The times., 1898-10-03
The Monastery Near Washing
ton Is Nearly Completed.
THE FIRST IN AMERICA
Remarl1nb BILE buildings in Which Are
Mount Calvary, the GrOtto at Naz-
areth and Other Scenes and Places
of Sacred Memory in Holy Land.

| bhN oiiiNcu states lltdI w dSlliilS L He
monastery, which has been in course OF
erection for eight months near the Cath
olic University of America, is rapidly
nearing completion and win be ready for
| occupancy in January.
The Commissariat of the Holy Land,
now located in New York will have quar-
ters in the monastery and the affairs of
the order viii be directed from there. 1t
win be the only franciscan monastery in
| the United States and is a new departure
| in Catholic educational institutions in this
| country. Friar Godfrey Schilling, ma
tive of Prussia, will be the prior The
superior will be the custodian of the Holy
| Sepulcher at Jerusalem. Novices will be
drawn from Belgium, Austria, Italy and
Spain They will be educated as mission
aries for South America, Africa and the
Holy Land. In connection with the mon
astery there is the Church of the Holy
Land, in which are reproduced the Holy
Sepulcher, the birthplace of Christ, Mount
Calvary, the catacombs and the home of
the Holy Family at Nazareth
The immense buildings occupy a COM
manding eminence one mile north of
University Station, on the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, and about three miles
from Washington. From the height there
is magnificent view of hills. valleys and
hamlets far beneath. Ample grounds sur
round the monastery and the site is an
ideal one for such an institution. The
church faces the long winding road which
straggles up the hill from the little rail-
way station in the;yalley below
The architecture OF the entire structure
is of style hitherto unseen in this coun-
try and is Oriental in character. The ia
cade, while plain, cannot be said to be
severe. Little attempt is made at orna-
mentation beyond the terra Gotta trim
mings. On either side of the main en-
trance there are inches for statues OF the
patron saints of the order, and just over
the door is the coat of arms of the Holy
Land, surmounted by cross.
The church is built in the shape of this
coat OF arms, which is q cross surround
ed by four smaller crosses. The main
BODY Of the church forms the large cross
and four chapels represent the smaller
ones. y corridor leads from the entrance
past two chapels to the body of the
church, which has vaulted roof arch
ing seyenty-flve feet above the floor. The
floors are OF Italian mosaic, equal TO the
best work of the kind in the Congress
ional Library building.
Directly opposite the corridor and
across the church is the Holy Sepulcher,
every detail of the original in Jerusalem
being accurately reproduced. Above this
is Mount Calvary, with its trees and
every feature faithfully portrayed Ris-
ing still higher and slightly to the rear
Is the choir loft overlooking the mount
and body of the church To the right of
the church entrance a carved stairway.
ample in proportions, leads TO the grotto
OF Nazareth twenty feet below the floor.
Here is reproduced the rocky cave where
the Holy Family lived after leaving Beth
lehem with the infant Christ
The grottO extends below the walls of
the church twenty or thirty feet Fol-
lowing subterranean passage of arched
brickwork, the chapel of the dead is
reached. This is below and just in front
OF the Holy Sepuleher and is designed
for holding the funeral ceremonies of
those who may die in the monastery. Ad-
joining II is miniature reproduction of
the cataeombs OF Rome, with inches in
the walls for-thes reception of the bodies.
These inches wild not be used and We're
built solely to carry out the general plan
of the reproduction.
passage extends beneath the church floor
TO the grotto of Bethlehem or holy cave
Like the grotto OF Nazareth it is twenty
feet beneath the floor and is a represen-
tation of the birthplace of Christ over
which the Church of the Nativity of
Bethlehem is built 1t was in that grotto
that ST. Jerome spent the last thirty-five
years of his life, fourteen of which We're
devoted to the translation of the Old Tes-
lament into Latin
The monastery Is just in the rear of and
adjoining the church. The two buildings
are conneeted ebyathe sacristy. which is
immediately back zof the Holy sSepulcher |
and Mount Calvary. Built in the form |
of a hollow square of 200 feet, the monas-
terry is as nearly like similar institutions |
in Italy asst as possible to make it. |
The cloister surrounds a courtyard 100 |
feet square, with trees scattered here |
and there and well in the center, after /
the manner of the monasteries of the |
Old World.
The entire lower floor of the eastern /
wing is given over TO the Commissariat |
of the Holy Land. Here will be the |
executive offices of the order for the
jurisdiction of the United States. Above
are the quarters for the monks, small |
rooms with cement floors and a single
window. These rooms do not differ ma
European monasteries.
The interior will be entirely devoid of
decoration Of any kind and will be severe
" plain. The architect, Aristides Leon
orr, of Rome, came TO this country ex-
pressly to supervise the construction. He
has recently returned from Palestine,
where he visited all the places repro
duced in the churchs He took accurate
and photographs to aid
him in his work here. Both church and
are constructed of buff brick
and terra Gotta of the same color with
tiled roofs.
The order of St Francis was established
on May 16 1903, by st. Francis and st.
Bernard. The rule of the order was writ
ten in 1910 and the friars are bound by
the strictest vows They wear brown cas-
socks belted at the waist with a rope,
sandals and cowl. They are permitted
TO wear boards. Their heads are not ton
sured, as is the case in many orders.
The order of st. Francis has given to
the church four popes-Nicholas ~, AL
exander V, Sixtus ", and Sixtus V-for-
ty-five cardinals and a large number of
patriarchs, archbishops and bishops. 1t
has many martyrs whose names are on
the list OF saints. a number of canoniZed
,onfessors, and several who have been
oeatified. The Franciscans were the first
to celebrate mass in the New Yorld. Co
umbus was accompanied on his first
voyage by a friar of this order. There
are now a number of individual members |
If the Order of St. Francis located in
many of the cities of the United States.
out there has never been a house of the
order in this country before the one now
rearing completion near this city.
Try Heurich's Maerzen Beer and see if
L..