Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-11-17
The Leonine City-what it is.

The Leonine City derives its name from
Leo w, who first fortified the environs of
the Vatican, left entirely open and with
out the city when AAurelian carried the
walls around Rome. Even when ST. Pc
ter's had been built, and around it had
grown up monasteries, hospitals and
dwellings of all kinds, and the foreign
colony had settled on the left Of it, DO
Pope Thought of terrifying or protecting
tn part by wallis For, says Gregorious,
to whose History of Rome" we owe these
data, the enemies of Rome had till then
been Christians. Leo Ill. first conceived
the plan; had he carried it out
the Ssrrassins would not have
plundered the Basilica- The works
commenced by him had been stop
ped by internal connections, and the Ro.
mans quietly possessed themselves of the
materials of the half finished buildings,
and used them for other purposes. After
the pillage. however. Leo Nv. again took
up the plan most vigorously, and carried 1T
out with energy. BE first submitted it to
the Emperor Lothian, without whose per-
mission he dared not undertake so impor-
tant q work, and not only found him ready
to permit 1t, but to contribute largely to its
execution. The costly undertaking was
next divided in such q manner that all the
individual cities Of the states OF the
Church, all public estates of the Church,
the city, the monasteries aud converts. had
to place certain cum and certain mum.
Der of their people at the disposal OF the
building committee.
The work was begun IN o4S and compile.
ted in $50. The Vatican environs Tor the
Porticus of St Peter are surrounded in
such manner that the walls rose from the
Hadrianeum mp to the side of the Vatican
mountain, then encircled st. Peters, and
next, descending straight from this height,
were carried as far as the river, below The
present gate Santo Spirito, which was ad
ded afterwards. The walls reached q
height of nearly forty feet. of correspond
ing thickness, and were guarded by forty
four strong towers.
A good deal of this horseshoe.like wall
ring of Leo w. is still discernible in tbs
Borgo, in the Alexander walk, near the
Mint and the Papal garden az far as The
stout corner tower, in the line of the Ports
Pertusa. and towards the Porta Fabrica
But later buildings in the new Borgo, the
bastions of s. Spirito. have bro en- through
the walls and destroyed their traces IL
many places, ind with the new great en-
closure of the Vatican by Plus ~. tn;
Leonine City shared the fate which the Ole
Servian walls underwent at the time o
Aurelian.
When Leo had finished his work, b,
proudly called his city Civitas Leonina
Rome, upon which the Popes had now IN
mistakabiy impressed the stamp eff thei
rule, had not for centuries celebrated
higher festival than the Inauguration o
those walls on June "a, $50 All the bish
ops, priests, and monastic orders of Rome
. led by the Pope himself, went round tn
walls barefooted, ashes on their heads
and singing hymns. As they passed tn,
walls, the seven cardinal bishops sprinklet
holy water upon them; at each gate the
stopped, and each time the Pope inyoke'
a blessing from heaven upon the new city
: The procession over, the pope made larg
presents OF gold, silver and siiken palli
to the nobility. the people, and the for
eigners' colonies.
Nor were appropriate, though somewhs
barbarous, inscriptions wanting. Owe
: the principal gate, that Of s. Peregrinus
the conventional "wayfarer' was addresse
7 in this wise:
Z Qui vents &C vadis decus hoe adterde viatol
, Quod Quartus struxit nunc Leo Papa hber
Msrmore practise radiant he culmina pulchr
III Que manibus hominum facta decore pl,
{ cent, &c.
And over the gate at the Castellum:
Romanus Franciis Bardusquc viator et omn
Hoe qui intendit opus cantica digna cante
: Quod bonus Antistes quartus Leo rite n0yav
Pro patri@ &C plebis ecce salute suse.
Principe cum summo gaudens ct oyans II