The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-11-05
THE LEONiNE CITY.
History Of the iscfage Place Of tho Pope.
fErom the Pail Mall Gazette Oct I3l

IFT0m the Pail Mall Gazette Oct. IL.
According to all accounts Plus k, though Yield
ing TO stern necessity Is far from acquescliy cheer
fully in the new order OF things. He never leaves
the Vatican, speaks OF himself as a prisoner, aud
occasionally dwels upon the circumstance thai he
now receives none but ANONYMOUS letters lilled with
vituperatlons, and that III case telegram ever
reaches him he has to write receipt for ike the
mcanest italian citiZen. General Cadorna, hearing
OF these complaints, instantly communicated WITH
the Pope, informing him THAI 1t was entirely within
the pow or Of his Holiness to have q special Post
once erected In the Vatican, as wen as to have
wire conducted right into his own chambers, and
that there never could be the slightest objection to
his freely communicating with any country he
pleased.
rives its name from Leo W., who first fortified tile
envrOns OF the Vatican, LETT entirely open ana with
OUT the city when Aurelan carried the walls around
Rome Even when 81. Peters had been but, ana
around it had grown up monastercs hospitals
ana dwellings OF all kinds, and The foreign colony
had settled on the LEFT side OF il, no Pope thought
OF iortilyng or protecting tins part by walls.
For. says Gregorovious, 70 whose History OF
Romef we owe these data, the enemies OF
Rome mao m men p gen J ha an o Ill
Gut the Sariassn5 would not have pIundered
the Basiliac. The works commenced by him had
been stopped by internal connections, and the
Romans quietly possessed themselves or the materi-
ais OF the half finished buildings, and used them for
other purposes. After pIage however, Leo ~.
AGAIN took up the plan most vigorously and carried
10 out with energy. lie first submitted IL to
the Emperor LothaIr, without whose permission he
dared not undertake SO important work. and not
only found him ready to permit 1t, put to contribute
largely towards its execution. The costly under
taxing was pext divided III such manner that all
the Individual cities OF the States OF tie Church. all
public estates 1.-THE Church, the CITY, the monastc-
ries and convens, had 10 place certain sum and
a certain number Of Eielr people ut the disposal OF
the building committee.
The work was begun in 1913 and completed in 1852
The Vatican enyron5 Tor the Portcus OF ST. Peter
are surrounded IN such manner That The walls rose
from the Hadrlaneum up the side Of the Vatican
mountain, then encircled ST. Peters and next de-
scending straight nom this height, were carried as
for nnf
Santo Spirito, Which was added afterwards
The walls reached height OF nearly forty feet or
corresponding thickness and were guarded by forty
four strong towers OF the same structure as the stout
round corner tower still visible Oh the highest emf
ncnce VI the Vatican Three gates led into the new
city--two IN the line OF the wall beginning at the
tomb Of Hadrlan, the smaller called Postcrula St.
Angel, the larger near The Church st. Teregrino
ana therefore called Porta ST. Peregrn, afterwards
Viridarla, Porta Palltl st. PctII. That was the
principal gate through which the Enlpcrors made
their solemn entry, and which Is supposed BY Bun
sen to be Identical With the closed gate OF Alex
ander vi. The third gate united the town with the
Trasteycre and was called Posterula Saxonum from
the Saxon quarter, and stood where now the Poria
di st. Sprito stanls good deal OF This horseshoe
like wall ring OF Leo Nv. Is still discernipo in the
Borgo in the Alexander walk, near the Mint and
the Papai garden, as far as the stout corner tower
towards the Pora Fabrica But later build
ings in the new Borgo, the hastions OF st.
angelo, the new structures oil the vatican, the
bastlons or st. Spirio, have broken through the
walls and destroyed their traces in many places and
with the new great enclosure Of the Vatican by Plus
W. the Leonine City shared the fate which the old
ServNn walls underwent at the time OF Aurelian.
When Leo had finished his work he proudly called
his city Clvitas Lconna. Rome upon which the
popes had unmisakably impressed the stamp OF
their rule, had not Tor centuries celebrated higher
festival than the inauguration ofthose walls on June
~, S52. All the bishops, priests and monasiic
orders Of Rome, led by tile Pope himself, went round
the walls baref0otcd. ashes on their heads and sing.
ing hymns. As they passed the walls the seven car.
dinai bishops sprnkled holy water upon them; al
each gate they stopped aud each time the Pope in