The Irish standard., 1891-10-03
IN THE VILLA OF CASsIuS.
Interesting Information Concerning the
Irish College at Tivoli-History
Of the Place,
VISITED BY IRISH STUDENTS.

Vi hxS lS1CSs
VISITED BY IRISH STUDENTS
Purchased About Fifty Years AZ
From the Greek College
for $3.50.
A generation has passed ava,
since that bright October day when tht
late John Francis Mcguire, M. p, the
genial author of Rome and it's Ruler,
visited, as he tells us in that work, the
country residence of the Irish College
at Tivoli, in company with "His IGrace
the Most Rev. DR.. Cullen, Monsigno,
Kirby, the rector of the college. and
the grew. DR.. Ennis. 2. F., of Black
rock. Dublin" The years that have
elapsed since 1853, have brought about
but few changes in the outward appear
ance Of the place; and the presence OF
Monslgnor Kirby, who bears SO lightly
the burden Of years. might almost lead
one to imagine that all was the same as
then, A steam tramway and railway,
chiefly intended for military purpose,
have superseded the old diligence be-
tween Rome and Tivoli, and have rem
dered the hired carriage that formerly
performed the journey now quite un-
necessary.
The country house of the IRISH stud.
entS was, says Z. S. Comedian in the
Boston Pilot, at the beginning Of the
century, known as the Villa Salerno,
as it was built by Cardinal Salerno--
from whom it took it's name--as sum-
mer residence for the students Of the
Greek College at Rome. So strong is
traditions in this country that, though
the place is in the possession of the
Irish for a half century, the students
are still spoken of by the people of
Tlvoll as 1.-THE Creeks the platform
or terrace in front Of the building is
100 feet above the level of the sea, and
overlooks the vast plain of the Campo.
gna, bounded on the one side by the
Alban Hills, and on the other by the
lower separate hills of the Sabine ran
ge, while the horizon line in the dis
tance is that of the Mediterranean.
The old traveller Forsyth tells us how
the villas of Rome came in to existance,
and the description applies, with Ger
tain limitations. to those OF the towns
in the vicinity. "a few cardinals" he
says ''created all the great villas OF
Rome. Their riches, their taste, their
learning, their leisure, their frugality,
all consplred in this single object. {.
The Cardinal founder had no child
rem, no stud, no dogs to keep, He
built indeed for his own pleasure, or
for the admiration OF others; but he
embellished his country, he promoted
the resort OF rich foreigners, and he
afforded them high intellectual
treat for few pauls Ia small coin, value
ten cents) which never entered into his
pocket. How seldom are great
fortunes spent so elegantly in Eng
land.
The Villa Of the Irish College was,
as DR.. jeremiah Donovan in his
'.Rome, ancient and modern' tells us,
purchased about fifty years ago from
the Greek College for the modern sum
of 1900 crowns, or about 81 ESQ. 1t is
a spacious building, with double
staircase leading in regal style up to
the first floor of the building, from the
platform in front. At one side is a
very devotional frisco painting of the
Madonna enclosed in an architectural
niche. before which the students kneel
to say short prayer as they come in
and 90 out. The community chapel.
on the ground floor at the left Of the
building, is quite interesting although
it is small. Its paintings and its con-
struction give it the appearance of a
chapel in the catacombs, and a few
broken inscriptions depicted on the
walls, with a seml-closed loculus here
and there, serve to maintain the pic
torlal illusion. On the .opposite side
of the building. on the same level, is
the refecto1y, the interior painting OF
which suggests that instead of being a
solid and substantial stone bull ding,
it is for the most part a cool perqola,
or vine covered arbor, through which
the airs of heaven blow unrestric ictedly,
and the leaves shiYer in the breeze,
and the birds career overhead. Above
are the reception, study, and sleeping
rooms; and on each side Of the house
are terraces and balconies, where the
students or visitors may on the side
view the circle Of mountains that sur
round the villa to the east and south,
or scan the immense plain, fertile
and cultivated near at hand, rocky
and, barren in the middle distance,
and again rich in grain fruit around
{ z 40.