The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-09-18
with the water supply, the Aqua Clau.

1t is not necessary, nor would it be OF
general interest, TO detail the peculiari-
ties of structure of this house; it will be
sufficient to describe some of the rooms
and the discoveries made in them.
Now. the reception chambers had all
been elaborately and beautifully deco
rated with paintings on the walls and the
vaulted ceilings. But after the martyr
dom and the influx of devout visitors,
these decorations were greatly damaged;
as far as hands could reach the visitors
| picked off bits of the plaster, perhaps to
preserve as relics, perhaps out of mis-
chief. But they also scribbled on the
plaster of the walls with sharp instru-
ments, and some-of these grsffiti are in
teresting. One Rufina had scratched
her name, another has written "Vivas,"
third has drawn ship.
The original house and it's decorations
belong to two periods; part of it is of
the second. and part of the third GEN.
tury. The principal apartment is also
that which has it's ornamentation best
preserved. The walls were painted to
initiate slabs of variously veined marble.
Above this is frieze of standing nude
| figures OF men supporting wreaths of
flowers and foliage. One Of these fig
ures is winged, and the rest have a short
cloak (cldmys juvenilis) behind them,
| introduced for artistic purposes. Be-
| tween them are various birds on the
| ground, and birds futter above the gar
| lands. The vault and arcade formed by
the vault are filed with vine leaves and
buds and small genii chasing the birds
and plucking grapes. The whole is on a
ground Of creamy white. This is very
similar to the ornamentation in the old
cemetery OF Domitilla, and to that of
vault in the''catacomb of Pratextatus. 1t
is probably pagan, and belongs to the
second century. There are, however,
no specially pagan figures in the decor
alton.
A second room has distinctively Chris
tian ornamentRtion. The walls were
painted to look as though encased in
marbles, and with false recesses and ar
cades in it. Above this runs frieze of
no particular character, but the vault
at once claims attention. Portions of
the plaster and painting have fallen, yet
enough remains to show what were the
subjects represented. There is the Tree
of Life. with two goats running to it;
a man reading volume; another with
long scroll, standing between two pill
lasters, one supporting vase; and a
woman in the attitude of prayer, with
arms sxterGsd to form cross.
In the angles of the vault are heads
or masks of no distinctive character.
There can be no doubt of these fres-
Goes belonging to the third or early part
of the fourth century, and to their being
Christian. The Padre Germano noticed
a swelling of the plaster in one place,
like blister, and on picking off the
covering layer of lime, found beneath
leaden pellet, on VIII ich was the sacred
sign. The plasterer had apparently held
this little piece of lead against the wall
whilst he covered it with lime prepara-
tory to the whole being painted, and
left it there fastened by the coat he had
applied as token that the work had
been done by Christian.
In another part of the house is very
significant painting. 1t represents the
vessel containing the pure Milk of the
Word, and one lamb is approaching to
drink of it, whilst another resolutely
turns away its head.
A white marble bust was found among
the debris filling the room. the head of
young man, of size somewhat larger
than life. 1t is clearly portrait bust,
and probably represents one of the an
cestors of the martyrs.
One relic of paganism was discovered,
small altar or table for libations, that
may have been thrown aside when the
family adopted Christianity; also q
fragment of moulded glass vessel, with
representation on it of Bacchus in the
midst of vines.
The cellar was excavated. and found
to contain its ranges of bottles, amphora
with sharp points so as to plunge them
in sand or ashes. One of these. broken,
has on it az undiscipherable inscription
in Greek and the monogram of Christ
between he Alpha and Omega. An.
other. quite perfect, is sealed with the
sacred monogram. One glass bottle
bears the stamp of the maker. Avidius
Dauceus who has been coniectured to
have been an Irish manufacturer OF
bottles in Rome.
| LONDON England.