New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-20
Life in the CfOisters.

| Luna. Drawing brook. Eklrts It on on
side The whole top of the island is coy
cred with the walls and towere of the splen
did monastery which we have com. out t.
visit. l. looks like small fortified city
there arc cities in Italy no larger. w
count the peaked roofs and the tall chin
neys OF many houses that tower above III.
| great monastery wall. These are the sepa
! rate cells of the msnks. At /. stone arch
down by the main road. eurmount.d
by statue OF San Lorenzo. we halt
There are nine uniformed beggars waiting
to receive US. Each of the nine makes q
desperate effort to reach tho bell rope b.
fore his rival, and the consequence is that
the bell is nearly jerked from It's ,liminutive
tower. A gardener approaches. admits US.
drives Oft the swarm Of beggars as if they
had been SO many enormous flies, and we
begin ascending the hill. The MONASTERY is
still quarter OF a mile distant. Tee road
we just left is the road to Rome. We NAV
| drive 70 Naples on it if We choose. and find
It In excellent repair all the way. The gar
| den about us Is the nursery of the mOnas.
terry. and the very air is heavy with the
| aromatic breath OF all manner Of herbs and
| flowers. There is another gate to enter, and
beyond 1t great paved court. where we
| alight and find ourselves in the oh aste EN-.
brace Of respectful and unobtrusive guide,
He belongs to the establishment. Without
him We could ecarce1y find our way into
any part OF the building. for there are bolts
and bars and gates to be passed, many of
them before we have seen one half of the
wonderful old place.
We thread long corridors: enter one court
after another; pass through chapels and
chambers and come out on the other side
into cfoisters that are silent, though thev
are not deserted. for the monks who are
moving about in them pass one another with
meek Obelsance, but without other greet.
ing. CertOsa was erected in 1871. From
time TO time It has been enriched by the
handiwork of some of the great masters.
In tho cryps there are monuments by Dona.
tlllo; young warrior who yeclines in full
arl2Or and a cardinal who seems to be
peacefully sleeping. with his head buried
ID downy pillow and his calm face the
picture OF utter repose. The chapele are
numerous and interesting. You are led
from one into another and down into a
third aud out by another entrance. so that
you are thoroughly confused by the time
you have made the complete circuit. If
you have ever been into an old house
that has been added to again and again.
wing here, an extra room there, to accom-
modate an increasing family. if these
additions have all been made without fol. 1
lowing any plan whatever. but have been
fitted on where it was most convenient: and |
it you will imagine each one OF these many |
chambers. of all sizes and shapes, to be q |
little church. complete in itself. with affairs, |
comprehend just how odd and how surpris- !
ing are the old monastic churches Of Italy. |
The eloisters are always feature. also-an |
open square OF any size which is found con.
venient, surrounded on the four sides by
corridor, with arches between the pillars.
A low wall about as high as the knee runs
between the pillars; and tho only entrances
to the grass plot, the fountains or the we'll /
in the centre OF the cloistere are the four
open gateways in the centre of each of the
sides. Here the monks walk up and down
reading their offices or taking q
piOus constitutional.
IL would be impossible to exaggerate the
or the splendid effect Of the mo.
nastic chapels. To the unaecustolned eve
hey seem unreal. One does not consider
The value, the priceless value of such Orna.
Pavements that delight YOU
with the subdued harmony of color and the
exquisite beauty of the pattern, are wrought
II pOrphyry. jasper, and verd antique. The
great carved columns are of alabaster. The |
.ltar is one mass of jewels; even diamonds
ire sometimes set in those affairs. The
andle-stick and other ornaments are Of
,old. silver. or bronze, richly jsweled. The
hOir stools are of carved wood, the work Of |
rtists who spent years upon them. At
;ertosa. in the light of the great chapel. we
aw two or three of the monks at PRAYER.
hey ara very old nOw-near on to ninety
ears. There are but twelve of them
eft, though the monastery is capable | .
4 accommodating four OF five times
8 many. These old Carthusians rock to
nd fro on their sandaled feet as they
lander about the cloisters. They are clad {
! white wooden robes, and most of them | t
ave long, white, patriarchal boards. They 4,
t into the clOister inches like SO many I
uriOus old statues. The place would be
ute dreary withou: them, and with them t
has just sense of life enough to make it t
eem like dream. The fountain FLASHES f
'z!ly out in the centre of the large cloister: '
n one side there are graves of monks, and c
n the other patch of artichOkes. The f
fect is odd enough. and yet one never d
els exactly like smiling there. We were a
lown through the suite of rooms once O
coupled by Pope Plus vi. when banished s
ON Rome by the French. and then we | v
andered into the refectory, where we saw b
lie long table with the twelve plates set t
1t on 1t, good distance apart. Hero ON o
lndays the monks meet one another n
I'D break bread together. But their Il
et is SO light you would think it was a v
oarding school instead of a world famous n
onastery that once sheltered q Pope. A il
ng row of rather small doors open out of a
e great cloister. Each door is numbered. Il
hese doors open into the little houses of b
70 monks. and there is house for each | k
'e:: You enter into cosy room with q t
Ibby-hole in the wall through which. by if
cans Of an outer door. food and drink Ii
g passed in to the monks when O.
ey have retired to the seclusion of S
cir own cells. There is a table that o.
'ings down from the wall on hinges. and Il
chair, small cupboard over the table, | c,
Ut dozen holy pictures, and two doors; Il
70 door leads into the sleeping room. "
here there is nothing but hard cot and 81
rrow balcony overhanging q small gar h
u and commanding fine view of the 81
Hey of Ema. Every monk takes care "
his own house and his own garden. lie
lere IL no necessity of their ever fo
Aving their solitary homes, or Of p.
eir ever communicating with any one in tu
is life, provided the little locker in the "
III is Dgularly supplied with bread and pl
It and wine. We lounged about the place "
'er this; played we were monks, and u,
nded invisible provisions in to each other "
rough the small hole in the wall; went az
wn into the garden where pots of thyme to
scented herbs were set about in the
giles of the paths it was quite like play CO
, at housekeeping. There were plenty of IN
~ flowers and not a few weeds growing ia
the garden that we were admitted to. | q
the monk who lived there now lies in Ri
, cloister with the artichokes He passed SO
OF his solemn life into life which lie, M
st. more cheerful, years and years ago. no
, had yet to settle the Spezeria. Down oh
the lower hill, little of the edge of the 40
y are the salerooms Of the monastery. Co
We approached this part of the extensive 10
lding our noetrils were saluted with q tel
nbination of perfumes that was almost to-
o1icating. 1t was quite like first class