Giacopo Belgrado, Italian Jesuit and natural philosopher.

Giacopo belonged to a noble family and received his education at Padua

Padua

Padua is a city and comune in the Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Padua and the economic and communications hub of the area. Padua's population is 212,500 . The city is sometimes included, with Venice and Treviso, in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area, having...

. He entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus

Society of Jesus

The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...

 16 October 1723, and showed marked talent, studying mathematics and philosophy at Bologna

Bologna

Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...

, under Father Luigi Marchenti, a former pupil of Pierre Varignon

Pierre Varignon

Pierre Varignon was a French mathematician. He was educated at the Jesuit College and the University in Caen, where he received his M.A. in 1682. He took Holy Orders the following year....

 at Paris. After completing his philosophical studies he taught letters for several years at Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

.

He studied theology at Parma

Parma

Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....

 and then became professor of mathematics and physics at the university, holding this position for twelve years. While at Parma he did much experimental work in physics with apparatus specially constructed by two of his assistants. After pronouncing his solemn vows on 2 February 1742, Belgrado was summoned to the court, where he was appointed confessor, first to the Duchess, and later to the Duke Don Philippo, The title of mathematician of the court was also bestowed on him. He 1757 he erected an observatory on one of the towers of the college of Parma and furnished it with the necessary instruments. In 1773, he became rector of the college at Bologna

Bologna

Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...

. He was a member of most of the academies of Italy and a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences

French Academy of Sciences

The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...

. He was likewise one of the founders of the Arcadian colony of Parma.

Main works

He wrote on a variety of subjects, among his works being

• I Fenomeni Elettrici (1749);
• Della riflessione de' corpi dall' acqua e della diminuzione della mole de' sassi ne torrebti e ne' fiumi (1755);
• De analyseos vulgaris usu in re physica (1761–62);
• Delle sensazioni del freddo e del calore (1764);
• Theoria Cochleae Archimedis (1967);
• Dell' esistenza di Dio da' teoremi geometrici (1777)