Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-01

nothing being left of the original structure
except a portion Of the walls between the
windows. Since then it has undergone sew
eral reservations, which, in the opinion Of
architects, have deprived it of much Of its
beauty. The late Leo XIII in his will left
large sum Of money for repairs, and the
nave Is now filled with scafoldng.
The Cloister Restored.
Some years ago the closter of the monas-
terry, a beautiful example OF twelfth CEN
fury Gothic, was restored at his expense.
1t is surrounded by low arches sustained
by exquisite spiral mosaic columns that
were once covered with mosaics. The court is
one of the most beautiful in Rome and con-
tains several precious relics, including a,
porphyry slab upon which the soldiers are
said to have cast lots for the vestmentS of
the Savior; two columns from the temple
Of Solomon which were rent by the earth
quake during the night after the crucinXlon.
Within the main altar are preserved the
skulls of Peter and Paul, and wooden ia
BILE upon which ST. Peter and the early
Christians in Rome were In the habit OF
celebr ating communion secretly at the
house of Senator Pudens. In the baptistry
Is font of green baSalt, in which the En-
peror Constantine was baptized, and in
which Rienzi. 1.-THE last of the tribunes,'
bathed the night before he fell. This act
of sacrilege is believed by many good peO-
pie to have been the principal cause of his
fall.
On the opposite side of the piazza in
closed In plain old building, are the Santa
Scala or sacred stairs, which were brought
from the house OF PLATE in Jerusalem by
the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine
the Great. and are supposed to be those by
which the Savior passed down to the Via
Dolorosa bearing the cross. They have been
regarded with special reverence by tho
Roman church for sixteen hundred years,
and since SO they have been covered by
wooden casing in order to protect them
hpln
pilgrims who Climb them on their knees
No human foot but that of the pope him
self is allowed to touch them, and at the
top IS altar at which no priest but the
pope can say mass. This altar covers many
precious relics of peculiar Sanctity, mclud-
ing pair of sandals supposed to have
been worn by the Savior on the day of the
crucifixiOn; His portrait begun by St Luke
and finished by an angel, and fragments Of
the true cross.
Upon of the steps a sla b of glass has
been inserted in the wood so that STAINS
from blood which is said to have dropped
from the Savor's brow may be seen by the
pilgrim, and it is kissed with so much fer
Vor that 1t is worn through and has to be
renewed every year.
The bronze doors of the Lateran came
from the senate house OF Rome, and four
bronze columns supporting a canopy over
the altar Of the sacraments are said to have
been in SolomonS temple. and were brought
by Titus from Jerusalem. They are hollow
and are filed with earth from the garden
of Gethsemane. In the center of the piazza
is an obelisk, which is claimed to be the
oldest work of human hands in Rome, haV-
ing been brought from the Temple of the
Sun at HeliOpolis, Egypt, by Constantine. 1t
is 115 feet high and was erected in memo
ry of Pharaoh Thothmes III Of Egypt in
the year 1850 B. c.
The old palace. In which the popes lived
until 1905, afterward a hospital. but
since 1913 has been a museum of ANTIGUA
ties, which is of great value to students of
archaeology. What is called the Christian
Museum, founded by Plus TX, contains an
Incompatible collection of relics of the early
history Of the church and from the cata-
combs.
Cardinal Satolli's Influence.
Cardinal satolli, who is pastor of the
Church of the Lateran, resides in a modern
palace upon the other side of the Basilica,
and it is one of the most imposing and COM
Portable in Rome. Around him are the res
licences of the canons Of the chapter, his
secretaries and other officials of the Congre-
cation of Studies, of which he is project.
Since his return from Washington, where
for five years he was apostolic lsgate, Car
dnal Satoli's influence has rapidly extend
ed until now he is regarded as one of the
0lost powerful, as he is one of the ablest,
princes of the church, and 1T was largely
through his sklllful management and per-
sonality that his friend Cardinal Sarto, was
elevated to the throne. AS is quite natural,
his relations with the new pope are very
close, and no member of the Sacred College
is more in the confidence of the holy father,
who relies upon his wisdom and experience
for guidance in delicate and important at
fairs.
As / intima ted In a recent letter, Cardinal
Satolli will undoubtedly attend the open
ing of the Louisiana purchase exposition in
ST. Louis next May the unofficial repre-
sentative of the pope, for the presidents
will not permit the holy see to send an off,
cial legate to secular gathering. But the
difference is a matter Of no consequence.
As long as a cardinal appears at st. Louis
the representative of the pope of Rome
nobody will care whether he carries Gre
dentials or not. or whether he comes in an