Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-07-17

ceiling, from the funeral darkness to the
bright light Unfortunately the frescoes
are very much damaged, but what is left
adds greatly to the charm of the church,
which is really pictorial biography of st.
Francis, from boyhood to long after death,
because, according to the legends which
have clustered around his life, he continued
to visit this earth and to work miracles. l
must not attempt to tell the story as it is
written in these pictures, nor even as it is
written in the more sober pages of history,
both of which hope to do in some form
when | return.
Before leaving the church we were taken
to the crypt, a chapel below the lower
church. This is very modern addition,
dating from 1918 when the sarcophagus
containing the remains Of st. Francis was
discovered. By lighted candles we were
shown this last resting place of the saint,
and were permitted to gaze upon his sar-
cophagus above the altar.
The monastery is now used as school
for the sons of teachers, but we were per-
mitted to visit it. Much that is old has
been allowed to remain, 1 am glad to say.
The refectory still does its wanted service,
but those who gather around its board have
OUllCI uIlOuSlOc uldn ulOSC VI puC ulOAho vi
old, Judging from the shouts attending a
game of football or its like. From the
outer gallery we had a superb view over
the broad valley with its fertile fields and
silve, river to the mo lntains on either
side, while far away the setting sun re-
vealed the towers of Perguia, where as q
prisoner st. Francis learned on the bed OF
sickness the vanity of that warfare which
youth counts glorious. Thence he arose to
gather the hosts for the conquests of sell
and sin.
At the other end of the town was another
church which / desired to visit because ii
commentaries saint whose life was closely
bound to that of St. Francis, who mourned
his death as one who loved with all the
heart. St. Clara, filled with love for ST.
Francis, and inspired by his example and
counsel, founded the order of the Clarisnes
of which she was the first abbess. In the
crypt below the altar of Santa Chiara her
body is preserved. Again we followed the
taper through the darkness to the grated
opening. In few moments light appear
ed beyond the bars, serene was lifted and
by the Pickering light of candles we looked
upon the face of her whose tears fell upon
the lifeless form of st. Francis over SOC
years ago. Reverently we went away from
the presence of DEATH but the life of that
18th century was more real to us with its
joys and sorrows.
Early the next morning we made one
more pilgrimage before leaving Assist.
This time we went to the new church
built upon the site of the early home Of
St. Francis A part of the house has beer
| l. = ~ s. II. IL
doorway of the house being thus preserved
and even closet where it is said Francis
was kept in prison as a punishment fol-
theft But here we enter upon the work
of legend. Devotees of st. Francis have
sought to increase his honor by fabrications
of most marvellous character, falling to see
that such life as his needs no adornment
We stopped at Perugia long enough to see
something of the town and of the pictur-
esque cathedral, with its outside pulpit
The external walls of the cathedral have
not been faced with marble as it was origi-
nally intended. l am told the people did
steal the marble and had it on the ground
ready for use, but the tide of war changed,
the rightful owners took away the ill-gotten
spoil and Perugia has not since been able to
steal, beg or buy the coveted material
FLORENCE.
The most interesting feature of our
journey from Perugia to Tesontola was the
long ride along the shores of Lake Trash
menus, famous in history as the scene of
Hannibal's great victory over the Roman
forces under c. Flaminius in the year PIT
B. G. Near the Lake is Terontola, where
we once more struck the main line of travel
between Rome and Florence, and here we
found the best cars we had seen, having a
very comfortable ride in fast express
train. We were too tired to do much in
the way of sightseeing, but took walk
to acquaint ourselves with the streets of
Florence and to locate the American church,
which we planned to attend the next day.
Two Sundays were spent there, and we will
long remember st. James Church and its
rector, the Rev. H. A. Venables
On Monday our sightseeing began with
visit to the centres of Florentine life, the
cathedral, baptistry campanile and the
Piazza della Signoria. Morning and after
noon were devoted to the very large collec-
ton of pictures in the Uffizi Gallery. In
the morning we had to wait for the Shah of
Persia to finish his visit to the gallery, but
fortunately he did not tarry long, and our
patience was rewarded with near view of
him and his suite. A very long corridor
and a bridge over the Arno unites the Uffizi
and the Pitt galleries, with their priceless
art treasurers / will not attempt to de-
scribe what we saw, but will say these
galleries prolonged our visit to Florence.
We had the privilege of going through the
private and state apartments of the King
of Italy, which are also in the Pitt Pal
ace. They are very richly decorated and
furnished, SO that one is at a loss for adj
iectives with which to describe them
During one of our visits to the Petit gal
lery we had the pleasure of meeting Mr..
Rergar and his party. Next to the gall
leries of Florence l was most interested in
the old monastery of San Marco, hallowed
bv the lives of two remarkable men, Fra
Angelica and Savonarola. 1t is now a
national museum, carefully guarded as one
Of Italy's greatest heritages. To one
familiar with the history of Florence in the
18th century those corridors and little cells,
the refectory and cloisters have an indie
scribable fascination. I am glad Fra
Angelica lived there as we'll as Savonarola,
for feel the remembrance of the latter
would be oppressive were it not frightened
by the sweet, angelic creations of the
former. Each did his work in his own
way. both striving to honor the God they
loved. We reverence the memory Of both,
and count mans life richer for their lives,
whether we think of the reformer or
painter.