The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-02 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MARCH 2, 1868

who was commendatory abbot of SS. Vincenzo
e Anastasio (one of the three churches) has
handed over the spiritual and temporal admi-
nistration of the place in due form and order
to Pere Regis, who begins his mission with a
colony of fourteen religious. As long ago as
1140, Innocent 11. gave it to St. Bernard for
a house of his order, and the saint's name-
sake, Bernard of Pisa, whom he made the
first abbot, became not long after Eugenius
111. It was for him St. Bernard wrote his
book of the Considerations. It is quite meet,
therefore, that it should now again be in the
hands of an off-shoot of the great Cistercian
order. The Trappists' vows have lately been
declared solemn by the Holy See, and it has
been decided that they shall retain their own
breviary—a privilege they were in some danger
of losing.
Visitors to Rome often make the Tre Fon-
tane the object of a drive. It is about a mile
beyond S. Paolo fuor le mura. There are three
churches in close proximity. First, that above-
named. Secondly, that of S. Paolo, built over
the spot where the Apostle was beheaded, and
containing the three miraculous fountains which
marked the spot where the severed bead touched
and bounded on the ground. Near the first foun-
tain is a short marble column, which served the
headsman for a block. The third is called S.
Maria scala cell, because St. Bernard, living at
his monastery at SS. Vincenzo e Anastasio, one
day when saying Mass for the dead, had a
vision, in which he saw a ladder which reached
from earth to heaven, by which the liberated
souls ascended to their rest, and this interest.
ing little octagon temple was built in commemo-
ration of this. The crypt under it communi-
cates with the cemetery of S. Zeno, where,
according to Bede, 10,200 Christian slaves, who
had worked at the Baths of Caracalla, and
were afterwards left to perish of hunger, found
burial. On the left side of the altar, is shown a
little room, where St. Paul wqs secured pre-
vious to his execution.

The Pope has furnished Pere Regis with
vessels for the altar and vestments, in which
the church, which has not been much used,
was deficient, and has promised a grant to
forward the works of restoration, most im-
mediately necessary. A fine mosaic, lately
discovered at Ostia, has been promised, it is
said, for the pavement of the sanctuary.
The excavations of the Marmorata continue
to excite great attention. Everybody goes
to watch the works. Lord Clarendon was there
the other day, and was so delighted with what
he saw, that he could not forbear exclaiming
aloud, that it was one of the finest works of the
present reign. Nearly all the cardinals have
been on the spot. Cardinal Mattei, who is very
old, and so infirm that he only walks with diffi-
culty, had himself led along the path by the
bank of the Tiber that he might have a view
of it. The value of the blocks already dug out
is 'estimated at 50,000, and the expenses at
15,000 lire. The Pope has presented Commen-
datore Visconti with a gold snuff box, bearing
an inscription in diamonds, on blue enamel.
The excavations will be carried on with all
their present vigour till May.
Besides the exercises of the Carnevale santi.
ficato and the always striking procession of the
Via Crucis, on the Coliseum, which takes place
every day during carneval, I do not remem-
ber any religious celebration calling for particu-
lar notioe this week, unless it be the commemo-
ration of the marriage of S. Catherine of
Siena, observed in all the Dominican churches
here on Thursday. The beautiful church of
SS. Dominico e Sisto exposes her hand for
veneration, though I believe the finger on
which S. Bernardino of Siena tells us she re-
ceived the nuptial ring from our Lord, is pre-
served at the little church under her dedication
in the Via Giulia.