The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1860-05-03
NO. 81.
Cemetery GI The eappucCini.

The cemetery is beneath the church.
but entirely above ground, and lighted by
a row of iron-grated windows without
glass. corridor runs along beside these
windows, and gives access to three or four
vaulted rccesses, or chapels, of consider
able breadth and height, the floor of which
consists OF the consecrated earth of Jeru-
salem. 1t is smoothed decorously over
the deceased brethren Of the convent, and
Is kept quite free from grass or weeds,
such as would grow even in these gloomy
recesses, if pains were not bestowed to
root them up. But, as the cemetery is
small, and It is a precious privilege to
sleep in holy ground, the brotherhood are
rmmcmoria,iy accustomed, when one of
their number dies, to take the longest
buried skeleton ont of the oldest grave,
and lay the new siumberer there instead
/ hus. each of the good friars, in his turn,
enjoys tie luxury Of consecrated bed,
attended with the slight drawback of be-
/ in% forced to get up before dav-break. as
/ 1t were, and make room for another lodger
| The arrangement Of the unearthed skel-
! etOns is what makes the special interest of
! the cemetery. The arched and vaulted
!
massive pillars and pilasters made of thigh
bones and skulls the whole material of
the structure appears to be a similar kind
and the knobs and embossed ornaments of
this strange architecture are represented by
the joints Of the spine, and the more del
icate tr1cery by the smaller bones of the
/ human frame The SUBMITS of the arches
are adorned with entire skeletons, looking
as if they were wrought most skiltully in
bas-relief There is no possibility of de-
scrbing how ugly and grotesque Is the
effect, combined with certain artistic
merit, nor how much perverted ingenuity
has been shown in this queer way, nor
what multitude of dead monks, through
now many hundred years, must have con-
tribured their bony framework to build
up these great arches of mortality. On
some of the skulls there are inscriptions,
purporting that such q monk, who for
merry mLue use of that particular head
piece, died on such day and year, but
vastly the greater number are piled up in
diStingu;shably into the architectural de-
sign. like the many deaths that make up
the one glory of a victory.
In the side walls of the vault are inches
where skeleton monks sit or stand, clad in
tn : brown habits that they wore in life,
and labelled with their names and the dates
of their decease Their skulls (some quite
bare and others still covered with yellow
skin, and hair that has known the earth
daInps, look out from beneath their hoods,
grinning hideously repulsive. One rever-
end father had his mouth wide open, as If
, he had died in the midst of howl of ter
ror and remorse, which perhaps is even
now screeching through eternity. As a
general thing, however, these frockcd an /
hooded skletOns seem to take d more cheer
tal view Of their position, and try with
CHASTITY smiles to turn it into jest. But
the cemetery Of the Capuchins is no place
to nourish celestial hopes; the soul sinks
forlorn and wretched under all this burden
of dusty DEATH the holy earth from Jeru
salem so imbued is it with mortality, ha:
grown as barren of the flowers of Paradise
as it is of earthly weeds and grass. ThaLl
heaven for its blue sky; it needs a long
!, upward gaze to give us back our faith
, Not here can we feel ourselves immortal
;. where the very affairs in these chapels o
= horrible consecrati IN are heaps OF human
. bones.