The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-11-13

an exquisite JmnB 10 keep as re- |
membrance in the home, for it evidently
was taken from life during the last i'll
ness, but exceedingly out of place in a
public cemetery. The other was high
and wide shaft of marble, on the front of
which were three round spaces, in two
were life-size portraits of father and
son, the third left for that of the widow,
when she too should lie beside them.
The ceiling of the church of San Mag
giore is gilded with the first gold
brought by Spanish adventurers from
South America to Ferdinand and Isa-
bella, and given by them to the Pope.
In the Church of San Pietro da VincOli,
or st. Peter in Chains, so called because
the chains which bound him as prison
or are said to be kept there, is the won
derful statue of Moses by NJ. Angelo.
At Trinita del Monti, on the Pincian
Hill, the nuns from the adjoining convent
sing at $3.50 every Sunday evening. 1t
was beautiful, especially a duett be-
tween first and second soprano, one of
the finest to which ever listened. The
Temple of the Vestal Virgins is a pecu-
liar looking building of circular shape
which formerly stood near the Coliseum,
but has been removed outside the walls
The Pantheon is building with great
dome open to the sky, showing by its
appearance its great antiquity, as much
as any building in Rome. Many dis
tinguished men are buried there, among
them Raphael and King Victor Emanuel;
the tomb of the king was almost hidden
behind the mass of decorations put there
on his birthday not long before our visit;
he is the beloved of Italy. On the way
to st. Peters we passed the great round
10 h,r lr,a
on the river bank commanding several
of the principal bridges; once the strong
hold Of the Pope, it is now an Italian
fortress. st. Peters is at one extreme of
the city, as the Coliseum is at the
other, and is on the side of the Tiber
where the smallest part of Rome is
built. 1t faces an immense open square,
so large that it dwarfs the church, rem
dering it utterly impossible for one to
get an idea of its vastness from any
point; the great dome too is set so far
back that it cannot be well seen except
from distance, so that the fine effect is
completely lost, although it is really an
enormous dome, the copper ball at the
top which appears the size of a football,
will hold sixteen people. From each
side Of the entrance, two great pillared
porticoes, with four rows of large col
umns in each, stretch in half circle a
long way about the great open square.
and contribute to the dwarfing effect.
An immense flight of steps leads up from
the square to the great portico, which is
the full width of the building, from
which admittance is had to the interior
through several great doors. The rich
ness, the vastness, the beauty of the in
terror are hard to describe, the wealth Of
colored marbles, the rich gildings, the
magnificent dome, the great canopy over
the high altar upheld by four massive
twisted pillars of porphyny, the splendid
tomb of st. Peter beneath it, rich with
gold and carvings, and approached by. a
flight of marble steps; the numerous
lchapels, many having beautiful dOmes,
miniature copies of the great one; the
immense floor Of polished stone, looking
like the smooth surface of lake, all
made a wonderful picture. The first
cost of the building was $50, 200, 900,
much more has since been spent on it.
There are more churches in Rome than
days in the year. st. Peters has more
than twenty side chapels, all as large as
a small church, the two principal ones,
on each side OF the building are very
large, in them are held the Sunday ser
vices, the main floor has no seats of any
kind. Part of the service was held in
one Of the large chapels, then the whole
body Of clergy and attendants to the num-
ber of IS, marched in procession from
! there around the high altar and into the
other chapel opposite, where the service
, was finished. Not over 200 people wert
! in the church, and these were nearly al
: country people or tourists, scarcely any
city people. Two men in the choir, one
+ stoutly built man of about 35, and the
other small man with hair almost
J white, were singing the highest, clearest
soprano, could hardly believe my ears
! but no ladies are allowed to sing there
III counted eleven organs in different
! parts of the church, there is no great or
gan; l think twenty services could b
: held there at once, and none disturb an
7 other. A large number of confessional
: are ranged about the rear wall, 1t is sale
! that confessions are heard there in al
] the principal languages of the world. A
{ great bronze statue of st. Peter stands
: near the altar, the great toe on the ief
: foot of which has been nearly worn ava!
: by KISSES. At different points in thu
J pavement of the floor are golden stars
1 each one marking the length OF one o
, the various reatcathedrals Of the world
7 showing the larger size of st. Peters, bu
. nevertheless either Cologne or Ely Cathe
Y drals appear to be much larger. There il
r nothing of what we think a churchly ap
1 pearance about st. Peters, either outside
: or in, it is like some great public build
Q ing, an appearance shared by all th'
t churches in Rome they are unlike th0s'
Q of any other city. A. G. SHERRY.
n