The New York herald., 1875-08-28
THE REDENToRE FETE.
Oldest and Most Delightful of We
netian Festivals.
ITS ORIGIN AND PRESENT OBSERVANCE.
A Visit to the New Salviati Studio
Enamel MoSaicS.
VENICE, August 0, 1875.

val Of the Rcdentore is tho one most delighted in by
the venetans themselves and weather permitting, 1t
! certainly is ono OF the enchanting spectaces
Imaginable There is also a certain time honored flavor
in the remembrance that for the last three hundred
years this feast OF thanksgiving has heen
celebrated by succeeding generations albeit with
far greater pomp ard spcndor in olden days than
now. Toward the middle OF the six,ecnth century
Venice the height OF her commercial and in
dusrial prosperity; and her rulers proteeonsis 70 Ac
backbone by wise laws prizes and encouragement 10
her citizens did their utmost TO increase and MAINTAIN
that prosperity. In 1874 Henry Ill, summoned nom
Poland take possession of Tho throne o France and
caring pass through Central Germany, where
he detested for his persecution of the Hugucnois,
accepted the invitation of the sercnisSimd and
arriving Maghera by sixty Senators, in gon
doas covered with brocaded damasks and cloths of
gold conducted Murano, then full of sumptuous pal
aces delicious gardens and peopcd with rich and gay
Inhabitants and after hearing mass, conveyed to Venice
In galley rowed by 400 schidroni The corporations
of arts and trades hoated 10 tenoared gaeys tapes
tried with silk and satin, brocaded velvet and cloths of
| gold The glass blowers OF Murano gallcys
linked together On they erected furnace, and in
the presence of the King 'evoved exquisite of
| every form and hue" AS s. Niccolo di LIDO the
famous Paado, erected trumphal arch, Tin
torcto and yeronese decorated it with ten pictures
description of the decorations of the palaces Ginst-
Mon and Foscaro papered with glded leather hung
with tapestry and furnished with ebony, the banquets
served on gold and silver the ball given in
COUNCIL CHAMBER,
where 200 gentildonne Venezane displayed their gems
and destinations the susceptible youth would occupy
pages, and to give faint idea of the wealth.
munifcence and luxury of the Venice of those days
anxious to secure the alliance Of France to counter
balance the power of Spain But the year had scarcely
the of revery, would have failed recognize
it for the same The deserted, the
kcts closed the palaces the Grand Canal abandoned
the workshops silent, only the good old Doge Luigi
Mocengo and the Senate at their posts doing duty for
all the other magistrates though after Senator who
had given judgment the morning
CORPSE BY EVENING
For the pestilence which for many months had been
threatening whose presence the Sanitary Council had
denounced but which, for fear of frightening foreign
merchants and embodcnng foreign foes the bulk of the
citizens chose to ignore, made itself recognized with
exterminating vengeance Venice abandoned; the
Senate caused temporary houses be constructed
| the lido old gallcys and barges; 5000 barks
pressed into the service. At Santa Maria in Nazarct
pest house, capable of holding TO- 000 persons
| structed, whence the of Lazzaretto Vessels
brought juniper branches from Dalmata and these
burned to purify the air. Visitors appointed
that the supplied fresh from the Sile that
the vegetables fresh that the meat and fish
well cooked and abundant and still the pestilence ragged
Twenty thousand persons were swept away,
seventy noble families were totally eXtngushed.
