Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-10-02


mination ofthe great Cathedral st. Peters,
during the Festivalof the Patron Apostle
Those who witnessed the tine display, said to
be good imitation, at Washington Hall, about
a year ago, will read the following withintcrest.
He writes:
Last evening witnessed one of the grandest
spectacleS human eyes ever bcheld-an iIluulina-
ton of St Peters. 1t was on the occasion of
the Festival of.the Patron, Apostle. You know
the great BasllicaiS illuminated on two occasions
during the year-EaSter and St Peters night
the 2Sth of June. Those who have witnessed
thisincomparable spectacle, will need no assur-
ance that all efforts at description are quite i'm
potent at the first strike of the clock, the
blaze of nine hundred lamps shot upthe mighty
edifice, andIinless than eight seconds after the
whole magical work was completed. In the
light of nearly seven thousand lamps, the great
fabric, as itwere, became transfigured. And
the mighty Dome shone forth like one vast fir
mament Oftire. And every frieze and column.
and the bands of the cupoln, and the great cross
above, burned and bazed as if they were moul.
ten fire. And the 0beliSk and the fountains in
the Square, and the grim statues of the Colon
nades, caught the Tuddy glow and became ldmi-
nous. As seen from the Pincian Hill, the grand
edifice seemed suspended in the Heavens,
vast fabric of fire floating in the dark dim sea of
ether.
These great illuminatons cost an almost fabu-
lous sum. Something like nine hundred and
sixty men are employed. And such is the fear
ful risk which. these poor fellows run, that
have seen it stated somewhere, it is customary
to give them absolution previous to the perfor-
nance of their perilous task. Fortified by this
they scale the dizzy height with the comforting
assurance, that if five minutes after they find T
themselves dashed to atoms on the pavement
below. they go straightinto Paradise with hys
ing colors.
High Mass in st. Peters, we always knew, or
rather had always heard, has one. of the most
imposing ceremonies onsearth, but the follow.
ing vivid description ofit by Mr. Williams, Y
is vivid beyond most of fthe description that we
remember. He says: +,
This morning High Mass was. celebrated at
St Peters by t1e Pope in person. The vast
edltice was crowded almost to Suffocation.. All
Rome and the regions roundabout as WELL seem
ed to be there. All ages from the "pulng
babe" to the driveling veteran; all conditions;
from the Prince inhis robes of State to the Pau
perrin his rags, were there Ministers of State
and Foreign ambassadors, and Cardinals and
ArchbishOps, and the whole mob of magnateS,
temporal and spiritual, were there. The cere-
monies were grand ndimposing, far beyond
anything had ever seen before The Pope
drcssedin his Apostolic robes-robes that bazed
with gold and silver and precious stones; the
SaIolnals an tnelr scarlet dresses and quaint =
mats, the ArcholSnops and Bishops, and IDeacons
and Sub Deacons in the splendid costumes of
their various orders; the Princes of Rome; the
Senators, and the Conservators, reSplendentin
gorgeous attire: the Chamberlains and Cross
bearer and .Acolytes bearing the seven Icandela-
b Freneh, Swiss and Italian officers in gay
uniforms; thei.s Cavaliers in the costumes ofthe
old Spanish mobiles; files of soldiers stretching
from one extreme ofthe church to the other;
the great altar and confessional wreathed with
flowers; the black statue of St Peter dressedin
the Robes ola Pope with q triple crown on his
head; and the greatyorgan pealing and thudering
through the majestic nave and transept, and
rushing up the dizzy height Of the great Dome.
Preliminary to the celebrationtof of mass, there,
was a vast deal of Imposing fumnery, which, :
not being learned in the intricacies of Romish
ceremonialS, did not understand the Pope.sit-
! ting on his throne in the extreme back partof
the,churcil, with cloud of Cardinals and Bish-
ops about him; a succession of gennhections;
Kissing of His Holiness on the check and breast;
a constant taking off andep putting again ofthe
Apostolic hal; a running to. and Sfro between the
\ throne and the high altar: n getting up ana sit
| ting down again. and waving of the hand by the
Pope; and q world ,ofisimilaT7 mystical periorm-
lances quite unintelligible to outsiders
| After this followed the relebration of High
ATocsi H.. Az I15 IJ;. L1;b,,os.s5 6.s a., 81