The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1846-07-23
From the Temperance Herald.
The Dome of st. Peters at Rome.

From the Temperance Herald.
The Dome of st. Peters at Rome.
The particular in which ST. Peters most
decidedly surpasses every other work Of
man is lis central and browning Dome. -
Some details respecting this Dome will
not fail 10 interest those who reflect, that
| it has been seldom-perhaps never III
Englis h,-fully described.
Standing beneath this matchless Dome,
most persons are so overawed as to be for
a moment bewildered, but by degrees, part
after pert is past in review. "Pecemeal
we must break to separate contemplation
the great WHOLE
Four piers, surmounted by medallons
sustain the piasers and windows of the
drum; which in turn are crowned by tier
above tier of celestial figures, and the lam
tern or Bevidere over topping all, The
base of each pier measures at least two
hundred and twenty-lhree feet in circum-
ference, and occupies as many square feet
Jas almost any church in Vermont. The
four piers are united by arches as high
as that ofthe stupendous Natural Bridge
in Virginia.
Niches followed in the corners OF the
piers towards the centre Of the dome, tab.
ernacle colossal statutes OF ST. Andrew
leaning on his cross, Longinus, the ira
dlional name of the soldier who pierced
the side Of Jesus, Veronica holding the
napkin with which legendaries affirm that
she wiped his face as he was sinking uns
der the cross, and the Empress Helena,
who is pretended to have discovered the
long lost true Cross. Above these stat
utes, project four balconies, the pillars Of
which are declared 10 have belonged to
Solomon's temple.
The wide spaces above, between the
arches uniting the piers, are called SPAN
dreIs. They are occupied by mosaics of
the four evangelisis, each attended by
symbols borrowed from Ezekiel, namely,
the human face by Matthew, the lion bv
ST. Mark, the OK by Luke, aud Inc eagle
by John.
The guide>books attempt to give an
idea on how large scale every thing is
here constructed, by telling US, that the
pen Of 81. Luke, though not out OF pros
portion, is nine feet in length. Anoth-
er illustration may be the circumstance,
that every letter in the inscription which
girdles the dome just above, measures six
feet. The words are these, Thou art
Peter, and upon this rock will build my
church, and will give thee the keys Of
the kingdom of heaven"
Next arises the upright part, or drum
Of the dome, adorned with lhirty>two pi,
laslers the sky-lights between which,
shed broad and cheerful light above and
below. Upon this basis, is reared the
highest, The largest, the strongest Dome
that human hands have yet essaved TO
build, from The midst Of which the crown
ing lantern shoots up still higher, even
three times as high as the Fall of Niaga-
ia.
No language can describe so as TO do
justice to the interior adornment Of ST.. PS~
lers Dome.
1t is wholly enriched with Mosaics,
pictures Of gold field, so large that every
figure in the lower ranks is distinctly Wis
lille as we stand on its pavement. In
these ranks stand the apostles; above them
arise the ancient prophets, the Virgin Ma
ny, and the man Christ Jesus, over whose
heads float cholrs of angels, while the
cherubs who soar above all are almost out
of sight, and the representation of the Eter-
nal Father, at the eye or apex of the whole,
can no more be discovered, than that of
The image which stood still before the
eyes Of Eliphaz in his vision of the
uight.
The idea is similar to that of the bss-
eliefs on Trajan's pillar of pillars, but
greater sublimiy. The exploits of Tra>
jan are portrayed upon a hand, iwhi:h
mounts by spiral ascent like the thread
OF screw, from the pedestal of his pill
lar ill distinct vision ceases, and the cons
queror seems TO have scaled the heaven.
The dome brings US flee TO face with
men upon whom The spirit of the Lord
came nightly. We even catch glimpse.
far above, of those glorious ceIestials, who
were the messengers of God 10 the patri-
archs, and of the seraphims yelling their
faces as in Ihe4vision of Isaiah; but we see
only the outskirts OF Him, from whose
presence the earth and heaven fled away,
the thunder Of whose power none can un.
derstand.
Mo one can gaze on this work without
coniessing it, though it was the child of
Michael Angeles old age, the masterpiece
of him who was second 10 no architect or
painter, or sculptor, who even APPROACHED