Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-04-01

! am afraid you would get very iii
tie idea OF it if should say it wa
o96 feet at its longest part, and As
Ieet at It's widest. 1t is built. lik
most Roman churches, in the forr
OF cross, and just over the par
where the arms of the cross, or tran
sept, separate from the BODY Of ID,
cross, or nsve, rises the great dome
which is 403 feet from The floor Il
the top Beside this great dome
are two lesser but not little ones
and six, | think, really small ones
and It was the lighting of all of them
which made ST. Peters so magnifi.
cent on Easter Sunday evening.
On Easter Sunday morning. there
used to be service in st. Peters.
In which the Pope took part. The
great interior. WAS eEowdad With La,
wearing black dresses and wells, and
the gentlemen, evening dress or
handsome uniforms. There was
beautiful music, and chanting by
the priests and after it was over,
the Pope was lifted in his great
chair of state, and borne on the
shoulders of men in long process.
sion from the church. About noon
he appeared on the gallery in front
of the big dome and over the great
door of the church, and looking
down on the crowds in the plaza
below, gave them his blessing.
This was very pretty sight.
The place was full OF people; faith
ers, mothers, girls and boys, babies
held up in their mothers arms, and
little bits of tt ddling children, all
dressed 10 their best, with bright
colored garments and shining chains
and rings-the Italians love Jewell
ry, and wear all they can get-all
looking bright and happy. waiting
for the Pope to come. Even the
strangers who did not think as he
did were glad to see him, for he was
a gentle. kindly old man, and looked
very handsome, standing above the
people in his white robe and rich,
red cloak.
But the most splendid part Of the
festival was when, just at dusk, the
whole church of ST. Peters was IL
Illuminated, by forty-four hundred
lamps. These we're hung on all the
pillars of the portioo, the corners of
the walls, the angles of the domes
wherever, in fact, the line of light
could bring out the shape of the
building. Even the great cross on
the big bronzs ball at the top of the
large dome looked like a cross of
fire. If the evening was dark, the
stone walls of the building seemed
to disappear, and monster cage of
fame to stand in its place.
About an hour and quarter after
sunset, when the people had begun
TO grow tired of this spectacle, $50
workmen wouli, in almost as little
time as it takes to tell it,change the
the most imposing sight OF The day,
and the people waited for it patient.
ly for hours. 1t was we'll worth see-
ing, too. Travellers stood in the
streets, side by side with the Ro-
MANS that they might witness what
they could never witness in their
own countries. Perhaps the sight
will never be observed in Rome
again, because for some yeors before
the gentle old Pops, Pho Mono. died
and ever since the new Pope, Leo
X was csosen, the custom of illu-
minating S Peters has been dis
continued.
Those who have seen it know
how beautiful it was, and how de-
lighted the R,man people were af-
ter spending the day in idly wan.
deriDg about the city whole fami-
lies together visiting, chattering,
and enjoying the sunshine, with the
illumination, and The fireworks that
sometimes rose high over the
gloomy castle of St. Angelo, and fell
into the dark, hurrying river.
The castle of st. Angelo was
built by the Emperor Had Ran. for
q tomb for himself aud his descend
ants, and tor long time their re
mains were placed there. But when
the Goth came down from Ger.
many, they turned it into fortress,
withou. asking any body's leave, and
a fortress it has remained ever since.