Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-08-28
.BISMARCkERS SEE
SIGHTS IN ROME
MRS. LOU kUPlTZ ANDERSON
WRITES INTERESTING LET
TER TO FRIENDS.
Ruins Of Former Grandeur are Of Ire
mendous Interest to the Traveller
Wonders at St. Peters.
Berlin, Germany.

Berlin, Germany.
Editor of Tribune.
Arrived at Rome Saturday evening,
July 9th, bringing Prof. RELIC (our
guide) from Naples with US. Weather
not hot as predicted, but delightfully."-
cool.
Sunday, 9 8. M. went to st. Peters
cathedral. High mass read by Card.
inal Rampalla, who in the last cleo
ton lost the papal throne by one vote.
Mass was sung by the choir Of Chap.
ell Sestine.
The beauty and splendor of st.
Peters is beyond my description and
no one can have an idea of the grand.
eur of this immense basilica without q
visit
The cathedral, the largest religious
ediflce ever built, was founded by the
Emperor Constantine the Great at the
request OF Pope Sylvester l.
! The first basilica was built on the
same site, whereon today stands the
gigantic work OF MichelangelQ, and
others, and was erected in the place
where the ancient circus OF Nero had
been and in which that emperor had
made so many Christians suffer mar
j tyrdom.
The approach of the cathedral is a
large semi-circle OF many steps which
form a base 90 feet long and TAB feet
wide upon which stands 284 columns
and SO pillars of gray marble about
fifty feet high.
The balustrade is decorated with
! 1872 statues of Saints. Five double
portals give access to the interior Of
the church. The stupendous ceiling is
coffered and gilded, the pillars and
flooring are covered with colored mar
BILE.
| The dome is SIT feet high, being
sustained by immense pillars extend
ing to beautifully decorated arches.
! The interior of the church is SCI
feet long.
! Over the high altar (under the Gu
pola) where the pope alone has the
right to say mass, rises very costly
canopy Of richly gilded bronze, sup
ported by four columns of the same
material. 1t cost over a half mil
lion liras, and was made from metal
taken from the Pantheon, Pagan tenn
pie. The altar is placed differently
to all others as the pope, celebrating
mass, faces the people.
| Under the altar is St. Peters tomb.
The balustrade Of which Is eighty feet
in circumference. 1t Is lighted by
ninety.fve bronze lamps that burn
continuously.
A double flight of steps of Greek
marble lead down to it. At the bot.
tom is statue in white marble of
Plus vi. The .gilded bronze doors
belong to the ancient basilica. At the
sides four alabaster columns, above
which are two agate pillars with the
statues of St. Peter and St. Paul. The
neche encircling the tomb is covered
with gold and inlaid with most prec
iOus stones.
The Vatican.
| The Vatican, or Pope's palace, Is
the largest in the world and contains
twenty two court yards and 1000
rooms, not including the chapels, halls
MUSEUMS, library, etc. -.
The Vatican museums contain the
greatest and most valuable collection
of antiquities.
! We were most happy, to have an
audience with his Holiness, the Pope,
and to receive his blessing.
The Coliseum.
The Coliseum, or amphitheatre,
was built on one of the artificial
lakes in Nero's gardens, A. D., Y. -.
This theatre is undoubtedly the
largest and most celebrated In the
world.
The feats and games for it's inaug-
uration lasted one hundred days. More
than 5000 wild beasts were killed.
The gladiators gave land and naval
battles.
Here many martyrs of the Christian
: faith lost their lives and the dens in
which they were thrown to be de-
voured by the wild beasts are still
in good preservation.
| Eighty arches marked the entran-
ces to the theatre, four of which
. were reserved, two for the emperor
and his court, and two for the pro-
cession Of gladiators.
! The theatre contained six tiers of
galleries, the seats being of marble
and could contain 100000 spectators.
The marble and castle relics have
been removed to build new edifices
and enrich museums There only re-
mains the stone walls and arena.
! Sistine Chapel.
! The Sistine Chapel was built by
Sixtus w. in 1873, and is 1873 feet long
and forty-five feet wide. The entire
ceiling is covered with frescoes of
Michael Angelo. On the altar wall is
the renowned painting of the Last
| Judgment" which occupied him for
seven years. ,.>ifNH
CaracaIIa.
The baths of Caracalla form the
second largest mass of ruins in Rome.
They covered an area of 100000
square yards and could accommodate
!, 900 bathers at once. Some of the
relics found among the ruins are now
in the museums of Rome and Naples.
The Catacombs.
| The catacombs of St. Calixtus on
the Appian way are the most inter-
esting. The greater part is preserved
in its original state. We descended
six stories deep through narrow, dark
gangways, lit only by the wax taper,
each one carried.