The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-21


cathedrals that are to be met with in such
beauty and majesty on the sure and
nfIhset earth" No matter what ones re-
nglon may be, one cannot assist at this
ceremony, with the profound silence of
the thlckly packed crowd, only broken in
upon by the solemn, slow tones of the
Gregorlan chant-a chant that is about
tnree or four centuries younger than
these catacom bs-without experiencing
new and unwonted emotions. 1t is easV
TO believe that the service offered there
on TINS occasion on that simple altar by
Mgr. Belmont, Bishop of Clermonr
u rance IS the continuance and develop
ment of the service offered in these little
chapels, with the stone affairs still in
them, made for this purpose seventeen or
eighteen centuries ago.
When the mass was finished the people
pressed into a rather large chapel some
distance away Here deep and curved
apse, the walls covered with white stucco.
gave place for the erection of an altar
which was at the same time a tomb.
Wreaths of box, relieved by flowers. hung
above the altar, The whole chapel was
brightly Illuminated with wax candles.
Prof. Orazio Marucchi, one Of the skilled
pupils of the world-renowned master of
Christian archaeology, Commentators de
Rossi, delivered lecture on the places in
Rome associated with st. Peter, and
especially his association with this Gene
terry. For over an hour with wondrous
interest the crowd that filed this chapel
and the adjoining galleries or corridors
listened in silence to the interesting story
OF the memories that gather around this
spot.
The learned professor told how n ira
dition that had almost the force of a well
authenticated historical fact had, since
the early years of the Sixth century.
claimed that here St. Peter had bap-
tiled. very brief summary of this ira
dition, and the mode in which it grew in
strength as the centuries passed on, will
show how long it has been established. In
the third century many martyrs were
buried IN this catacomb, amongst them
being two soldiers, Maurus and Papias
who suffered under the Emperor Diocle-
tlan. In their acts we read that certain
priest, John, took care TO bury their
bodies IN the Via NOmentana at the place
called Ad Nymphas where Peter bap-
tized'-ubi Petrus baptizaverat. These
acts say that at this catacomb Peter bap-
tlzed many converts whom he had made.
A work which, though apocryphal as his
tory, is reliable as a local guide and as
continuing a recognized tradition-the
acts of Pope Liberius-contains dialogue
between the pope and his deacon, Damas-
GUS in which the latter counsels the
former to solemniZe Easter by administer
ing baptism in this Gem etery or catacomb
of Ostrianus, adducing as a reason that
there st. Peter had baptized; ut was
likewise not far from the Il Ostri-
anus Cemetery, where Peter, the apostle,
baptized"
AN INDEX TO THE CATACoMBs.
1t is needless to go through the intri-
cate and lengthy series of different names
by which this cemetery is mentioned in
the early writers, and to show how they
designate the same place. The narration
agrees in this, that St. Peters baptizing
is attributed to the cemetery with the
several names, and is one of the chief ele-
ments IN clearing up the mystery. Queen
Theodolinda of the Lombards, in the
sixth century, during the pontifcation of
Gregory the Great, sent the Abbot John
to Rome, and directed him to bring oils
from the lamps that burned before the
tombs of the martyrs This Abbot John
went about his business in a businesslike
manner. He procured number of very
small phials, and went in regular order
from one catacomb to another-visit-
ing each in its local relation with
the other and when he had taken
oil from martyrs tomb he
attached parchment label to the phial
containing it, with the name written on
it of the martyr from whose tomb it was
taken. He made a list besides of the
various martyrs tombs thus visited.
This list constitutes an index to the cata-
combs of Rome, and by following out this
sort of itinerary, one might readily and
easily visit them all for the list is ar
ranged as one would naturally so from
one 10 the other. Hence we know where
a martyrs tomb, from which oil was
taken, was situated from this local rela-
ton of one to the other At the cata-
comb of Ostrianus the phial of oil taken
bears the inscription in Abbot Johns
handwriting, Seat or chair where ST.
Peter first sat- and the list, or index
oleorum of the same, has oil from the
seat or chair where st. Peter first sat"
These memories distinctly relating to
this catacomb, although they have not
the conclusive force that passages in the
writings of the fathers and historians of
the early church would have, yet show
the persistence from very early period,
of a clear tradition connecting st. Peters
name with this catcomb 1t is supposed
that the name Ostrianus, given TO this
catacomb, is derived from the family Osto-
RUS, who probably had country house
in this spot. An Ostorius Scapula,
member of this family, held command in
Britain. AS is commonly known, the
catacombs are all, or nearly all,
situated IN what were Un6 grounds
or villas of rich converts from paganism
to Christianity, who gave burial
place to their brethren in the faith, and
such was the case here. 1t is thought
that it may have been at the country
house which must at one time have stood
near the catacomb that St. Peter
preached and baptized, and not in the
catacomb. which was not eXcavated
during his lifetime The memory of the
apostles work chung to the place, and in
after years, when this place became the
center of a large and important catacomb,
containing the honored graves of saints
and martyrs, this memory was not only
continued, but seems to have crushed out
other memories associated with the spot.
THE STORY OF ST. EMERENTIANA.
The very chapel in which Prof. Maruc
chi delivered his lecture-the French
bishop being one of the most attentive
listeners, the lecture was in French-was
itself historical The alUar-tomb filling
the niche, once held the ashes of ST.
Emerentiana, the blind foster-sister of
the rich and noble ST. Agnes Emeren-
tiana, as it is told so pathetically in
"Fabiola,' was praying at the tomb of
St. Agnes, just martyred, placed beneath
a lucernario, or light hole, admitting air
and light into the chapels in these cata
90 nbs, Some pagans returning from a
Looauch looked into the tomb
and saw this silent, kneeling figure,
which appeared needless of their pres
ence, for she, poor girl. being blind, did