St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-04-16

These are the marble steps brought from
Pilates palace in Jerusalem in the third
century and their sacredness is due TO
the fact that Christ is said to have
assembled them. They are now protected
by wood and no one can ascend them cx-
cept on the knees. In an adjoining build
ing are two very interesting collections
called the protane and the Christian
museum.
ST. Paul's without the walls is the most
magnificent church in the city as far as
decorations are concerned and it is really
the only modern church in the city. The
old church which was built in the fourth
century was burned about rs years ago
and the restored church is beautifully
adorned with marble pillars, wall mo-
sales and ceiling frescos. Two columns
of alabaster, the largest in the world,
were sent by the Viceroy of Egypt and
one OF the Russian Cars sent some NAL
achte pedestals Tor the altar. In the
nave are so granite columns, each over
80 feet high, while around the walls are
mosaics Of all the popes, each five feet in
diameter The church is still unfinished
and when the facade is completed it will
be one OF the finest in all Europe.
One can form little idea of the size OF
St. Peters until he fooishly tries to walk
around it or wisely climbs the dome. A
few figures on the largest church in the
world may not prove uninteresting. The
building is GAO feet long and 400 feet
wide, covering $4,000 square yards.
The dome from the pavement to its sum-
nit is 1876 feet high and its diameter is
1873 feet. The dome rests on four pillars
or buttresses, each of which are 234 feet
in circumference. met an English lady
who was in the church on the Popes
jubilee and on this occasion there were
10000 people in the church and 10000
more outside who were too late to secure
admittance. The church contains nu-
merous affairs where the popes are buried
and these affairs are surmounted by
statues by the great sculptors. Near the
high altar is the bronze statue OF st.
Peter whose right foot is much worn by
the kisses of the devotees. The high altar
is surmounted by canopy which is
supported by four spiral bronze columns
nearly 100 feet high. The altar stands
directly over the tomb of st. Peter.
The dome was planned by Michael
Angelo who did not live to see the COM
pletion of the work, but his drawings
were used by his successors. The inte-
rior is all covered with mosaics which
appear as frescoes from the floor of the
church. The fine oil paintings that once
adorned the affairs have been removed to
the Vatican and each painting has been
reproduced in mosaic above the affairs.
The result is that the coloring of the mo-
sale pictures is much finer than the origi-
nal paintings.
Adjoining the church is the Vatican, the
largest palace in the world. Besides being
the home of the Pope it contains art gal
leres full OF priceless treasures, sculptures
rescued from ancient ruins and the
worlds most famous painting, Michael
Angeles Last Judgment. The latter is
a fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine
chapel. The painting is Ga feet wide and
80 feet high and over so figures are in
PRODUCED. The ceiling by the same artist
portrays scriptural scenes from the crea.
ton to the deluge and is as much of
study as the great tresco above men,
toned. The artist spent four years on
the ceiling and the Sistine chapel is a
permanent memorial to his greatness.
In the second room of the picture gal
lery are two more of the worlds greatest
paintings, Raphael's TRANSPORTATION and
Domenichino's Communion OF St. Jerome.
Though there are 20 rooms in the picture
gallery this is the room where you stay
the longest and where you return for
last look as you leave the palace.
In another part of the palace is the
sculpture gallery containing also rooms
OF Egyptian art, relics of the martyrs,
tapestries and vases. The principal room
in the sculpture gallery is the one con-
tanning the massive group of LAGOON
with his two sons strangled by serpents
and the Apollo Belvidere. Both of these
statues are of Grecian origin and were
found among the ruins of ancient Rome
The limits of this letter will not permit
farther reference to the art treasures of
this palace, which contains II 900 rooms
and was begun in the fifth century.
1t was at my second visit to the Sistine
chapel that met party from Philadel-
phia who represent one type of American
tourists, They had money to burn"
and of course had to go to Europe. In
consciously | soon found that | was
their guide and so | told them who
Michael Angelo was and explained to
them his great frescoes. In passing the
castle of st. Angelo, formerly Hadriau's
tomb, remarked that Beatrice Cenci
was once imprisoned here. The lady
from Philadelphia and myself then par
ticipated in the following dialogue.
who was he?