Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-05-08
MOdernJ Jerusalem.

The buildings, public andprivale, are
all built Of stone, and they are, therefore,
substantially constructed, but among
those intended for private use, whether
for dwellings or business purposes, there
is no prelension whatever TO architec-
tual style or taste, neither has anything
been accomplished in that direction by
accident. Nor are the interiors of
dwelling or business houses, If they can
be said TO be separate, any more attrac-
tive TO the eye than their exteriors.-
The outer walls, the partitions and the
roofs are thick masses Of stone; the
floors and ceilings Of the rooms are OF
the same material; the windows are few
and small; and the facilities for heating
are rare and inadequate, so that the mo-
ment one enters one Of the rooms he
feels as though he had been immured in
the damp, chilly and cherries vaults Of
prison.
The only public buildings in the city
worth speaking Of at all are the church
es, of one kind and another, and as a
rule these are quite as unimposing re-
latiyely as he private houses. The
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the
great central point of interest in the
city, is neither impressive in size nor
fine in style. It's exterior is almost en-
tlrely hidden from view by the misera-
bic structures surrounding it on every
side, while its interior is so divided in
IFS elevations, so cut up into chapel=
and sub-seclions, and so cluttered mp
with tawdry fittings of one kind and an
other as 10 entirely destroy whatever OF
grace Of style and harmony Of proper
tons it once may have possessed. The
much talked OF Mosque of Omar, which
occupies the site of Solomon's Temple,
and claims TO have Jacobs sacri6cial
stone within its walls, has magnificent
dome, some really beautiful windows
and some fine ornamenisiion, both in
side and out; but the building as a whole
Is not extensive in scale nor grand or
pleasing IN design. Besides, there Is
considerable cheap imitation decoration
observable in many parts, which de-
tracts greatly from its dignity and effect
when examined Closely. The other
notable mosque, that OF Aksar, standing
also on the old Temple plateau, covers
a good deal OF ground, bot that is about
the most that can be said oft. II Is
neither lofty. massive nor graceful, nor
in any way particularly attractive, ac-
cOrding to my way Of thinking, at least.
The Armenian Church Of st. James
comes next in size and importance. but
in any either city than Jerusalem il
would not be likely 10 attract attention,
much less be regarded as an architec-
tual lion. II has, however, some fur
nishings that are unique TO a western
eve. There are two Jewish synsgogues,
also, whose conspicuous domes-one
green, the other white-lead the visitor
TO expect something worth seeing when
they are reached. Such an expectation
will not be realized, however. One is
quite old, the other comparatively new.
but beth are barren, dreary places, poor
Iy furnished, decorated 10 wretehed
taste, ard exceeding dirty m every part.
This comparatively brief catalogue
includes about al the buildings OF any
consequence in the city. They are all
overshadowed and put to shame bv tie
wells surrounding 'he oi'y itself. These