The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-04

The facade is fianked at each end by
 bell-toWer, one containing seven bells for the announcement of worship, th
 other three bells for striking the clock
 This ancient time-piece, by the way, i
 worthy of notice, though now of ques
 tionable veracity. It is a sort of glori
 fled calendar, contrived by a native o
 Malta, it's three faces telling the hour
 day of the week, and day of thu
 month. Words are inadequate to eX
 press ones emotions on entering thi
 church, whose very pavements ar'
 eloquent of the mighty dead. The f1ool
 contains upwards of four hundred
 sculptured slabs, of finest marbles o
 every hue-green, yellow, rose, brown
 black-laid down in memory of the
 Knights and emblazoned with theii
 coats of arms, heraldic devices, mili-
 tary and naval trophies, mitres ano
 croziers, crowns and palms of martyrs
 representations of angels, skeletons and
 other quaint symbols, all so rich ir
 coloring as to produce the most strik- ing effect.
 Next the roof demands attention. Its
 wonderful arches, sixty-fve feet from tS>AA'' branches, and the paintings which cov-
 CT the entire surface are apparently | living and breathing figures. You
 would almost swear that Herodia' s
 daughter is really dancing, that St.
 John is baptizing Our Lord, the Deci-
 pies eating their Last Supper, and that
 the twenty-four blessed martyrs of the
 Order of Jerusalem and all the other
 Saints and Knights and nuns followed
 you with eyes that had speculation" | in them! For more than forty years | the greatest artists of the time devoted their genius to this work. The pictures are in oil, laid on the stone itself, which
 was specially prepared for the design. And then the forest of pillars, all in-
 laid with slabs of green marble, bear
 ing in relief the crosses of conservation and the arms of their princely donors; the multitude of chapels and altars; the host of sculptured figures; the tro- phies and relics! Each of the chapels deserves a weeks study, so rich are they in treasures though most of the
 old gold and silver service encrusted with gems disappeared with the French robbers. The tapestry is particularly interesting thirty great pieces meas uring over seven hundred square metres, and of incalculable value, though the green and azure hair, pur- pie eyes and gorgeous apparel of the colossal figures in the tableaux are con- siderably dimmed by the wear and tear of centuries. A few years ago the local government paid s150,0O0 to have this tapestry restored.
 As for the sacred relics, it is safe to say that another such collection was never gathered under one roof. The most treasured object here for many years was the reputed right hand of St. John, the Baptist which was kept in splendid golden monstrance above the High Altar. Think of 1.-the very hand that poured the water upon the head of Our Lord. It is said to have been brought from Antioch to Constan- tinople by the Emperor Justinian, who built a church expressly for its recep- tion. Shortly after the capture of Con- by the Turks, Sultan Baja- get gave it to Grand Master DAubus- son, at Rhodes; and when the Knights came to Malta, L'Isle Adam brought 1t with him. By the way, considering that the Brotherhood wandered home less upon the earth for several years after being driven out of Rhodes, one wonders where they kept all the treas ures, big and little, which they are said to have brought to Malta. The sacred hand was encased in a glove of gold, set with priceless gems. Be- sides 1t, among other valuable offerings, | was a magnificent solitaire ring. Ma poleon l. put the ring upon his own 1 finger, and Hampesch carried off the | apostles hand, and afterwards present. | ed it to Paul 1.,Emperor of Russia. It | Is still jealously preserved In the Win | ter Palace, at St. Petersburg. Some how the relic does not seem to have brought blessings to any of its pos sessors if history tells true.
 It would require columns of space to describe all the relics in this church. Among them is the right foot of Laza 'us-let us hope with it's sores all healed one of the identical stones which martyred St. Stephen, still stained with blood; some of the bones If Thomas a Beckett; portions of three # the Apostles; a bit of the cradle in which the Virgin Mother rocked her Babe; a crucifix made from the metal ,asin in which the Savior washed his leciples feet; pieces of the true Cross, Ind one of the identical thorns that pierced the head of the tortured Christ. n the crypt beneath the High Altar, .'Isle Adam, La Villette and ximena wait the Resurrection morning, and lnder other altars of the same sane uary hundreds of the Knights of Jeru- alem of sleeping. Beneath the French hapel reposes the young son of Louis Philippe, who died in Malta of con- umption in 1797.
 Of course you must visit the scene f St, Paul's shipwreck, which is said O have occurred near the eastern end f this island. You will find a minute escriptfon of that ancient disaster in he Acts of the Apostles, and there is title doubt that it actually did occur 1 n the large harbor now known as Iarsa Scirocco, into which the dread d south east wind (siracco), blows ; 1ith such force the year around that 1 ] is of no use to shipping. Even the two seas,'' which caused the accident, ( s recorded in Holy Writ, exist to-day $ l the powerful currents between the ] ;land and the open sea, and that caus- q by pillows dashing into the bay { yer a line of submerged rocks. One { f these partially hidden reefs, which okes a bad head above the waves, l ,1lad caI,,,oop Island is helieyed to be f