The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-23
TIARAS OF THE POPES.
Paris Correspondence of the Courier des
E,tafs IniS-1

EtatS DnlS.
The Papal tiara is the same as the an
cient tiara in use among the Oriental peO-
pies, the Jews, the PerSians, the Armen-
ians and the ParthianS not forgetting the
Greeks. Is not the tiara of SaitapherneS
in the Louvre to show US that? 1t is at
present beyond all doubt that the tiara
of the High Priest of the Jews, the eli
darls, was ornamented, as that of Leo
XIII. is now, with triple row of crowns.
The greater number. of these tiaras were
SNAPPED ike Sugar-loaf; their character
istic feature was their unusual height.
In the early. ages of the Church the
Popes had no tiaras. 1t was not until the
thirteenth century that the tiara with
diamonds made its appearance. The in
ventory of the PontifcaI treasures made
in 1885, under Boniface VII, described a
tiara enriched with forty-eight balas
rubies. seventy-two sapphires, forty-five
emeralds, and, finally with sixty-sfx large
pearls. At the top was gigantic ruby,
and at the bottom an enamelled hoop.
That was the. single-crowned tiara, called
st SylVesterS- 1t was brought into
France in the beginning of the fourteenth
century 1t was used November IA,
1905, at the coronation of Clement ", in
Lyons. On that occasion it lost the won
derful ruby that spanked on its pinnacle.
That was not moreover, the last disa-
return TO Rome with Gregory XII to 90
to Avignon with Clement VII, then to
move to Spain with Benedict XIII, and,
at last, to enter Rome again, but this
time. ornamented with two supplement
From the tenth century the tiara as
SumeS It's full acceptatlOn. Its 1npOSl-
ton is made with great solemnity on the
day of the coronation. The Pope re-
ceives it on the outside steps of the Basil
lea of st. Peter The tiara becomes sthe
pendant of the ferule in opposition to
lne pastoral crosier; it is the symbol Of
temporal power, as the mitre is that of
The tiara of Urban ". ue2D exhibited,
according to Ugolino of Sienna, in its
notch was surmounted by pearl, and
in its upper part, it had a knob made
of a precious stone of an abnormally
large size. Its bottom seems to have been
plated or damasked- 1t was with Boni-
face VIII. that the second crown came.
This Pope was of dominating spirit, and
was not to be satisfied with the tiara
of his predecessors. But even the Ponrlfi-
cal mitres had nothing to envy, IN that
epoch in the tiaras. The fragments of
the gold mitres preserved in Perugia. in
1911, included the following gems; twenty.
four balas rubies, twenty-five large pearls
and one hundred small ones; four gold
roses each containing one large balas
ruby and four small ones, as well as four
large and sixteen small pearlSl then, nine
rosettes, each containing one large balas
ruby and four pearls; twenty-one balas
rubies and seventeen rosettes with one
large and four small pearls; eight roSetteS
with forty-three pearls, a wire OF gold
with five small balas rubies and four
pearls; five little bells and five small
chains. The whole weighed pounds
ounces What a Jewel boXi
The Popes of Avignon added the third
crown, and with them, the general form
of the tiara changes from Roman it be-
comes Gothic. Powered crowns are sub
stituted for the massive gemmed dtadem-
1t was this tiara that the Venetian, Paul
H., ornamented so superbly. This Pope
is entitled to a unique place in the annals
of the tiara. Paul II, who was an extra
ordinary collector and an artist. as well,
spent several years in making himself
two tiaras of Incompatible richness and
sumptuousnesS. The archbishop of Bene-
vento. also an artist and "a collector,
wished to rival him with a mitre of his
conception but the Pope forbade HIM to
wear it, and instructed Michel Cannesio
and Cardinals Annamau and Philadelphus
to get him the rarest of jewels The first
Of these tiaras @vas worth $4,000 forms,
and the second 100000 florins.
Benvenuto Cellini has told in his mem
oirs how this marvel was destroyed at the
seige of Rome in 1921 This magnificent
object was pawned several times. The
Bins lent on it to the Pontiff 3 600 flor
ms sof which 2209 were in currency and
the remainder in hangings of silk and
WOOL The stipulated interest was 20 per
cent if the loan should not be paid in six
month Lorenzo the Magnificent. also eff
fected a loan on this tiara julius II.
pawned it with the Chigis. before the
battle of Ravenna for 10000 forms in
gold In 1865 julius II. had an enormous
balas ruby, weighing 120 carats, added to
it, and above this ruby an acorn-shaped
pearl Yet, in the seventh year of his
pontifcate, Julius II. ordered a new tiara,
that which his contemporaries have cele-
brated as the MASTERPIECES OF the Cara