The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-05-14

the death by gladiators, Ito make
Roman holiday" On the left side OF
this very long street we notice a home
ly-loollng building; outWardly 1t APP
pears more like barn than church
The magnetic charm is to be found
when we view the interior, which is so
often the case in Italy.
We push aside the massive leathern
curtain and enter through small door
Lo! in twinkling we have stepped
from the nineteenth century far back
ward towards the origin of the Chris
tian church.
No building in Rome retains more of
the details belonging to primitive eccle-
siastical architecture than this old
church of st, Clement, 1.-The co-worker
and true yokefellow" with st, Paul,
who became third Bishop of Rome who
counted among his converts Donitella.
the neice of the Emperor Domitian. So
important was this church that ST.
Gregory the Great in $50 delivered here
his thirty-third and thirty eighth hon.
lilies, and within these walls Paschal
Second was elected Pope eight hundred
years ago.
In the nave are to be seen sixteen
beautiful columns, which in earlier
days stood in Pagan temple, and
singular marble wall protects the eau
cellum" or chancel, which still pre-
serves its very ancient pavement, am
bones or oblong marble pulpits, altar
and fine old Episcopal throne. ST Gle
ments was restored in the eighth and
again in the twelfth century, and is II
perfect example of the primitive
| church. while everything inside re-
mains just as 1t was in the early times.
The pierced marble screens are the
most beautiful of their kind in the
world, and as | often visited this
church, these screens appeared lovelier
every time viewed them. ST. Ignatius
| of Antioch, who was devoured by lions
in the Coliseum, is buried here togeth-
er with the remains of st. Clement.
Tradition relates that Ignatius was the
little child whom Jesus 'set in the
midst and said 'of such is the king
dom of heaven" He was friend of
Polycarp, the disciple or pupil of st.
John, thus making chain of tradition
without a parallel, viz, Jesus, John,
| Polycarp, Ignatius!
| I have no time to tell the story of st.
| Clement and st. Catharine; this is
beautifully described on the walls by
the wonderful and world-renowned
| frescoes of Masaccio. The ancient
church Is filled with objects of deep in
terest; let us go throughthe sacristy
and descend fight of stone steps
which leads us to great cellar cold
and dark; this is the original church Of
| ST. Clement; it was discovered in 1857
and possesses many columns of rare
marble in perfect preservation, and
| beautiful frescoes, many of which are
uninjured and magnificent specimens
| of ancient ecclesiastical art. Among
them is crucifixion which is the earli-
est example in Rome of this familiar
subject
| Strange to relate, beneath this sub
| terranean church is still another singu-
lar structure unearthed in 1867, proving
| by its masonry that it belongs to the
age of the republic; an altar and other
relics found here show that this most
| ancient church was formerly temple
dedicated to the Persian deity Mithfas
| to which, during the time of Commo-
dus, human sacrifices were offered in
Rome; this no doubt is the very house
of ST Clement it is unfortunately filled
! with water and as / descended the
massive steps they were half sub
merged in water and nlire. A singular
sensation is experienced as one stands
in the lonely quiet of the upper church
and recalls the ages of history which
are pent up in the three churches
] tnl ,nI,
| other.
Formerly in the lower church where
Mithras was worshipped human beings
were sacrificed; then succeeded the
worship of Him who willingly offered
| Himself for all people on the cross and
how gloriously the cross has conquered
and triumphed over the old cruel order
of things How the martyrs have bled
and died and "the blood of the martyrs
has become the seed of the church
When we worship in our comfortable
| churches let us not cease to remember
that the very foundations of the
| church of Christ have been built upon
| the suffering and patient members of
| Christ himself Some of my readers
may wonder how churches can be built
above one another, and why it is often
necessary to descend long flights of
stone steps to enter Roman church.
This can be explained by asking where
would the city levels appear in cities
like London or New York We're these
cities allowed to retain the heaped up
refuse for ages.
For many. centuries the refuse of
Rome remained in the city and grew to
such magnitude that even the Forum
was completely enveIoped and giant
oaks grew above the "Rostra" where
Cicero acclaimed. and whole temples
became completely buried.
The same happened in Egypt and in
Greece. Even Troy, Homer's great
town with broad Streets" has been I'M
earthed more than fifty feet below the
surface. Not far from ST Clement S
stands the church of the "St. Quattro
Coronati," built over the remains Of
five painters and five sculptors, who
were martyred for their faith; they re-
fused to carve and paint idols for the
Emperor Diocletian and were put TO
death. This church was built at very
remote period, about the year 600, and
to this day many stone masons at
Rome resort hither to worship.
A short walk brings us to the church
of 'St. Stephano Rotondo," a round
church of great antiquity having on its
inside walls certain frescoes perpetua
ting the memory of many martyrs and
iI1ustra ting the manner of their deaths