The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-09-29
MINNEAPOLIS MINI, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 1894.

ffAS ~ NA
I On the walls of the salon Of the consia
tory, Of the grand entrance and stairwa.
LOT the gallery of the conclave, in th'
lchapels and in the apartments OF tn
fPopes and the Cardinals, the frescoe'
Ileave no space whatsoever uncovered
land these beautiful products of medie
lval taste have been whitewashed twice q
year with lime. This has destroyed the
color almost entirely, and it will require
Every careful handling to remove the
Ewhitewash from it's rich background.
/ In one corner of the edifce, under q
Egreat arch, q regiment of infantry is in
stall ed and the work has been done upon
the walls there furnishes q striking con.
trast between the devastation of modern
times and the pomp of earlier centuries.
f The only spot in the entire palace that
has been kept in the slightest degree
from the intrusion of the destroying mob
is the chapel that wBs at one time the
personal private retreat of the Popes,
and there the panels, that are rich with
with decorations, have been covered and
are thus protected.
| The irregularity in the construction OF
certain portions of the palace proves that
each Pontiff adopted in the particular
portion that he personally caused to be
built plan or design peculiar to him
self. Among the many different forn1s
an d methods there is one feature that
dis tinguishes all the parts Of the struc-
ture. There are no light and delicate
galleries, no ingenious jennings, nothing
that strikes one by the cleverness of it's
construction, but above all one is i'm
pressed by the mass and solidity of every
part OF the building.
The northern portion OF the palace
dates from the time of Benoit XII It
was under the reign Of Clement vi. that
Rienzi made his first appearance in
4Avignon, end was shut up in the tower
of Trouillas, from which was constructed
the marvellous salon Of the consistory,
that by it's dimensions and the perma-
nence of it's structure1 compels our ad-
rniration in every way and at every
point
Each Of the Popes who has occupied
this palace has left some notable SOU
venir of his residence there, and the SOU
venir of Clement VI. is probably the
most valuable and interesting. This
consists Of series of paintings upon the
walls that picture the life of the palace
in the springtime of it's existence. The
most delicate and subtle of all the Popes
of Avignon, Clement VI, animated this
mass of sombre masonry with every de-
scription of refinement and with every
convenience and means OF enjoyment
known to the people of his epoch. On
the ground floor he caused to be made a
great msnagerie of lions, most artist
cally arranged with tropical shrubs and
trees, and the wild beasts were permitted
to roam through them, confined by mas
sive iron ratings too high for them to
spring over. On the root OF the palace
he laid out extensive gardens, lavishly
provided with shade trees, fountains and
delightful resting places. The terraces
in the park surrounding the palace were
spacious aud adorned with rare plants,
| and Pope Clement vi. gathered about
hina court that was brilliant and ex
elusive. No restrictions were made as to
sex, and the ladies of Avignon, as we'll as
those of the surrounding country, were
Hospitality welcomed and freely admitted
to the enjoyment of this magnificent
place.
When the building was finally aban.
doned as Pontifcal palace in 1903 it
was devoted to the purpose Of serving as
q residence for distinguished personages,
and the list of those who made it their
temporary home includes the names OF
some of the most famous prelates, diplo.
mats, kings and queens OF the past tour
hundred years. -. J
| After theiterrible social upheayals Of
1891 the palace furnished spoil to many
marauders, and numbers Of the beautiful
Gothic mansions in the vicinity OF
Avignon contain to this day pieces OF
elaborately carved woods, marble panels
and other bits of portable fixtures that
were looted from the palace of the Popes.
In an equally destructive way others car
ried off portions of the doors, the win
dows, the iron work, the tiles Of the roof,
and thus has, in one way and another,
much of the original beauty been stripped
from, the building.
It is gratifying that some decided step
has finally been taken toward saving
what is left of this once princely resi-
dence. It is the most vast and the most
koo< nro1 ron, oir from tho