The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-11-19
Opened After Centuries.

in Rome are now opened to the public for
the first time in four hundred years, &C
cori:ng to the New York Herald The
guides showing visitors through the Pope
palace, in passing the door giving access
into that splendid suite Of apartments,
have p.ousiy crossed themselves and NUT
tered an Ave. With a wave OF the hand
they have passed by the apartments dis
painfully, giving them the title Of Cham
bres Maudits," and the door La Porte
aux Enters"
Behind the closed door have been hidden
some of the most beautiful frescos and
specimens of the masters genius TO be
found in Rome But because the rooms
were built and decorated for the use Of
Alexander Wis daughter Lucretia, they
were accused in the eyes OF every good
Catholic
So centuries passed, and the frescos and
works of art so zealously hidden came 10
be looked upon as myths. but history re-
corded the fact that they really dad exist
and Pope Leo XIII mas finally had them
restored and opened TO the public.
These rooms were added TO the Vatican
and decorated by order of Pope Alexander
VI. just after Perug:no had finished the
execution of his frescos in the Sistine
Chapel. The master to whom the work
i
a pupil OF Perugino. and had himself done
no inconsiderable portion of the decora-
tons an the Sist:ne Chapel.
Pinturicchio was summoned TO Rome in
1892 by Pope Alexander VII, and employed
10 decorate a suite of six rooms in the
Vatican, which Alexander had just built.
These rooms were called after their foun-
der, "Appartamenti Borgia," and now
form part of the Vatican Library. Five of
them still retain the fine series of frescos
with which they were decorated by Pin
turicchio. the upper part of the walls and
vaults not only covered with paintings
but further enriched with delicate stucco
work in relief, as masterpieces of deco
rat:ve design. They are considered much
better models for imitation than the more
celebrated Stance of Raphael, immedia tely
over the Borgia rooms.
The main subjects of these rooms are:
Tine Annunciation,' The Nativity" The
Magi" and 1.-THE Resurrection scenes
from the lives OF ST. Catherine, St An
tnony, St. Sebastian, and other saints; al
lesorical figures of Music Arithmetic, &c.
four figures IN half length. with rich ara
besques, and figures of the planets, the
occupations of the various months and
other subjects
Pinturicchio, assisted by his pupils work.
, ed In these rooms from 1892 until 1898. The
models for his Maoonnas, st. Catharine,
and other female saints were Lucretia Bor-
gia and the famous Giuta Farnese. For his
male saints Caesar Borg1a posed, and one
group contains a very fine portrait of
Pope Alexander himself.
The models used by Pintur;cchio and the
name given to the rooms by their designer.
| are to blame for the ostracism they have
suffered. That any pious Catholic should
be asked to gaze upon and admire Ma
donna or saint whose features and form
perpetuated the features and form OF Lu-
| cretia Borgia or Giulia Farnes was not 10
| be tolerated for moment. That the MS
deeds of Caesar Borgia should be constant
| " recalled by the ever present speaking
| likeness of his hated features gazing down
| from a group of saints was pronounced
| sacrilegious, and the clamor became SO
great after the Pope's death that his sue
cessor was finally forced to close the rooms
| and seal up the door leading TO them.
Pope Leo has now determined that the
! masterpieces left so long to the destruction
| of dampness and mould shall be opened
| to sunlight and air. and the frescos shall
| be free to the art student, the artist and
/ the tourist.
All know the hstoryofBorgias, and yet
| no Pope ever did more to enlarge the do
| m:nion of Rome, to enhance the beauty OF
| her cathedrals, TO beaut:fy the architecture
| Of her palaces, TO extend her sway over
the entire world than Rodrigo Borgia,
Pope Alexander VI. He was the patron
| of Perugini, Raphael, Pinturcchio. a man
superior to his times, and yet his death
| was so ignomtnious that his body was
| barely cold before the satellites Of Caesar
Borgio rushed into the Pondfical apart
| ments and pIllaged them of all that was
| valuable.
A brawl at the funeral between priests
and soldiers left the corpse exposed in the
body of the church, and when placed be-
| fore the altar its shocking appearance con-
| hrmed the story OF poison. It was finally
| stripped OF its cerements. wrapped in an
old carpet and forced with blows and jeers
| into a narrow coffin and flung into an OBJ
scure vault. The remains were finally
transferred TO the Spanish Church Of St.
Mary OF Montserrat. where they now re-
pose.