mented with the use of false perspectives. Peruzzi contin-
ued in his attempts at illusionist architectural painting
when he became (1520) one of the architects for St.
Peter’s; on this he worked until the Sack of Rome in 1527,
once again producing designs that employed the use of
multiple perspectives. After a period in Siena he returned
to Rome in about 1532 to embark on his last major archi-
tectural undertaking, the Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne,
which was completed in about 1535. With its dramatic
portico and curved facade, this was one of the first man-
nerist buildings and is unusual in its decorations and ir-
regular plan. Other works by Peruzzi include frescoes in
the Cappella San Giovanni in Siena cathedral and stage
designs, most of which are now lost.
Peter Canisius, St. (Pieter Kanijs) (1521–1597) Jesuit
theologian
Born in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, he studied in Cologne
and Louvain, becoming a Jesuit in 1543. A key figure in
the COUNTER-REFORMATION, he played a major role in the
restoration of Catholicism in southern Germany. He vis-
ited in Austria, Bohemia, Poland, and Italy, and attended
the Council of TRENT. In 1556 he became the Jesuit
provincial of Germany, and then papal legate. He pub-
lished theological and polemical work, and a popular cat-
echism, Summa doctrinae christianae (1554). He was
canonized in 1925.
Peter Martyr (Pietro Martire d’Anghiera) (1459–1526)
Italian humanist
Born in Angera, near Arona on Lake Maggiore, he used his
humanist education to secure secretaryships in Rome.
From there he accompanied the Castilian ambassador
back to Spain (1487), where he spent the rest of his life in
the service of the Spanish crown. He fought in the cam-
paigns that resulted in the reconquest of Granada (1492),
ran a school to introduce young courtiers to the elements
of humanist learning, went on an embassy to Cairo
(1501–02), and was increasingly employed in matters re-
lating to administration of Spain’s overseas empire, be-
coming an official historian to the council for the Indies in
1510.
Peter Martyr had taken a keen interest in the voyages
of COLUMBUSand seems quickly to have grasped the sig-
nificance of the great navigator’s discoveries; in a letter
dated 1494 he is apparently the first person to use the
phrase “western hemisphere.” His Decades de orbe novo
appeared in three instalments: 1511, 1516, and (first com-
plete edition) 1530. The work was the first full public
chronicle of the voyages of discovery and was responsible
for spreading knowledge of Spain’s explorations through-
out Europe; its accuracy and completeness appear even to
have embarrassed the Spanish authorities, who would
have preferred to keep some of the information secret.
Peter Martyr was renowned for his pleasant Latin style,
which was particularly apparent in his history of the years
1488–1525, written in the form of letters and published as
Opus epistolarum (1530).Peter Martyr (Pietro Martire Vermigli) (1500–1562)
Italian reformed theologian
A native of Florence, Peter Martyr became a member of
the Augustinian order and held several important offices
before his evident sympathy for the evangelical movement
led to accusations of heresy by the Inquisition. After shel-
tering for a time in Rome, in 1542 he left Italy and settled
in Strasbourg, where Martin BUCERsecured for him an ap-
pointment as professor of theology. In 1547 he was invited
to England by Thomas CRANMERand appointed regius
professor of divinity at Oxford, where he defended the re-
formed doctrine of the Eucharist in an important disputa-
tion (1549). Forced to leave England in 1553 by the
accession of the Catholic Mary I, he first returned to Stras-
bourg and then moved to Zürich (1556), where he re-
mained until his death. A prolific writer, Peter Martyr
upheld a Zwinglian view of the sacraments (see ZWINGLI,
ULRICH) but was temperamentally inclined to ecumeni-
cism. His most popular work, the Loci communes (Com-
monplaces), was published posthumously in 1563.
During his first spell in Strasbourg Peter Martyr mar-
ried as his first wife a former nun, Catherine Dammartin
of Metz, who was posthumously involved in a bizarre
episode of religious bigotry. She died in 1553 and was
buried in Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, near the tomb
of St. Frideswide, the city’s patron saint. In 1557, on Car-
dinal POLE’s orders, her corpse was disinterred and thrown
onto a dungheap in the stables of the dean of Christ
Church. The following year, after Mary’s death, Cather-
ine’s remains were mingled with the supposed relics of St.
Frideswide and reinterred in the cathedral by the Calvin-
istic divine James Calfhill; the oration made over them
concluded with the words hic requiescit religio cum super-
stitione (here lies religion with superstition).Peter of Alcántara, St. (Pedro Garavito) (1499–1562)
Spanish mystic, founder of the Discalced Franciscans
He studied at Salamanca and became a Franciscan Obser-
vant friar (1515). Ordained priest, he preached in Es-
tremadura, where he was elected provincial of his order in- His desire for a yet more rigorous observance of the
rule led him to establish a friary at Pedrosa (c. 1556), from
which his movement for reform spread. The Discalced
Franciscans went barefooted, consumed no meat or wine,
and spent much time in solitude and contemplation. As
confessor to St. TERESA OF ÁVILAhe encouraged her to ini-
tiate reform among the Carmelites. He was the author of a
popular treatise on prayer and meditation, Tratado de la
oración y meditación (1556).
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