Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-01-16
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81. PETERS AT ROME.

The Grsatast and g randest Temple Of Di.
vine Worship In the Wor1d-1ts Anaz
ing Dimensions.
st. Peters Church in Rome is surely
the largest and grandest temple of di'
vine worship on the face Of the earth.
Glbbon, the historian, has pronounced
1t the most glorious structure ever ap-
piled to the use Of religion" This most
conspicuous building in modern Rome
stands upon the site of Nero's circus, in
the northwestern part of the city. 1t is
built in the form Of Latin cross, as are
most of the great cathedrals of Europe.
According to the most reliable figures,
its extreme length is over 700 feet,
the greatest width 500 feet, and
the height to the top of the cross 44a
feet. The entire building covers an
area of more than five acres. But fig
ures give only faint idea of the vast
dimensions of St. Peters. Let us make
few comparisons: Thirty good-sized
churches, such as ge1#aally seen in
America, could be put inside this great
church and not fill it.. Over twenty
thousand persons could find standing
room in it at once. Three lofty church
s,>!res, one above the other, would
scarcely reach the top of the cross that
surmounts the dome. No crowd ever
fills all it's spaces. No human voice can
reach all it's aisles. You can almost
lose yourself in its immensely. Day af-
ter day we roamed over the wonderful
structure, almost too weary at night to
make our way to a resting place.
In the early part Of the fourth centu-
ry the Emperor Constantine built a
magnificent church, on the site now oc-
cupied by St. Peters. This church
was rebuilt several times during the
thousand years which followed. The
foundations of the present structure
were laid by Pope Nicholas V in 1850,
but more than three centuries rolled
away before it was entirely completed
In 1885 the work was intrusted to the
hands of that greatest of all masters,
Michael Angelo, then seventy-two years
of age. The dedication took place in
1925, under the pontiticate of Pope Or
ban VIII. The colonntde was built in
1867, and the sacristy added in 1880.
Thus we see a churcl. founded before
Columbus discovered America, dedica-
ted about the time the Pilgrim Fathers
landed in the now world and finished
only century ago. Forty three
popes lived, reigned and died while it W as
building, each one layishing great treas
ure upon it. What it cost, nobody on
earth can fully tell. At tho lowest cal
culation, $50, 900, 600 has been >xpend
ed upon it. Besides this enormous sum
it must be kept in repair at an annual
expense of over 100000.
Let us hnger q moment on the great
square, or court, called by the Italians
a piazza. No other building in the
world has so grand an approach. An
army OF 100000 men might gather in
this vast inclosure It is we'll paved
and crossed by marble walks In it's
center stands Lofty Egyptian obelisk,
which, including the pedestal, is 1875
feet high. 1t was brought from ancient
Heliopolis by the Emperor Caligula.
This gigantic shaft, ten feet square at
the base, is OF rel granite, and weighs
five hundred tons. Two grand foun-
tains, one on each side Of the great ODE
lisk. are continually throwing up their
Thousand jets of bright water, which
turn into feathery spray, waving to and
fro like plnmes in the air; then fall,
arched with raiabows, into the immense
porphyry basins below. Sweeping round
to the right and LETT, partially inclosing
the grand square, are the famous i'm
posing semi circle colonnades, consisting
of 2S4 Doric columns, each one sixty
feet high, arranged in four parallel
rows, and the whole covered with stone
roof. A whole regiment of marble
saints are ranged along the battlements
of the roof. An inscription at the en-
trance tells us that the great artist
Bernini built the colonnade "for
shadow in the daytime from tho heat,
and for place of refuge, and for covert
from the storm and from rain" Qsaiah
w., g. On the higher battlements- of
the church itself stand thirteen colossal
statues. representing Christ and his
Apostles.
Passing the two giant statues which
stand on guard at the foot of the stair
way, representing St. Peter and St.
Paul, we mount three successive flights
OF marble steps and enter d grand YES
tibule, fifty feet wide, sixty six feet
high, and extending across the entire
front of the building. At the right and
LETT ends of this great portal are the gi-
gantic equestrian statues OF Constantine
and Charlemagne. From the vestibule
three great entrances lead into the tenn
pie itself. We enter, however, by
smaller doorways, for the immense
bronze doors are opened only on grand
occasions. On the extreme rights the
''porta SANTA" or holy door, formerly
opened on Christmas eve only once in
twenty -fve years, and then walled up,
to remain closed for another quarter of
q century.
Now let us lift the heavy, quilted,
leather curtain which closes the common
doorway, and the church, which sur
passes all other churches in the world.
What marvellous temple is before us.
We are dazzled by its splendor and
awed into silence by it's yastness and
grandeur.
vastness which grows, but grows to harmo-
nize-
ALI musical in its immensities.
It is hard to realize that it is the work
of man. And it is impossible to com
prehend it's amazing proportions at first
sight. But it's colossal size will grow
upon you more and more every minute