The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1895-05-04

hinges and is adorned with % gems of
various colors and "a enameled Jewels.
Lining the inner part is the much dis
puted strip of ircn. The popular tradi
ton that this strip is made out of a ma
from the true cross is gradually becon
ing disbeliGved, although the clers
still maintain the right Of the strip t.
be considered holy.
The story is that Helena, tho mothe'
of Constantine, found the nails wit.
which Christ was clucified, and of L
thea made = horseshoe ard Of tie 9th,
a Glado.n. Tie uiadem, all OF gold, but
lined III the interior with thin strip
of lion, was given by Pore Gregory the
Great to T~ileoloiihda. aad by ha- to the
Church CT san Giovanni Battista, which
she had founded at Monza. There is All
other O III the church given by
T~lleodolinda and called for Ter, but as
it is of gold and makes no claim to be-
ing holy, being simply votive offer
lng, no particular interest attaches to it.
Some writers say that the nail was
not placed IL the iron crown, but in the
helm Of Constantine; that the lining
strip Of iron is simply a band to hold
the iat1exible crown i'll shape. 1t is only
since lit that the crown has been con-
sldered q sacred relic. and discussions
and suggestions kavo been advanced in
regard to it. 1t is not mentioned in the
reign Of Theodoiinda, nor until some
centuries afterward. Those who oppose
the idea that the lining strip CT iron is
the holy nail say that if it was, the Mil
anese would have resented with the
sword the calling of it & crown OF straw,
as did Rafael Toscana III his verses:
With iron here Tin railan) they cncircle the
With straw il Mona and with glittcricg gold
i'll Ror,c.
There were other iron crowns il the
history Of the past, among them one
made fer Henry VII, in the form of a
garland Of %laureis, ornamented with
rich and precious stones, but all Of these
have been lost or stolen, SO that the one
at Monza alone remains.
Between the years Of 1859 and 1866
the iron crown a absent from the lit
tie velvet cushion III Monza. Il was car
ried off by the Austrians. bat was re-
turned in 1866 to the king Of Italy.
The portraits Of ell tho kings who have
Worn this crown are also preserved i'll
the cathedral at Monza. Tho last three
We're Charles Y, at Bologna in 1880;
Napoleon, May 2G, 1906, III the famous
pinnacled cathedral at Milan, and i'll
fho = rJooa Eovl,orl r Ca q
1888.
There are other treasures guarded i'll
the church ct Monza-chalices and holy
vases, gems and crowns of silver and
gold. These are venerated and wor-
SHIPPED, and many Of them have been
there since the time Of Theodolinda but
others have been placed there at differ
ent times BY the Lombardian sovereigrs.
There wa formerly a crown in the
church that had been given as a votiye
Offering by Agilulfo, the husband Of
T~hcGdolinda. 1t contained the inscrip-
ton, "Agilulfo, by the grace Of God,
glorious man and king Of Italy, Offering
to San Giovanni il the church Of Mon
q. The inscription was noteworthy
because in it was used for the first time
the words "gratia Del (by the grace Of
God, which have since been adopted
by all the soyereigns. This crown was
melted and sold il 1904, the year before
Napoleon was crowned with the iron
crown.
Napoleon founded an order Of knight
hood and called it the Order Of Iron
Crown.
Monza, the sleepy old town contain
ing the cathedral that guards this his
toric CROWN, lies in the shadow Of the
Alps. Looking toward them one sees the
snow glistening on their peaks. Turn
ing in the opposite direction the pima
cles of Milan's cathedral can be seen
white and shining in the sunlight,
while above the sky is blue, and at ones
feet flows the peat eful Lambro. 1t is a
scene Of quiet beauty and suggests no
thoughts Of stormy times and great reyo-
buttons, and yet such have taken place
in and about Monza. In late years many
momentous questions of state have been
settled here.-Chicago Record.
If the Rope Broke.
A visitor to Niagara once got a reply