The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-02-26
tseIf. contains every one and every body, il


head, save her Jet black hair, twisted and
braided most deliberately. Turbaned Turks,
in flowing blue trowsers and polished top |
boots, gravely smoking their long. amber
tchibouques. Moustached French, Ger
man and Spaniard, taking their cafe NOR.
Cowled monk and bare-footed capuchin,
edging through the crowd. Soldiers in gay
bright unifoms-the common people, wa
ter-carriers, and ballad singers in their pic
turesIue costume Greek merchants, from
the Archipelago, keen traders they, playing
at chess across round tables. Here story
teller, with his laughing circle of listeners,
and close by, in front Of the viceroy's pal
ace, band Of music playing for the enter.
tainment OF all.
Before you, stands the Basilica Of San
Marc, with its marble columns and facade;
the whole front but succession Of open
arches and vestibules, all covered with the
richest mosaics, representing various scenes
in the life Of our Saviour and ST. Marx, the
patron saint of Venice. In architecture,
the church is a singular combination Of va.
rious styles, the Greek and Arabic, prevail.
ing. In fantastic beauty, shoot up turrets,
gilded Greek crosses and points. dotted with
innUmerable golden balls. And for its as
sociations, there, far up over the porch, stand
the four bronze horses, valuable as antique
works OF art, which once adorned the Hip
podrome of Constantinople, and which, in
1905, Venice brought away as trophies of
war.
Underneath, where the light shines on the
red marble pavement, look, that is the spot
where the great emperor Barbarossa humbled
himself in III TO Pope Alexander Third,
who. in token of pontfcal triumph over i'm
perial power, placed his foot upon his neck.
And if you enter the doors Of the old tenn
pie, hours may be spent in admiring It's nave,
and transcpts, and choir, all inlaid with mo-
sale; its chapels and oratories, affairs. pull
pits and treasury, and its five hundred col
umns of marble and prophyry. Of every
known kind.
To the right stands the Doge's palace. in
all its barbaric splendor; it frowns down up
on you in sullen grandeur; in style and ar
chitecture alone of its kind, half Byzantine,
half Saracenic. Within its walls sat the
Great Council in the days of the republic,
and the immense room is still there. with
the portraits of all the doge's, save Marine
Faliero, hung around its walls. 4 black
cloth covers the frame intended for him,
with a pithy Latin inscription, saying,
I" Here is the place for Marine Fahero,
who, for his crimes, was executed" In
another chamber sat the Council of Ten,
and in a small one the Council OF Three
What stories could the walls of this lat
ter apartment tell They show you door,
and dark staircase in the wall, leading
from the Bridge Of Signs, up which the pre-
Judged prisoners were brought TO be exam
ined before this terrible inquisition; and, on
the other side, as a gloomy finale, another
door, leading down to the dungeons under
the palace; the poor prisoner was sure to
bring up there, to die by downing, the silk
en- cord, or the axe. And if you are curious
and do not fear the cold and damp, take
guide and fambeau and descend TO these
prisons, renowned for their horrible security.
The first floor contains eight, in square,
round which you can walk; the double doors
Of each dungeon opened upon the narrow
corridor, and not ray of light could pos
sibly penetrate these massive stone prison
houses. The next floor Is the same; only a
narrow passage marks out the "strangling
place" and by sundry fixtures the mode in
which it was done; a closed up door leads
to the steps down which the prisoners des-
tined to the crack" were taken.
Two little vaulted chambers are side by
side-lhe one for the conlessor to absolve
the doomed man; the other the executioner' S
attiring room. Further on, private door
conducted to the apartments of the doge.-.
A staircase, now masoned up, led to third
dungeon, (undernealh the two) below the
level of the water If you tread heavy, the
flooring gives back a hollow sound. Ii
made me shudder to think Of the horrible
cruelties, suiferings, and secret murders Of
these poor victims Of political tyranny and
ecclesiastical bigotry.
When Napoleon entered Venice in 1877,
the people broke open these dungeons, scat
tered doors, locks, and bolts, 10 the four
winds. In one prisoner was found-he
had been confined for fifteen years, and du.
ring that time had never seen human face
or CLEAN Of sunlight. The Populace, with
loud shouts, brought him out on the square,
The suns rays breaking from behind q
cloud, suddenly fell on his face, and he was
struck blind. Poor fellow, he never saw
more, and so accustomed had he become to
a solitary life, that he acted like one Devil
dered, and soon died. He was the last vic.
tim to the lnquisition in Venice, thanks to
Napoleon and his grdnde armee.
But am losing myself and you, m
afraid, here in the Doge's dungeons.
Above ground, once more, stand on the
4" giants staircase" on the platform OF which
Marine Faliero lost his head; and passing
through the main gateway, into the open air,
see, on the Piazetta, in full sight, two col.
umns, Of red and grey granite, surmounted
respectively, by marble statue Of St. The.
odore, and the famous winged lion Of St.
Mark, the emblem Of the republic The
columns were brought from the Archipeia-
go, in the 18th century by some crusading
Doge, on his return from Palestine. To
the right, are the three blood-red masts, OF
aagstafs, from which, once hoated the
proud banner Of the Republic pedes
tails Of bronze, are elegantly wrought in bas
relierO work, representing neptunes, ;ritons
syrens. &c.