-Nord), At the age of fifteen he entered the Order of the Jesuits at Paris, and vigorously applied himself to the study not only of theology, but also of mathematics and languages. In 1685 he accompanied Tachard and his band of missionaries, sent out by Louis XIV, to China, and soon surprised the natives by his rapid acquisition of their language and his other ac- quirements. He engaged in stupendous studies and literary labors, the most important results of which were embodied in supplementarj- corrections to D'Her- belot's Biblioth'eque Orientale. The arrival, however, of Tournon, wliom Clement XI appointed vicar-apos-
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tolic to China, in which capacity he visited Pekin, but retired (Aug. 3, 170G) to Nankin, ])ut an end to these niissionary successes on account of an order (issued by Tournon, Jan. 28, 1707) against the old ceremonies being- practiced by tlie Cliristian converts, which so exasper- ated the Chinese eni|>eror that Visdelou was eventually compelled to quit Macao (.June 24, 1709 ), and he retired to Pondichcrry, wiiere he died, Nov. 11, 17o7. See Hoefer, Aouv. Biug, Geiierale, s. v.
Vise (old form r)/s=a screw), a spiral staircase, the ste|)s of which wind round a perpendicular shaft or pil- lar called tiie newel. The majority of ancient church- towers are jirovided with staircases of this kind, and they are to be found in various situations in most IMiddle-age buildings. During the prevalence of the Norman style, the steps were formed of small stones supported on a continuous spiral vault reaching the whole height of the stairs, one side of which rested on the newel, and the other on the main wall; subsequent- ly to this period the steps were each made of a single stone, one end of wiiich was inserted into the main wall, and the other rested upon and formed part of the newel. — Parker, Gloss, oj' A rchilect. s. v.
Vishnu (Sanscrit, vish, "encompass," or vis, "to penetrate"), the second god of the Ilindii Trimiirti, and considered by his worslii|)pers the supreme god of the pantheon. In the Kig Veda Vishnu is a representation of the sun. who "strides through the seven regions of the earth," and "in three ways plants his step." Ac- cording to one authority, these three steps mean the manifestation of the sun at its place of rising, on the meridian, and at its |)lace of setting; or, according to another, its manifestation on earth, in the intermediate space, and in heaven ; and a later commentator remarks tliat Vishnu in the first of these manifestations repre- sents fire, in the second lightning, and in the third solar light. From this position which Vishnu holds in the Kig- Veda, it appears that he was not regarded as su- preme, or even as equal, to the other deities who occu- pied the foremost rank in the Vedic period. But when we come to the epic times of Sanscrit, to the Muhahhd- rata and Rumai/dmi, then we find the sun-god of the Vedas rise into sudden prominence, and become identi- fied with the eternal prime essence itself. In the Mu- hdhhdrata, however, although treated as one of the triad, he is now and then spoken of as if he were not of equal honor with Siva. Put the Rumuydna is wholly devoted to his praise. In that epic he is the chief of the gods, and his supremacy is in ever^' way conspicu- ous and complete.