The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-24

with gold frescoes. 1t is small, but gorgeously
decorated and here all the emperors from
! Ivan the Terrible downward, have been
| crowned. The altar screen is a golden Mt
Sinai, and within is golden coffin contain
| ing the Host while on the top of the noun
tain stands Moses, bearing in his hands the
tablets of the law, all of pure gold. Here,
too, is the Bible, gift from the mother Of
Peter the Great. The binding is so heavy
with precious stones that two men are re-
quired to carry it. 1t is valued
are buried the primates of the church
Here is the Holy Virgin of Vladimir,
| painted by st. Luke, which exercised
miraculous powers On the occasion of
the flight of Tamerlane from Russia. Its
| jewels are valued at 100000. The image of
| the Holy Virgin and the Savior In the gold
chasuble are other precious relics, more sacred
than human life to the most ruthless Nibil-
| ist. Speaking of the Cars coronation, Dean
| Stanley says: Even at the present time it
| is not mere ceremony, but an historical
| event and solemn conservation. 1t is pre-
ceded by fasting and seclusion (both of which
the present Emperor has faithfully observed
in fashion rather compulsory and takes
| place in the most sacred church in Russia;
the Emperor is not merely passive recipi-
ent but himself the principal ingure in the
whole scene; himself reciting aloud the con-
| fession of faith; himself alone on his knees
offering up the prayer of intercession for the
| whole empire in the midst of the assem- bled
multitude; himself placing his own crown
on his own head; himself entering through
| the sacred door of the innermost sanctuary
and taking from the altar the elements of
| bread of wine"
| BANQUET HALL AND THRONE ROOM
A walk through the halls of the KremliD,
as prepared for the imperial pageant, reveals
| spendors almost impossi BILE to describe. To
talk of them as reception rooms suggests
nothing of the lavish beauty OF decoration
and the imperial splendor of the different
| halls and salons. Every fresco has been re-
stored, every carving regilded. All the em-
broideries brocades and tapestries have been
especially made for the occasion. Baron
Koehne has the direction of all the heraldic
decorations. His taste in everything that
concerns antiquity. ceremonials and the sci
ence of imperial display is evident, from the
great golden throne and draperfes, over which
| the black eagle is seen in flight, down to the
tabards of the heralds and the badges of the
| pursuivants,
The vaulted banquet hall was built orig
inally by Italian architects After being
more or less burned down four several times
it was restored by the Emperor Nicholas
| The roof is supported by large central pil-
I
black oak buffet, piled to the top with the
richest splendors of the goldsmith's art
| Among them are many presents of the finest
English workmanship. The embroidered
| cloth which surrounds the lower tier and
! falls to the raised dais on which the buffet
stands is of crimson velvet and is covered
with the most elaborate embroidery in Byzan-
| tine design in colors and three tones in gold
This table-cover and the carpet, which covers
the floor of the hall. about seventy feet
square, are the work of nuns, whose sigma
| lures are found in it, worked in Slav charac-
| ters.
In the right corner rises throne of carved
| black oak, its roof supported, for it is almost
a building in ITSELF by four pillars and raised
on three steps. The whole is covered with
crimson plush, backed with draperies of
| cloth OF gold and ermine. A small table,
which is also covered with crimson plush
| stands before the imperial seats. On it their
/ Imperial Majesties will be served with the
| first glass of champagne by the grand mar
shals and the highest dignitaries of the court
| The Byzantine frescoes on the walls, which
/ have been restored from designs from illumi-
| mated manuscripts by native artists represent
scenes in the career of Joseph, who is de-
picted with gold aureole and coarse, heavy
boots. One scene, in which Joseph receives
| his brethren, is very quaint, as the lucky
| brother is in full canonicals while Reuben
Benjamin and the Others all appear with big
boots, a la Monjik.
The grandiose suites of palatial halls are so
| splendid that it is very difficult to describe
| them. Each vast sale seems to surpass its
neighbor in lavish design and perfection of
execution. The Hall of st. George has plain
white and gold columns, between which are
large white marble panels, on (which are re-
corded in letters of gold the names of all the
heroes who have been decorated with the
Cross of st. George, the highest military
| order in the land. 1t seems in its calm
ham AxV 20 h<r, - IL
| dead. Then the eye is astonished as one en-
| ters the still more magnificent Hall of st.
| Alexander, and is struck by the thirty-six
| Ornamented columns Twisted pillars EN-
riched by flowers of gold rise on all sides,
while fourteen mirrors of the loftiest descrip-
| ton reflect fourteen windows opening on to
| the balconies of the Kremin. The floor is
probably the finest piece of marquetere
known. Every kind of colored wood is used
to produce the most intricate patterns of
scroll and flower
| So much magnificence Is displayed in this
hall that one is scarcely prepared for the rich
| display which meets the spectator in the
throne-room or Hall of St. Andrew. Archi-
| lecture and decoration combine the severity
of Gothic abbey with the marvels OF the
Renaissance. Ten mighty square pillars rise
up to the spandrels supporting the roof,
which sparkle with gold and heraldic devices.
| The face OF each column is covered with
network in high relief in acanthus and ara
besque, looking like the germs of golden
fruit, while the absence of carved work ad-
mite of oblong panels of sky-blue silk which
harmonizes exquisitely with the white and
gold The whole is relieved by donble- head
ed eagles, which rise in black, silver and gold
on the capital of each column. At the far
end of the hall rises shrine in gold, for in
deed it is more like a shrine than a canopy.
1t has gold draperles on silver and gold
background on which are the arms of the
Emperor of All the Russas.
! The Titles, Honors and Powers Conferred