Then the old DOge sent for the Patriarch,
Giovanni Trevisau and took him into his counses and
the Patriarch ordered the clergy to be douby strict in
the performance OF their pastoral duties and to
that the bodily well as the spiritual interests of the
poor were carefully attended to- advised the Senate
to church to the Rcdeemer should He vouchsafe
the cessation of the pestience And the Senate made
the vow and on the third Sunday in July II was publicly
]
Gin frars who possessed little church IN the Gudecca
Paado were summoned and ordered to build the yotye
church, which still bears the name of the Redcntore
But the Senate and population would not wait till 1t
completed to record their gratitude, and day was fixed
for procession the site Of the future Cahedr and
numerous were the pilgrims who came from far and
near that there not sufficient boats gondolas,
! barks or galleys to convey them And the Senate
ordered
A BRIDGE OF BOATS
to be constructed from the PaZzclla to the Gudecca
and II took four days in building and then the Patr-
arch and the Dogeno longer good old Moccngo, for he
had died in the preceding May but his successor Yer
ner--and all the clergy and the people from Venice
proper and her islands, and the populations OF terra
frnad starting from the Church of ST Marks under
triumphal arches and fesoons Of flowers rich
pets and tapestries chanting the "Te Deum" to the
sacred music of Giuseppe Zarlno, went and rendered
thanks for the great delivery
REvELRY AND PEAsTISG.
And from that day to this the third Sunday in
July, bridge Of boats is thrown over from the Grand
Canal to the Giudecca only the previous night, which
once was occupied in devotion and prayer is now given
up feastng and rcvelry every and
dane pleasure that the vcnetans, the mundane OF
modern people, can devise. The Grand Canal illum-
mated every gondola bark boat dingy aaoat each
with fantastic lanterns at the prov the bridge of boats
illuminated the Gudccca Quay blaze of fire Then
when the bridge has been passed the steam
ers barges boats, piatas and gondoas bear
their freight to the Lido where the exquisite
illumination suggests the idea of floating fairy
island on the sea- and here concerts balls suppers,
games aud olly OF every description vile out the cs-
tive night AT dawn you gather on the Lido shore to
watch the sun rise from the sea; then the worldly
minded return to Venice and bed and the pious
listen 10 the grand mass in the Church OF the Rccemer
This year the torrents of rain that fell from TIL
night spoiled the mundane festival but on the morrow
the sun rose ia triumphant spendor and the Patriarch
and all the upper and lower clergy from every parish
in Venice with their standards and their candelabras,
marched from ST. Marks crossed the bridge of boats
and entered the church in procession. The church,
which has noble 'front.' was spoiled as usual with the
iawdry tapestry but the Interior from apse base
ment was exqustely decorated with natural flowers
and the grand altar rs beautifully lighted
THE GRAND MASS
was sung by the choir of ST. Mark's and the "Kyric"
was truly solemn The church crowded. but
trey by the poorer classes the gondoers and boa,mcn
predominatng. and by foreigners. or the noble or
bourgeois Venetian saw but one representative out
side along the quay vendors of every edible drink
able found ample custom, especially the vendors OF
struck me as remarkable Plates of muIberries aud
lunches of pnocco with the caraway seeds just ripe,
were also very popular Then there were tho most cx
traordinary shows Between sea monster whose tail
had upset ship, and railway accident in California,
where the animals Of nenageric employed the time
occupied in falling from the bridge the underlying
river IN devourng their Keepers. There repre-
sentaton Of "Garbadi taking the solemn oath in
Oh ~ 1919, anu custom secLlcu
pretty equally divided between the three We
made attempt to breakfast at of the numerous
little inns; but, though accepting the maxim that
must eat Onc's peek Of dire before dies could
reconcile ourselves to absorb such preposerous guam
ty at once, rcsortcd TO Baurs, whose landlord.
well trained by the Austrians In the art OF supplying
substantial wholesome and clcany cooked food fair
price still plies thriving trade. After the was
the priests, with their banners dispersed to their
respective parishes without sort of hostile demon
straOn on the part OF the population. There Is the
ive and let live spirlt' In Venice which observed
Rome. The municipal body from the departure OF the
Austrans up the late elections has decidedly
anclcrical Two years since the time set aside for
centuries Tor the festival Of the Rcdcntore struck
out Of the communal budget But the procession
not prohibited the Church. instead OF the city, pays
for the building Of the bridge and the spectacle remains
unchanged-the thanksgiving Is rendered still
ESAMEL MosAcs.
When posted my letter ancnt the progress made In