The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-06-12

OF tQc Clergy, muue CIICuiI VI VIZ
building and sprinkled the interior walls
with holy water. Psalms were chanted
by the chorus during the circuit. On
returning to the high altar the Cardinal
was clothed In full pontifcal vestments,
and proceeded to celebrate the mass.
The mass celebrated, according to the
rubrics of the missal, was that of Pope
Gregory the Seventh.
The grand proportions of the sacred
edifce; its magnificent interior, gorgeous
in polished marble and stained glass
windows of great beauty; the long pro-
cession of bishops and other clergy, re-
splendent in their robes of Office, who
assisted at the dedicatory rites; the glori-
Gus volume of music which filled every
part of the grand edifce, making the
air vocal with melody; the vast multi
tude of people, thrilled with the gran
deur and beauty of the scene, all COM
bined to render it one of the most
striking religious events ever witnessed
in the Western hemisphere. The most
elaborate preparations that might con-
tribute to the grandeur of the ceremonies
have been in progress for some time past.
Thus, for the last three months nearly
one hundred male and female singers
have been engaged twice week rehears-
ing the music. Two choirs, including
in all two hundred voices, and two Or
gans, one in the chancel and one in the
gallery, contributed the musical part Of
the ceremonies.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CATHEDRAL.
The Cathedral stands on Fifth avenue,
between Fifty-frst and Fifty.second sts.,
and its foundation was laid in 1856 by
the late Archbishop Hughes. The foun-
dation rests on bed OF solid rock, in
which excavations therefor had to be
made. At the normal level of the sur
rounding ground rests chisel-dressed
base course of granite. From this
springs pure Gothic superstructure,
similar in architecture to the style OBJ
tanning in Europe the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries. The main entrance
on Fifth avenue is twelve feet deep,
thirty feet wide and embowered in carved
devices. From columns, with bases and
foliage caps, springs an arch, fringed
with double row of foliated tracery,
terminating at the apex in mock final.
The gable is panelled with traceries, and
displays shield bearing the arms of the
diocese in its centre. Over the gable is
crocheted moulding with ornate finals
of American foliage, and row of inches
to be filled with figures of saints Z feet
6 inches high. Above this is large rose
window, 26 feet in diameter, all of Gothic
tracery in stone, with one hundred shafts
radiating from the centre. The transept
fronts are divided into nave. with side
aisles. The doors are rs feet wide by 81
feet high. The windows are q by 81
feet high. The transept gables are ITS
feet high. Light is admitted into the
Cathedral through 103 windows, the
lower tier 32 feet and the upper % feet
high. Most of the windows on the lower
tier are donations from the various
churches of the diocese, and some of
them are of American make. Those of
the nave were ordered by Cardinal Nc
Closkey when he went to Rome.
The subjects of these windows are
"St. Bernard Preaching the Second Cru
sade," "The Martyrdom of st. Lawrence
at Rome" "The Brothers of the Chris
tiau Doctrine submitting the Statute of
their Order to Pope Benedict KILL" and
the Conversion of Henry of Germany
on the Battlefield" Those capable of
making comparisons declare that these
windows are equal in point of art to the
master pieces of Lovin at the Vatican,
Jerusalem, Belgium or Austria. These
windows, minus transportation or duty,
cost $14, 900, and are regarded as one OF
the permanent ornaments Of The city.
The interior is divided into three parts
-transept, nave and choir-of dimen-
silns as follows: Length of transept,
140 feet; height of nave, lob feet. The
internal length of the building is 300
feet; breadth, Sc feet. A series of char
els, each twelve feet deep, occupy either
side OF the edifce. The nave is divided
from the aisles by two rows of clustered
columns, sixteen columns in row. The
choir has FIVE bays, and is arranged with
double aisles on either side of the central
aisle. The area of the interior of the
Cathedral is $500 square feet. and there
is standing room for $4,000 people. Four
teen thousand can be accommodated with
seats. The cost of constructing the Ca
thedral thus far amounts to over 4,000,-
600, and about S600,000 more will be re-
quired.
Like the windows, the altar is a work
of art. 1t is built in the centre of the
choir, thirteen feet from the eastern wall
of the edifice. The table of the altar is
of white marble, and its front and sides
are divided into inches and panels. The
inches have statues and the panels bas-
reliefs representing the Passion. The
tabernacle in the centre of the altar is of
the most ornate kind, composed of mo-
saics and embellished with precious
stones. The door is of bronze, richly
gilt The screen behind the altar is also
of marble, and ascends nine feet above
the table level. 1t is inlaid with diaper
work of alabaster, and rests on base
moulding Of blue beige marble. Three
towers finish the limit of the screen, one
in the centre and one at either side. The
spire of the centre tower is surmounted
with gold cross, which towers high up
towards the ceiling, and is almost lost to
view in the varied lights transmitted
through the great choir window.