Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1867-07-24

combs Church Of the Capucbins-St
PuHrs--St. Pster's-PapuI Patdce-
Tie Pope
ROME, June Il, 1857.
/ For several days past We have been so :.
journing in this city, once the mistress OF
the world. Although it has greatly de-
( generated, evidences Of its former sPien-
dor still remain. l have been far more
/ interested in what | have seen here than
/ in any other attractions which have be
held during our trip. Rome Is one OF the
grand centres Of sacred and prOIaue hiSto-
! ry. To read the New Testament on the
! very spot where some Of the scenes which
! it describes took place makes II appear
! like a new book. while to gaze upon roads,
gateways, palaces ana theatres, built and
used by the ancient Romans many centu-
vies ago, imparts a classic inspiration
which one must feel in order 10 under
stand.
! One Of the first points we visited here
was the Coliseum, the largest amphithea-
tire i'm the world Although ruin, you
can distinctly trace its vast proportions.
I We had our photographs taken on the
arena, where 50 many OF the early Chris
tiaus died Is martyrs to the talJh. me
cells in which were confined the wild
beasts which We're let loose upon the vic
Tins intended for slaughter, are plainly TO
be seen.
The celebrated Appian Way, 50 fre-
.qucntly referred 10 III Roman history, i
/ great curiosity 10 travellers. For more
than ten miles it is lined on both sides
. with the ruins OF the tOmbS of ancient
Rome. The government has removed
the accumulated dust OF ages, which had
completely buried the original road, and
we drove over the very stones on which
the chariot wheels Of the inhabitant. of
J "a r,assaI lIgFr hDfl-a he
Christian era. This was the great high
way of the Romans, and was 50 eXten-
/ SiyeIy used that the solid stone of which
it is constructed is marked with ruts sew
9ral inches deep.
Of course We visited the CatacOmbs, the
subterranean burial places of the ancients.
Vhey consist of long, narrow. damp and
lark underground passages, with cells on
! either side in which are the remains OF
the dead. These vault-like passages eX-
tend in every direction, for great distan-
:es, and it Is impossible TO find your way
through them without an experienced
guide. Little of interest 10 the ordinary
traveller Is 10 be seen III them. OF far
more interest was our visit to the Church
If the Capuchin Friars. where we were
shown what has been the burial place OF
members of this order for centuries. Its
I perfect chaTnel house. Skulls and bones
IRE fastened all over the ceilings and walls,
ma are piled up in pyramids on the floor.
Whole skeletons Of their Abbots. shroud-
I'd in their mCnaStic habits stand in nch-
>, each ones bOuy fingers clutching 4
ross. In the ground was an open grave,
waiting deaths next victim, and a. soon
: he shall he buried, the remains ot
mother monk will be- Uncaythci and adj,
led to the grim pile. and that grave in lis
.uru Will yawn for another tenant.
At the entrance to the Appian Way
stands the Church Of st. Paul, second il
.Xtcnt to St. Peters. The interior Is mag
ilificeut beyond description being com
posed entirely of marble of various colors
and adorned with q large number o
splendid paintings. This church is SaiC
% he built on the spot where st. Paul wa:
jehcaded. and il Is also said that under
= altar are the heads Of st. Paul and st
Peter. Every church here, and there j;
scarcely anything but churches, il bull
IJn some tradition of this kind. Under
meath one we We're shown some prison
. ellis, in one Of which, ii was claimed. St
Peter was confined before his execution
\ dent in the wall of solid rock wa
pointed out 10 Us "a having been made 10y
he jailor humping the Saints heat
lgainst it. Doubling whether Peter
mead was as hard as this story, we TeceIv
ed the latter with several grains Of allow
ince. All fictious of this kind, however
ire seriously told, and seriously believe,
by the faithful
The crowning attraction Of Rome is 81
Peters Church or Cathedral, the larges
building in the world. II is capable O
holding one hundred thousand persons
The interior Is perfect gallery Of art
richly adorned with paintings and statu
4ry, all works Of the great masters. Prom
incnt among these works Of art il an iroI
statue of st. Peter, in a sitting posture
As priests and people pass this statue
they TeVerently kiss its great toe, or rathe
what remains of it, for the pressure O
millions Of lips has worn it nearly al
away. The dome Is the most strikini
feature of the building. To look up int
it from beneath is almost like looking al
at the sky itself. We assembled to th
very top of this vast structure on the out
side by means of Il winding wooden road
way, wide enough for a horse and cart f
20 up, and indeed mules are employed t
carry up the materials used for repairs
When We reached the roof we found
row of small houses built upon it. il
which live the wOrkmcu who are EN-
ployed to keep the huge building in re
pair. Just think Of houses in which pee
pie live being built on the roof0f another
The entire extent of the covering of tn
church is several acres. From the cen
tre rises the great dome, up which W
continued to ascend by narrower way
till we reached the very summit. AbOv
rs was nothing but the large ball, whic
Is reached by perpendicular rope laddel
twenty or thirty feet in length. Up thi
dizzy height | climbed, and entered til
aperture, which admitted me into ci!
cular enclosure which would hold abou
ten persons. This is the ball on the spir,
and is supported in the air at a terriii
height from the ground.
/ have named only few points of int
rest in this letter. To tell you all we hav
seen in Rome would be an endless tasl
II would require volume just to dcscrib
the POpe's Palace. 1t has eight gran
staircases, two hundred smaller ones
twenty cOnrts, and four thousand fou
hundred and twenty-five rooms. We sal
the Pope himself on two occasions, ono
riding in his magnificent gilt coach. draw
by four black horses, and at another tim
carried IN procession which took plaC
on grand fete day. He was dressed j
a long white woOlen robe, drawn aroun
his waist by belt, and had on a red ha
As he passed our party, he took off his hs
and made polite bow, a courtesy whic
he usually extends to strangers. As wei
bred Americans, we could not help II
turning the salutation.
We are now about five thousand mile