New-York tribune., 1868-03-18
MEXICO.
THE CHURCH or MExICo.

Cio ComOnfort occasi0ncd visit To the chulch anu
pantheon OF San Francisco. These are among tue
most respectable antiquities of %apltal anu helP
IN a tolerable text upon the churches Of Mexico
Ignaco ComonfOrt expiated the sin and blunder OF
coD n dai Jy which he pushed into power the
Gamblers Zuloaga and MranOn, when in 1865, after
exile and while cOmmanderin-chief against the
Intervention ho was slain murderou5ly, in the 41th
wear of his age Ho was given stately burial, Presl-
dent and Cabinet attending The cemetery naneu
with fuuereal candles, set in great brazen ca1u''
sticks around and upon high m0ck-ihauSolV'ii
whereOn were deposited the bones OF the nero Oh-
dies figure in all the funerals of Mexico cltncr on 'o
hcarse at the tomb in the hands OF proceSsoi's,
some hundreds of whom thus burdened' lolio"eu
the corpse of COmOnfOrt. san Francisco Is " Sii'i
but very crowded community of the dead Here arc
numberless sepulcllers in the walls stabbed up WIN
names and dates and wrcathed here and there. with
immortelles There is neghboring charnel ground
overorown with weeds. Every grain OF dust here
nlout must be a snuff of mortality; for the niue
pantheon is full OF dry bones. Patriot and traitor
sloep together. DIelchor Ocampo and Thomas
OIIonn are on the Shelves Indian Mcja is en-
tolnbed. OF the church, no great architectural
specaltcs are to lie noted. 1t boasts hlgh long
intoIor rooted i'll Roman style. succeed aud tres-
coed with some ingenuity, but spoiled, OF course Dy
garug angels rampant upon field OF white plaster
aud gcWCaWS OF ancient oeIH iCc 90 "L P"s'' N''
ground down by the altar
Better is the great Cathedral whose noble capacity
peases much more than its heavy and dingy aspect
The larcencs of the pile and its certain inevitable
variety are sure TO impress unusually, but their
effect is far from that of genius revelation. The
great Aztec limestone, heather herogyphic is set
up against a side of the Cathedral The most elabo-
rate adcs appear upon the chapes on the other SIDE
They present the sixteenth century decadence OF
art tho costly style known as chiraguerro run Wild
into filagree of petty sculptures saints, high ana
low set stiiy back in inches amid brodery OF stone
cherubs aLounding irreleyantly among ideas more
wooden than sculpturesQue; great architecture eA-
cuded TO advancement Of details. The chapel fronts
are not high enough to conceal the bodneSSes OF ma
sonry. and red paint hardymprOyes the appearances
Of the wings nor does one prefer the style OF Its
high canpanuated belfry towers; yet this spacious
Cathedral has probably not its equal in America in
respact 10 size and curiosity of feature. Its relative
at Puebla which has the same plan OF interior, Is
mora neat aud duietcOlOred less vugaTlzed IN the
STYLE of art made prominent at its shrnes, and more
scrupulous as to its embellishments generally A
sombre eliigy of the Man of TerrOrs nun-ike face
OF Onr Lady Of Pain, and dark head of
Chris supreme in its shade Of melancholy and
not by any one less than near pupil OF Mu-
rillO-are its principal treasures. A genuine Mu-
rillO is said to Ibe the pure, olYe-faced,
wor,pfnl Madonna over the first altar of the Cathe-
dral at Mexico in the sacriSty of which are some
immense canvasses by Cabrera Mexican artist OF
the seventeenth century Therein the seraphim II l
remember right, appear in alegOrical communion
with the mitred aristOcracy of the Church; and the
victory of Michael over the dragon represented be-
fore All audience Of the spheres. But there is no
prievous oiense in these pOus pictures, though they
thrust time into eternity with little ceremony Con-
trast them with the proclamation of art contained III
style not unfrequent here in the common churches
specimen of which | saw Mt Puebla-numerous
Saints with tonsurcd heads dressed in black uni
form and kneeling round what may be the throne OF
the tiara-crowned st. Peter; cherubs above out
spread with painful decorum saints and cherubs
with scroll, in their mouths, and all blowing at ST.
Peter Fine art was not so common in the bygone
Church of Mexico that it unwilling to accept the
pious will for tho uninspred deed and surely some
profaue jobs were done in the name of the Lord.
Santa Teresas is not the largest cdfce, but it
possesses the finest sanctuary in the capital 1Ou
onter it through an ugly chapel, and are beneath
beautiful dome and before impressive altar. In
the dim religions light" of the Vesper hour the
paintings of the saints upon the walls and arches,
and the grave adornments of the shrnes seem of one
piece with the classic superstructure. Looming above
the few candles lit at this time the columns OF
the high tompelike altar, is the solemn etgy OF the
Crucifixion. Two auxiliary shrines appear under lat
eral and dome-ke Tecepacles and these are all-the
whole interior constituting little more than the
length and breadth of cOmmOdiOus chapel yet with
the freedom and effect of cathedral Paroquias seen
at Vera Cruz and Orizaba, not to mention the prnc-
pal churches at Puebla have domes as high, few OF
which are in all respects, as good Bishop Woods
in Philadelphia; but the fine relation of Santa
Teresa to all parts of the edfCe of these quite
A +vyittor of lirds in remOte and
sounds endessy in the ears of the wOrshpper. Per
hans it is because the custom Of lending birds to the
church during the religious period of Retreat is at
this time observed Meek and hidden music sounds
at intervals in the twilight. The mystery of the
birds the melancholy of the saints, the of the
crucfk blend together pathetically, and and the
thought of the devotee There, if here only, the
deval dream of prayer is realized for moment.
Not 80 with the time-wOm Church erected an age
ago to our Lady of Loreto. This is great aisle
with white walls dome, and efiigies and gilt fix
lures the latter with respect to quantity rather than
quality sitting figure of Christ, in doublet and
cloak. is exhibited at the door. At others Of the
Churches and even at the Cathedral occurs the
anachronism the ever-sOrrOwful Lord dressed up in
cavalier clothes and. where rays of beatitude are
wanting. crowned with hat. This was one way Of
conveying to the ignorant the notion of an omni-
present sacred Grief TO whom men gave the title Of
Lord and Master. These figures are costly relics on
which very simple piety has lavished cloth of gold
aud silver. and we must suppose that they are
cherished partly from associations. 1t is not to be
ignored however that the poor and unlettered mil
lion of Mexico are creduous as any in the world
and none too modern i'll views OF sentiment to have
their ideals made for them out of the whole cloth of
the scapulary For unprogressiye priesthood COM
mittcd to rude race and total belief, what was
there to do bat supply the market of credulity They