The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-12-22
TIE CARS TOMB.
Room for Only Few More Bodies
In tho Great Cathedral.

Dowdy Decorations Of Decadont School
mar the lnterior-Sarcophagi That
Mark Where the Roman
Before knowing aught of its origin
(the Cathedral of SIS. Peter and Paul.,
save that it was founded by Peter the
Great, whose modest cottage lies close
by, carefully shielded from the weather,
and whose experiences in western
Europe gave him preference for the
style of the time in which he lived, one
could vouch by merely looking at it
from the south side of the Neva. across
the stream, that it was designed by a
Dutchman, writes the St. Petersburg
correspondent Of the London News.
1t is devoid alike of stateliness and
race. 1t has a singular spire, a true
feche, rising from nondescript rotund
protuberance that is supported by a
stucco tower. But, perhaps, the most
remarkable thing about this structure
is the fact that the knob and spire were
covered, to begin with, in beaten gold
dred pound sterling, which has had to
be laid out more than once, for the
spire has suffered several times from
lightning. The building itself, which
is of a dull green-a washed-out eau de
Nils two hundred and ten feet long
and ninety-eight feet wide, thus differ
ing from most Russian churches, which
are in the form of Greek, or equal
armed, cross. Within a few inches of
sixty feet high the cathedral" Church
of SIS. Peter and Paul strikes one as be-
ing badly proportioned, but this evil is
abated by the space of the high altar
behind the ikonostas, or sacred picture
screen answering to our western rood
screen, which shortens the east and
west dimensions at all times save for a
few minutes at high mass. The in
ternal decorations are a'bizarre com bin
alton Of Byzantine art, with that of the
worst period, the most dowdy, the
decadence, of the renaissance, and not
even during great function can the in
side be called imposing.
, Right and left outside the gre at gate
of ikonostas ere six very plain white
marble sarcophagi and at the west end
are two similar rows, while the whole
of the north side and nearly the whole
of the south side of the church are
filled with similar tombs. Not that
they are real tombs. They merely
mark the spaces below where the Ro-
manoffs lie in vaults. And there is
not room for more than eight CT nine
more without building mausoleum as
an annex to the church, a project
which has already been mooted. If it
should be carried out we may hope in
the interest of good taste that the
Dutch style of architecture will be re-
ligiously tabooed. On the sarcophagi,
whose only structural ornament, if it
can be so called, is a beveled edge
around the lids, are laid ormolu,
double or byzantine crosses, and these
are scarcely visible for the wreaths of
evergreens and flowers, some new and
fresh daily for those whose memory is
still green, some dry and w'thered, as
BETTING what David calls "a dead man
out Of mind On the west end Of
every sarcophagus is brass escNxcheon
giving in the Russian language the
styles and titles of him or her who lies
below, little rocking OF the graycoated
soldiers who keep guard over them,
and who, capless, bear themselves as
though they felt to their souls the
solemnity of the place and their duty.
Interspersed among the white marble
tombs are palms in pots, plants which
81 Ia
water, though l am told they are fire.
quently changed and attended to.
There is not a single seat in the edifce
save throne for the emperor and an
other for the empress, as the Russian
worshiper is not by any means allowed
to take his ease in a Domus Del.
Close to the south door is the tomb Of
Peter, the frame of which gives the
height and width of the first emperor
at his birth. Facing this picture is
the tomb of the Great Peter, with
whom lies his wife and successor,
Catherine l. Catherine II. lies near
the ikonostas. Opposite the tomb of
Peter l. lies Nicholas l., with whom we
warred forty years ago. His brother
Constantines tomb is distinguished by
two great iron keys, with colored
ribbons attached, these being the keys
of the old Polish fortresses of Zamosc
and Modlin. Other of the sarcophagi
have pedals and medallions in morocco
cases lying upon them-Peter the
Greats has the golden centenary
medal of the foundation of this city,
1903, while on the tomb of Alexander l.
lies silver medal commemorating the
eventful year 1912, when la grand
armee entered Russia seven hundred
thousand strong and left it scarcely a
tenth that number. There is an open
gilt ironwork railing round each tomb,
on the east end Of which is fastened
plaque giving in Russian letters the
name Of the great person who lies be-
low. Around the walls are trophies
of arms and shields, flags, fortress
keys, regimental standards showing
by their colors or devices that they
were taken from Turks and Persians,
Swedes and Poles, Circassians and
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