The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-04-19

convent which is adjacent and to which
 there is access through a door in the
 wall. The convent or rather monastry,
 sheltered the famous Savanorola; here
 dwelt also Fra Angelica of grateful
 memory. The monastry with hundreds
 of others in Italy has been suppressed
 by the government It was originally
 occupied by Silvestrine monks, but at
 the time of Cosimo Medici it was trans-
 ferred to the dominicans. We enter the
 cloisters right from the street and ad-
 mire the many frescoes which we see in
 the corridors, there is a profusl ,n of
 these, and many are by the hand of
 Fra Angelica, who was untivalled in
 his portrayal of holy and pious sub
 jects. Christ as a pilgrim welcomed
 by two Dominican monks, ;an never be
 forgotten by those who have once Ee-
 held that wonderful rendering The
 clolsters offer beautiful resting place,
 we'll suited for holy meditation; its en-
 vlronment is wholly of a pious order.
 It. was a cruel edict that turned the fa-
 there adrift into the cold horrors of an
 unsympathetic world We pass through
 the refectory and chapter house and be-
 hold beautiful frescoes of holy subjects
 which hold our wondering admiration.
 Fr1 Angelica and Bart della Porta must
 have been truly inspired and holy men
 or they never could have painted in
 such a divine manner Who has ever
 seen their handiwork can never forget
 them. We ascend a broad staircase
 which conducts us to the floor above
 here we enter a long corridor and thir-
 t$ 7four cells beautifully adorned with
 Fra Angelicos frescoes. We enter cell
 after cell, admiring those which in their
 own way are among the finest paintings
 r. Italy. We cross the threshold of cell No. 13, where hangs a portrait of
 Savanorola with his cruclG-. and auto graph, also a picture representing his execution, and his chair of singular pat tern which is copied by chair makers ard sold by thousands and sent 10 every rart r the globe. As I storI in this cell the thought came owe. me, hCw simply the man lived here, how free from the artificial things of life! how pobly, how generously he died for Flor encei No doubt, in this very cell, with it's narrow little window opening tow ards the blue skies he maditated and Trayed out those discoursss which shook Florence to its very center Well, thank God, the days of burnng martyrs has long since passed away, and the mouths of great men cannot be stopped
 Would that Savanarola had lived in the nineteenth rather than in the fif- teenth century. The library connected with the convent. of San Marco was built in 1441 by Cosimo de Medici, who presented to it no less than four hun- dred valuable manuscripts. There is great glass case containing eighty-two gorgeous ritual books, perfect wonder to. behold How such books could be made by human hands is a. marvel; their execution took a life time of the most painstaking labor. There are oth- CT cells to visit here notably the one which Cosimo de Medici caused to be fitted up for himself, to which he was to retire and mediate, and here he had his Interviews with Fra called "Paler. Patr5ae." We will now pass down a couple of city blocks aud visit the beautiful church"S St. Annunzi ata;" we enter hrststhe Piazza Annunzi- ata and noticegtwo fountains and CO., lossal equestrian statue of the Grand Duke Ferdinand I. This is the very last work of the clever Giovanni Bolog- na; it was erected In 1908 and cast from bronze guns captured from the Turks; on one side of this square is the famous hospital, having on it's front those well-knoWnAand peculiar medal lions with children in swaddling clothes by Andrew della Robbia; this hospital was founded in 1421. Just beyond rises the grand church of St. Annunziata; 1t was built in 1250; 1t has however, been | altered and renewed. As we enter we admire over the central door 2 fine old Mosaic by Ghirlandajo repre- senting the Annunciation. After pass Ing through this door we enter a large court or sort of vestibule, the sides of which were adorned nearly four hun fred years since with frescoes by An lrea del Sarto and his pupils; some Of these have suffered through exposure to the weather and they are now enclosed ! 1y a glass colonnade. These frescoes 1 are very striking and life-like; a gam | oler struck by lightning while absorbed n his game, the Visitation, St. Filippo | clothing the sick, are very powerful in | he deineation of their subject. The | Nativity of Mary" was painted by An | lrea del Sarto in 1514 and 'is the high ,st level ever reached in fresco." The | interior of this church is very beautiful; | here are two series of chapels running | luite around the church. I think there | Ire about forty of these and there is a rery large ceiling painting representing | he Assumption, which was painted in | 670; the interior is gorgeous beyond de- | and there are beautiful fires ioes in each chapel, and paintings an5 | marbles actually numberless, beautiful, Ire superseded by hundreds, and the whole scene is one of refinement and l cstatic beauty. Here is to be seen uch an array of beautiful works that
 mes brain fairly whirls to contemplate
 ven one-half of their number The
 hapel of the Virgin i'm the nave is eov-
 red with a beautiful canopy; this chap-i l was erected i'm 1448 and has been dec
 rated by many princes and kings with liver and gold; here hangs the "Mirac-
 lous" picture of the Virgin; it is fres- o of the thirteenth century. and it is evered by thousands who are constant y worshiping at the shrine.
 Over the altar is the bust of the Sa-
 four by Andrea del Sarto; it is a glori- US work by that great master. I was l