Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-04-04
Letter From Frank Harris.
SAINT PETERS.

SAINT PETERS.
ROME, Italy, March l5.-The
Basilica di st. Pietro is withou,
any doubt the grandest church in
all the world. 1t would be use.
less in this small space to try and
tell you OF all the beauty and OF
ell the wonderful times that old
church has gone through, yet I'll
try and tell you something of it
10 the first place st. Peters
church occupys the ground that
Nero used for his circus. The
old north wall of the circus was
used as the south wall OF the
church when Constantine started
the building, but the church has
been through 30 many changes
that it was not until about 1906
that it took its present form. Ii
is 2O4 yards long and l49 yards
high-think of that. st. Paul's in
London is only about us yards
long. 1 always thought that the
London church was the biggest,
but I find it is not. 1t took 17G
years to build it, and cost $780,
100000 and it requires about
$4,000 year to keep it up. For
that much money a person ought
to be able to build a couple OF
pretty nice churches.
The first day 1 went over
walked from the house here and
as the church is on the other side
of the river and by the time 1 got
over there ! was pretty we'll tired
out, 80 when l went in [ wasn't
thinking about how beautiful il
was going to be, but just walked
in as l would any building, but
the second 1 got inside 1 was
scared. The strangest feeling
came over me. l can't describe
it, yet l know it anyone else were
to go into Saint Peters the same
way l did it would effect them the
same way. 1 had expected some
thing wonderful, yet, really, it
was SO far beyond anything [ had
ever seen or ever dreamed Of that
it took my breath away from me.
The first thing that caught my
attention was the confessional of
st. Peter. It is beneath the dome
right in the center, and a big
canopy covers the confessional
which is the tomb that contains
the body Of st. Peter. It is GER
tainly most wonderful, wonder
full confessional.
When a person stops minute
and thinks hs realizes that II
couldn't help but be the grandest
OF all places here on earth. just
think, Bramante, Raphael, Mi
chael Angelo, Porta, Maderno, and
Idon't know who all of the greatest
Of the worlds artists, we're the
principle decorators of the church,
and when one is in there minute
or two he realizes that he is not
only in the best church hut in the
presence of one of the grandest
collections of art in the world.
The walls and piers are through
out adorned with marble sculp-
lures and medallions. The pave
ment is in colored marble and the
ceiling and part of the wall are
gold quilted and in front on a
marble (To the editor; id this
pen!!!) balustrade there are IS
golden lamps that burn night and
day.
There is a big bronze statue OF
st. Peter and the foot is all worn
smooth by the millions and mil
lions who have kissed it.
just to give you an idea of how
large and great the church is /
will tell you of the four enormous
pillars on which the dome rests.
They are Is yards in circumfer-
ence. On one is the colossal
statue of the soldier who pierced
Christ's side with the spear.
Above in the balconies are pre-
served and ever so often (The
fellow didn't tell me how often, }
the spear, q piece of the
cross and the handkerchief of
Veronica on which Christ wiped
his brow on the way to Calvary.
are shown to the public.
The dome was designed by