Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-05-20
Religious Ceremony in Madrid.

The Madrid correspondent OF the Lon.
don Times gives the following account OF
the emblematic ceremony of washing the
Apostles feet, as recently performed by
King Alphonso: "The religious service
attended by the King, which is per-
formed in the chapel and to which the
public are freely admitted, was over at
noon, and went up the Princes Stair
case on my way to the Hall OF Col
umns, where the ceremony of the day
was to come off. Everything about the
Madrid Alcazar Is grand, If not strictly
beautiful; the commanding site, with the
view of the dreary yet vast open coun-
try and of the bleak Guadarrama ridge,
the courtyard, with its massive but clum-
sy colonnade, the chapel, with its wealth
of marbles and frescoed vault-fnally,
the Salon de las C0luna7ads, a spacious
vestibule of magnificent loftiness,
stately entrance to the somewhat too
gorgeous suite of state apartments-ev-
erything is on large scale and admira-
bly befitting great imperial home. 1t
was not without a terrible struggle that
the persons favored with pass and clad,
the men in uniforms or in sober evening
black, the ladies in the brilliant colors of
their brand-new fnery--the black mantilla
alone being de rtgeur--could force their
way along the corridors and up to
the portals beset with an I'M
washed throng, among whom l de.
tected sprinkling of undeniable pick,
| pockets. With q good deal of wear and
| tear, however brave men and pushing
| women managed to get through, and by
| the time / entered compact mass OF
silk and velvet, broadcloth and gold
| lace, crowded the saloon, the spectators,
more than $50 of whom were ladies, stand
ing all round damned up on benches, row
upon row, leaving barely the most linn
tied space open for the performers.
| Within this space the twelve paupers, or
Apostles, sat on settee, each OF them
| with their best foot and leg bare to the
knee, and as well prepared for the oc-
casion as by dint of much soap and
water could be contrived; the King in
| his grand uniform, with towel tied
around him apron-wise, followed by
Cardinal Moreno, Archbishop of Valla-
dolid, in his scarlet robes and skull-cap,
| and behind and all around them great
staff of grandees and Marshals, an array
| of colder uniforms only distinguishable
| from the no less sumptuous liyeries OF
the court menials by the stars, crosses,
cordons and scarfs of their chivalrous
orders. The Cardinal went first, and
sprinkled few drops of perfumed water
| over each of the bare feet in succession
the King came after, kneeling before
each foot, rubbing it slightly with his
towel, then STOPPING upon it as ii ne
meant to kiss it. The ceremony did
not take many minutes. The twelve men
then got up; they were marshaled in
great pomp round the hall and seate d in
row on one side Of the table, with their
faces to the spectators, in the order OBJ
served in Leonardo's grand picture of
the Last Supper. In the rear of the
table, on high and lofty platform, stood
the court. In the middle the Infanta
Isabella, Countess of Girgenti, heiress
presumptive to the throne upon whom,
after long discussion, the title of Prin-
cess of Asturias has been lately con-
ferred), looking tall and majestic, and
even somewhat stern and naughty, from
her elevated station, and with the only
grave countenance in that vast assem-
blage; she was simply 'attired in gray
silk and wore an ample white mantilla.
BY her side, right and left, and behind
her, were her ladies of honor, the Cab
met Ministers and multitude of state
and palace dignitaries. On the extreme
right ste cd the diplomatic body, the
heads and subaltern members of all for
eign legations--the English and, / be-
lieve, the Dutch alone excepted; the Eu-
ropean representatives in their uniforms,
the American republicans in plain even
ing costume"