The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1854-10-24
Correspondence efshe Washington Globe.
Churches in Florence.

sGhurchesSinF Florence.
What shall ,tell:You Of Florence--ts gal.
leries, festas, quaint streets, dark old palaces,
which might if stones could speak, reveal ma
ny dark deeds of the pasta The last days of
holy week gave me some new ideas of Italian
life, for the Church is everything; even the
amusements of the gay Florentines depend
upon their festas. The Churches of France
are, many of them, gorgeous and imposing, but
YOU must see the grand old churches of Italy,
before you can form an idea Of the power Of
the Church at present, as we'll as in the ages
past; such asworld of wealth as they contain
within their Old walls! Hove to wander in
| them at twilight. and hear the Ave Maria
The last CLEANS of day through the painted
windows, and the lights of the atars show you
hundreds of-k6eeling figures, who offer up
with earnest, touching voices, this evening ser.
vice, to the Blessed Lady" There are two
Protestant churches here, the church of the
English embassy and a French Protestant
church, protected:and principally supported by
the King of Prussia.
The service is that of our Presbyterian
churches, but even more simple. Nothing has
struck me with such interest since have been
in Florence, as the service at this church, and
high mass at the Cathedral on the same MORN
ing 1t was great fete in Florence; the
whole court" was to hear mass in state. Pre-
parations had been making for some days and
at an early hour on Sunday morning, the ring
ing of BELLS. crowds of people in the Streets
passing of soldiers, announced great fete. |
attended the French church first, intending af
terwards to 90 to the Cathedral. This little
Protestant house of worship is, though pretty
and neat very plain; no aristocratic Pews,
with luxurious cushions; neat reading desk
and communion table, organ rows of rush bot
tom chairs, or plain wooden benches, and you
have before you the French Protestant church
of Florence--called French because the SER
vices are always conducted in that language.
The congregation assembled quietly; ladies
(often followed by their servauts) filled the
benches and chairs.
A gentleman seated himself in front of me.
Nothing but his remarkably fine appearance,
aud strict attention to the service, distinguish
ed him from the others, he having taken the
first chair that offered. This was the heredita-
ry prince of Prussia, who was visiting the Du-
cal family of Tuscany. A lady entered who
had Deen pointed out to me at one of the court
balls as a niece of the Emperor of Russia,
(she is both a belle and beauty.) followed by
a female servant. She seated herself on one
of the benches, whilst the pastors wife, fol
lowed by broad-faced Swiss servant, with
cap as. white as snow--took her place OH a
bench near me; others came, looking what
they were, honest, but thrifty and thriving
Swiss and Germans. There was no excuse
for not joining in the service. Hymn books
were presented to each person by the sexton.
There was a fine organ, but no choir, no long
drawn agony of tenor, basso, and soprano,
chasing each other in the Gloria in Excelsis." !"
The number sof the hymus for the morning
wer. written upon two black boards, hung
upon pillars The books handed by the sex
ton cont,ned not ouy the words, but the mu.
sic, and adj were expected to join in this part o
the service.
A prayer followed, another hymn, a chapter
in the Bible, Il sermon, and with prayer and
the blessing, we we're dismissed. hurried t"
the Duomo, being anxious t" arrive before the
ducal cnrlege An immense crowd filled the
streets, whilst the approaches to the chnrch
were occupied BY mounted troops; on the
north side "f the piazza was large body OF
Austrian soldiers, with their fine band of near.
|; one hundred musicians. The vast old Cathe-
dral was already quite full, and a body Of gems
d'armes, and the Dukes body guard, in their
gorgeous uniforms, f"rned line from the cen.
ter door to the high altar, whilst the octagon.
in itself chapel, was blazing with silver
lamps ind colored wax lights. A drum beats
in the piazza, large body of the clergy pass
to the grand entrance and receive the Arch.
bishop; the soldiers present arms, and the
venerable looking frelate approaches through
the line of troops, and takes his seat upon an
elevated chair covered with a canopy of white
and gold. On the opposite side of the octa-
gon are thu gIded and crimson velvet chairs Of
the ducal family hundreds of chandeliers,
thousands Of wax lights, with the richest hang.
ings of crimson aud yellow silk, with beauti
ful tapestries, nearly cover the walls Of this
grand old Duomo.
The Bishop of Florence and Fiesoe, the
canons of the Cathedral, and an immense body
Iof clergy, fill the stalls of the octagan; the
| floor is covered with crimson cloth, upon which
are placed seats for the ladies and gentlemen
of the court A lady, ycungtt apd beautiful,
with train of blue and silver brocade,,N head
dress of pearls and point lace, >Yalks up and
kneels devoutly upon her. cnshioRin the octa-
gou. 1t is the young Marchesa A.SaF lady of
the court; another follows, neither young nor
handsome, but richly dressed IN brocade and
diamonds, some half dozen little pages in rich
uniforms come they ykneel, laugh, talk, pinch,
and push each other, whilst they are supposed
to besaying their prayers Look is this