The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-12-05
TEuropean Correspondence of the Bulletin

can travellers who visit Italy nowadays, nave
Anticipated the preston they are to receive
in all the principal cities from reading Mark
Twains inimitable work previous to their
departure, at any rate, all of our party had, and
therefore we began our sightseeing In Milan
asif we knew beforehand exactly what we were
to expect, and it naturally follows that we
have met with sappointment-some agree
able, others less SO.
There was no misconceptlon that we could
well have fallen into about some thIngs-for
instance, the Cathedral; and as there has
already been 50 much written about it
need only briefly refer to this architectural
autocrat," as the popular writer above men
toned happily styles it. We walked all
around the building before entering, In order
to get fair idea of how it looks from differ
ent points Of view, and we fingered particu-
larly long on the small square or piazza in
front, from which the exquisite sculptures
of the principal entrance can be most con-
yeniently studied On the steps we had to
encounter the usual army of beggars, photo
graph hawkers, guides, etc., who haunt the
cathedrals of Italy and of Europe generally.
Having run the gauntlet through this
mongrel crowd, We found ourselves in q mo-
ment within the threshold and beneath the
vaulted and fretted roof Of the most beautiful
edifice we had ever seen. moment before
we had stood in the broiling sun upon a
crowded square, jostled by the elbows Of
passers- by, assailed by host Of clamorous rag
a-muffins our ears dinned with their incon-
gruous jargon and the noise of rolling wheels,
and then, in an instant, transition to the
darkened, silent aisle Of lofty church, where
the air was cool and just scented with faint
perfume of burning incense, the shadowy re-
cesses of the building here and there pene-
trated by many colored beam of light shot
by the sun through painted windows, and
BILE columns springing from the mosaic floor
straight to the gothic roof, their long, snowy
shafts chequered in slanting lines with pro-
fusion of glowing hues borrowed from those
same sunbeams, which they intercepted,
darting deep into shadowy hooks to tinge the
forms of sculptured saints and martyrs with
mellow light.
Here and there were forms Of kneeling
worshipers, their heads bowed over beads and
prayer-books, while back and forth idle visi-
tors, like ourselves, glidsd with light footsteps,
pausing oft before shrine and column and
figure, to whisper questions and CALCULATIONS
OF admiration in each others ears. Such was
our impression of the interior of the Milan
Cathedral, as we wandered down its long nave
for the first time this morning, and it is one
that we shall not soon forget. We saw the
treasures of church and the relics of which
Mark Twain writes SO glowingly, and found
ourselves disposed 10 doubt little as regards
the solidity of those silver bishops. and the
genuineness of the precious stones with which
their paraphernalia is adorned. 1t would be
30 much easier to cast the figures hollow and
to put in paste emeralds and rubies, that our
faith in these marvellous riches was shaken.
We also saw the statue of that saint which
struck the American humorist so forcibly
from being represented in a skinned condition;
in fact his skin is seen to hang gracefully
over his arm like mantle, so much like it,
that at first thought it was a mantle that
some compassionate pagan had lent the fayed
saint but it is unquestionably his skin, for
there are the nails and the forms of fingers
and toes. / hate to dispel pleasant illusions,
but it is q mistake on the part of the humorist
to have written that this work is attributed to
Phidias, because no chisel less skillful than
his could have copied nature 80 faithfully.
Such is not the case. The statue is of st.
Bartholomew and is known to have been exc
cuted by one Marco Agrate. There Then
we went out upon the roof, where an op-
portunity is afforded one of studying the mar
velous fretwork Of the flying buttresses and
pinnacles.
1t was about II o'clock by this time, and as
may be easily imagined the sun was blazing
hot, particularly when reelected from the vast
area Of white marble by which one is sur
rounded when ne stands on the almost fat roof
of the cathedral. 1t seems astounding what
a quantity of marble is lavished upon this
work. There is not the slightest thing but
what is made of pure white marble, though
only the newer portions of the building have
retained their original Wilderness. Standing
on this roof one looks up into perfect maze
of slender and exquisitely beautiful Gothic
pinnacles, every one of which is surmounted
by statue larger than life, while at intervals
along the four facets of each tapering PIN
nacle are projecting lodges upon which stand
other statues of smaller size, decreasing in
proportion from bottom to top. One can we'll
believe that these statues number $500, for
they are placed upon every available projec-
ton of these small minnarets and in every
niche of the roof. Ole can walk everywhere
on the roof all the passages being protected
by parapets and all tie stsircases by broad
flights of marble steps.
The ascent Of the principal tower is made
by winding flight of such steps and the view
from the highest gallery is said to be exceed
ingly fine early in the morning, embracing
Aol, h. loz CT OH of