Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-02-19
MISCELLANEOUS.



ries Of letters from an American visiting
the Old World. From recent one. dated
at Rome. we copy a spirited description
of famous St. Peters, and "lhe untold
magniicence of Art, which. on every side;
bursts upon the unaccustomed mind oil an
American in the Imperial City:
The approach to ST. Peters is impos-
ing. a great circular piazza opens before
it. surrounded by three hundred and sixty
large columns, gracefully surmounted by
an entablature. upon which statues ghsten
in the sun. Stand upon the steps of the
Basilica. The great circle Of columnal
grandeur bends about the high obellsk and
the twin fountains. On either side al right
angles with the church are the vaulted
PATHWAYS, leading to the chapcls. Upon
the left rises the Vatican, with its intricate
sublimity Of palaces. The crows high up
among the carving of the capitals, are rear
ing their Young. and cawing like ccm-
panv Of Frenchmen. The plish of ioun
tains bushes into Sabbath silence the al
around. The colossal figures of St. Pc
ter and ST. Paul stand guardians of the
place. Turning around-thc eight huge
columns which hide in their shadows other
columns, lift on high the mighty temple OF
Catholic Christendom. The juttng cor
nice and tracery gracefully hang under
inches and over windows, in and around
which are figures with scrolls, sceptres and
crowns. Far out IN front (for the eye
leaps about as il a strange spell were upon
I'D CLEANS white in the sun the angles and
curves Of the fine walks. No verdure re-
lieves the extcnsiveness and massiveness
of the view. Bass rclicis, inscriptions,
bells and clocks furnish lineaments for the
church's counlenance OF stone. AS our
eye ranges upward covering the vast cx-
panse of Architecture, we may well ex-
claim with Gbbou:-"Here IS Me most
glorious structure that erer has been ap-
plied 10 tie use Of religion"
Upon this spot where we now tread,
scarcely century after Christ, an oratory
was erected hy the Bishop of Rome, to
honor the place where St. Peter was IN
TERED. Here, Constantine worshlrpcd
the cross he saw in the heavens, and built
the great Basilica. Here, Pope alter Pope
added adornincnt to adornmcnt, until the
finishing genius Of Michael Angelo com
plcted the structure, by GROWING It's. subj
nifty with the rver,enduring beauty Of the
Pantheon. What expense, what labor,
wha, genius has been here expended upon
few acres. Indeed the expenses Of the
additions to the pile were so 6rrat--ex-
tending over the reign cflory- three Popcs
that the sale cofindulgences was rcsoried
to for the purpose Of meeting it. This re
suited in the Reformation. At the close
ofthe l7rh century tie expense amounted
TO SAC, SOO,&93-exclusiv Of the sacrsty,
models, mosaics, &c, estimated at $780,
600
One is staggered which to wonder at
the power that can levy such contributions
upon the labor of the world, or the genus
which transforms rough masses OF rock,
cragged logs and trees, and even the mire
on which we treat, INTO palaces, spires,
temples, and forms Of every variety ol
bcanty and subimity. Aladdn's lamp
was a onderlul instrument in It's day
1t converted stones into gold and carpe;cd
the earth with velvet for the treat of Kings
and Queens. The human mind far cx-
cecds lis magic power. At the bidding OF
Mind, this immense structure stood alone
the towering grandeur ofa time:
Worthic~t Of God, the holy and the true,
Since Zon's desolation when that He
Forsool his former city, what could be
OF earthly structures in lis honor piled,
Ola sublimer aspect. Majesty,
Power. glory strength and bounty. all are aisled
in this eternal ark of worship unaehed!
When first looked npon St. Peters, l
confess to keen disappointment. Its
size seemed fattened, and its dome ns g-
nihcani compared to the fancy oft, had
INDUCED No doubt the colossal size OF
the human forms about it, contributed 10
this effect, by giving a false stand .rd OF
measurement. Indeed, it is so immense
that the mind is bcwildercd in its huge de-
tails and loses the sense of the immense
whole. Byron accouts for the same i'm
preston. not by the lessening Of the pile,
but vthe expansion Of the mind, und er
the genius ofthe spot. 1t is about SOC
feet long. The transepls from wall TO wall
are l5G feet. The diameter Of the cupola
is los feet being little larger than the
Pantheon The height Of the cross upon
the Cupola from the pave is i35 feet!
But how can | paint with INDECENT ink,
the interior! At first sight, as looked
down the vnultcd roofs and long nave,
and up its swelling dome, | felt no holy
awe such as hushcd the soul into stiffness
in Westminster and Notre Dame. The
statues ofpopes, the painting ofsaints, the
sacred canopies and shrines, the presence
of the lesser form in its endless variety at
tracled the attention, and disturbed the
aspirations of the soul toward the Infinite.
The Baldacchino, or the great canopy,
castout Of The bronze taken from the Pan
,hcon into spiral colums, and garlanded
with gilded flowers and foliage, stand o.
yer the grave Of St Peter. The eye swirns
as it gazes upon it. This beautiful object
breaks the awe inspiring impression Of the
dome under which it stands. Over one
hundred lamps burn around, while below
is shrine, and the kreeling statue Of Pi-
US VI, by Canova.. The concave is orna-
mented with stuccoes and mosaics. while
at the farther end is the apostolic chain in
the bronze, lifted aloft under such varie-
ty Of ornament as can be seen, not pencil
ed. Among the various statnes is the mon
umcnt to the Stuarts, by Canova. The
outcast Royalty Of Britain here lie entom-
bed in more regal state than Westminster
could bestow. The gazeris informed by
an inscription that James Iii, Charles Ill,
and Henry TX, Kings Of England, here re-
pose Some one who has more time
than have, should forthwith advise Ma
cauley of this awful gap in his history
There is certainly one chapter omitted if
this inscription be true. Why will men