Geographer, priest and writer born in Paterno’. Second of ten children and of humble origins, Nicolas lost his father at an early age. After elementary school, he attended the seminary in Catania where he was ordained a priest. Shortly after, he left Sicily to move to Rome and study literature, science, geography and languages (Latin, Spanish, French and German). Once he graduated in Theology, he dedicated his life to science and geography teaching for many wealthy families in Rome and Germany.
In 1642 he published the work Theory of the Earth and returned back to Rome, he was appointed chaplain in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and entrusted with performing a general cartography of the Earth so I could be used for religious missions .
Nicolosi is credited with the introduction of parallels in cartography and with the calculation of latitude and longitude.
Read More:
1. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovan_Battista_Nicolosi
2. Treccani.it, http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/giovan-battista-nicolosi_(Dizionario_Biografico)/
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