The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1910-02-26
ST. PETERS CHURCH AND THE VATICAN
DESCRIBED BY AN AMERICAN TRAVEL Err
From the Dome the Great Temple Can Be Seen the Entire City
of Rome Mastcay Resting Her Seven Hills and Stretch
ing Out Every Side Even the Distant Horzon-- The
Vatican is the Largest Castle on Earth.

| OF course, st. Peters is the center
of attraction, not only of Rome, but
of the entire Christion world. says
Gregory Doyle in the Catholic Sun of
Syracuse, N. Y. l will not attempt q
description of this great Basilica, as it
has so often been enshrned in prose
and poetry that any effort on my part
woud seem superfluous. l will say.
however, that upon entering this
sacred edifice one is perfectly over
whelmed with the grand vista sud-
denly revealed to him. With the ex-
ception of Milan and Cologne and
few lesser ones all other cathedrals on
this mundane sphere dwindle in COM
parison to mere chapels. In this his
torical edifice are the tomhs of Popes,
martyrs and confessors. Also in the
great crypt beneath it lie the remains
of kings, queens and emperors,
among them being those Of ST. Pete:
himself A hundred brazen lamps
shrine The lights, cnlbcnlatic Of
Christian faith. are constant remind
ers of the devotion OF all Christcndom.
Among the many objects Of interest
to be see in this delightful wilder
ness of priceless antiquities and su-
perb works of art is marble pillar
i, from Jerusalem, which tradition says,
was made sacred from the fact that
the child Jesus was leaning against 1t
: when his parents found him in the
temple disputinE with the venerable
doctors of the Mosaic law. AS | re-
: member it, the pillar or column is
about ten feet high and fluted as we
3 often see in modern buildings. The
: marble which was originally white Is
3 now a yellowish brown from age and
!, really looks very ancient. 1t is only
a fragment of the original and is in
closed by an iron railing OF exquisite
! workmanship This ancient relic is
= an object Of much rcvcrcntial interest.
? AS one behOlds 1t and rcverts to the
Bible story of the sOrrowing parents
i've imagination carries him back tn
Solomon's Temple in the long ago,
and the joyous moment when the fond
2 parents found their Loved one lean
= ing against the very pillar which you
are beholdng.
The grand mosaics which adorn st
Peters arc. a revelation to the novice.
They are made of various colOrcd
! marbles so skifully inIad as to repre-
sent lifelikc figures and landscapes in
the most impressive manner. When
l first saw them 1 thought they were
oil paintings and was so sure of it
that asked an attendant how many
paintings there were in st. Peters
4 Astonshed at my simple question, he
4 said there was not an oil painting in
] the entire church except one, and that
was In the sacristy.
In n great cathedral like st. Peters
one would expect to see gorgeous win
dOws, stained and figured with re-
lieious subjects but strange as it may
: seem, there are no colored Windows
in all this vast cdifice. They are filed
with plain glass that the interior may
u have all the light possible to give
I proper effect to the numberless works
= of art.
In nv enthusiasm to see as much
of Rome as possible made the ascent
to the top Of the dome of st. Peter
and entered the copper ball just al
= the base of the cross, about 500 feet
from the ground. This copper ball o.
shell which looks no larger than ar
:. annie when viewed from below, Is
really large enough to comfortably
hold eighteen men. AS l went uE
;, alone, ] had plenty Of room and heat
as well, but the effort was well re-
=, paid, was enabled to see, through
small circular openings the entire city
- of Rome majestically resting on he1
seven hills and stretching out on every
;. side even to the distant horizon.
On the way down from the pinnacle
n, stepped out onto the roof as
u reached the base of the dome. Her,
III became bcwildered as l could no