Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-12-14

which bears an impression or HIS fea-
lures miraculously received, and a
seamless garment with short sleeves,
shaped like modern undershirt. which
He wore at the cruciflxion. 1t was
brought from Jerusalem into Persia by
one of the soldiers, who received 1t as
his share when they parted His rai-
ment among them at the foot Of the
cross, and after passing through seve-
raj hands was purchased by the Per-
sian Shah Abbas. One Of his success
ors upon the throne presented it to
monastery at Maschet, where 1t was
obtained by Philaret, patriarch Of the
Russian church, in the fourteenth CEN
tury. He placed 1t in the wall Of the
Cathedral Of the Assumption, where,
for protection, it was covered by a
brass shrine, and only a small section
is revealed through narrow aperture,
which is covered with glass. Those
who are curious to see this remarka-
BILE relic will find it over the tomb of
Cyprian, metropolitan Of the Greek
vasion of Tamerlane.
In a beautiful gold reliquary in the
Church Of the Annunciation, where the
czars are married, are the sponge upon
which vinegar was offered to the Sa-
vior, a portion of the whip with which
He was scourged, large piece Of the
cross, several thorns from the crown,
a piece Of the purple robe which was
thrown over Him when He was Knocked
and a large rock from Mount Calvary.
Nowhere else are there so many rel
les Of the Savior and the relics Of the
apostles and saints are even more nu-
merous. In the Church Of st. Michael
the Archangel is a drop Of the blood Of
John the Baptist, in the Church Of the
Assumption is his ankle bone and In
the imperial chapel of the Winter Pal
ace in st. Petersburg is his left hand,
with two fingers and the thumb miss
ing. Beside it is the hand of st. Mat
thews intact. In the Church Of the As
sumption is a thimbleful Of st. Mat
solid gold IL by 16 inches in size.
In the Annunciation church is the
frontal bone Of the skull Of st. John,
one Of the hands of ST. Mark and the
thigh bone of st. Andrew and st. Ste
phen. One Of st. Andrews hands Is
preserved in the Church of the Assum-
ton, with the frontal bone Of St. Greg
.ory. while in the imperial chapel in st.
Petersburg is the hand Of st. George
that slew the dragon.
In the imperial chapel at st. Peters,
burg Is a portrait Of the mother Of
Christ, said to have been painted by
St. Luke, and there Is another, similar
and smaller, by the same artist in the
Cathedral Of the Assumption in the
Kremlin. The latter Is called the
"Vladimirski Madona," and is second
in Importance Of all icons in Russia.
The gold frame in which 1t is incased
is literally covered with precious stones
valued at millions Of rubles. This pic
ture, which Is said to have been
brought from Jerusalem to Constanti-
nople in the third century and to Mos
believed to have emancipated Russia
from the rule Of the Tartars. When
carried in the front of the battle it's
presence so terrified the Tartars and so
inspired the Russian soldiers that de-
feat was turned into victory, and the
Mohammedans were driven from the
empire.
In his book upon the Religions Of
the East" Dean Stanley says that the
history Of this single picture is the his
tory Of the Russian nation. Since the
time Of Constantine the Great, he says
1t has been used upon every important
occasion Of national thanksgiving and
deliverance and deposited in the most
holy Of all places, and the czar always
bows in reverential worship before 1t
when he assumes the crown.
There were crowds Of peasants about
it yesterday when we visited the
Church Of the Assumption, kissing the
gilded frame, which has been worn
deep by the lips of millions. The sa-
ristan pushed them rudely aside so that
we could examine the painting and ad-
mire the jewels with which 1t is adorn-
ed. 1t Is visited by people who are in
trouble, as we'll as those who have rea-
son to be thankful; by men who are
about to engage in business. maidens
who are about to be married, women
who are about to become mothers.
mothers whose sons have gone
faithless, statesmen who are Duzzled
with problems, physicians who have
patients they cannot cure, men who are
worried by financial troubles, and
by peasants who have no knowledge Of
anything save their narrow little lives,
but have faith in its power to relieve
every sorrow. All Russians, from the
sovereign to the humblest Of his SUBJ
jects, whether in delight or distress.
come here to kiss the frame or the
glass which conceal the picture, to
PROSTATE themselves upon the pave
ment before it and lay their burdens in
the arms of the all compassionate
mother, "Our Most Honorable Lady,"
as she is addressed in the formal pray
ers.
The Russian church does not assert
the authority of the picture in the
Winter Palace which is claimed to be
the work of st. Luke. Its history is
not sufficiently clear. Only three of st.
Luke's paintings have ever been rec
ognized as genuine by the ecclesiasti-
cal authorities-the Madonna of Vlad-
imir, which I have just described; a
smaller one in the Morea, and third
in Cyprus. The last Is said to have