The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-10-30

! ming north and south from the i'm
mense hall of the cOnsistOTy in the
ancient palace. Most of this work
disappeared III a great fire that de-
strOyed a section OF the fortress in
1413. but enough remains TO demon
strate the artistic loss that pOsterity
I incurred through the work of the
/ flames.
The few sections remaining We're
/ covered with bricks by soldiers or
dered 10 the work by Napoleon the
First. In this way all unconsciously
} the great Corsican military genius
| managed to preserve almost entirely
/ intact the remnants of frescOing
| spared by the fire.
Famous in Literature.
Even as il stands the old palace has
always attracted educated tourists
from all the world Dickens. in his
/ tour of Europe, saw this historic
! building and wrote of it,, and BalZac
and the great Dumas are two other
men of letters who, in their century,
studied the old French papal fortress
/ and have handed down in their writ
ings strong testimony 10 its wonderful
historical and artistic value.
J Peuarch the great Italian poet. and
perhaps the greatest lyric poet pro-
!
months studying in the vast library of
the French popes and here he and
I Laura were presented To the great
Emperor Charles ~. VINO ruled half
the Christian world as then known
TO mankind BroZik. the famous
Hungarian artist, painted a century
ago a celebrated painting of this his
tOric meeting of the famous poet,
Petrarch, the Italian, and tho great
monarch. The meeting took place in
the great han decorated by MateO
II GiOvanetti de Veterbe, and when il
has been restored il Will resemble its
\ ancient historic splendor as nearly as
\ the greatest artistic authorities Of the
! present day can accomplish
! The history of the famous building
\ is replete with interest, and libraries
might be filled with the rOmances
\ that are woven around its now silent
\ stone corridors and great halls. its
/ numerous chapels and other stone
I chambers where the old French popes,
\ their cardinals and their lesser digni-
/ taries, dined in state and held great
! councils to determine questions of
] both political and religious import
The building was commenced in the
/ first half OF the fourteenth century by
/ Pope BenOit XII and thousands Of
/ men tOiled on its towering stone bat
/ Elements for twenty years before the
main structure was ready for Occu-
/ pancy of the rulers of the papacy.
/ Then for many generations the con-
| structiOn work went on under five
/ pOpes until the building assumed the
/ form now presented.
Its embattled walls face the ma
/ jestic RhOne river Just opposite the
] 70 r11g rId hrsfr7 ura of A "
the song runs ~all the world was wont
to pass" Across from the palace on
/ the other side OF the river Is a huge
/ tower built by Philip-le-bel. King Of
[ France, who was jealous Of the power
that the pOpes had established.
Many FrescOes Preserved.
Other celebrated frescOes, hundreds
of years old and now being restored in
/ this building, are the frescOes in the
chapel of ST. Michael Here are found
q series of paintings covering the en-
/ tire walls and the ceiling. This space
is divided into panels and various
1 scenes OF hunting and of fishing are
/ shown
I The photographs show the outlines
| of this ancient work which is now,
] however. very faint, for most of the
cOlOring has faded. Perhaps the best
7 luea or this work IS 10 De Obtained
from the photograph of hunting
/ scene, where the greyhOunds of the
/ popes are shown c0ursing hares.
All the frescoes that were left eX-
posed TO hundreds of years of weather
have been lost. All the present frag-
ments have been preserved, because in
/ ignorance of their great value they
were covered over with either brick or
plaster. This covering protected the
/ precise relics Of bygone art, and II
/ has only been since the authorities
have carefully gone oyer the walls
and taken down the distractions
/ erected by later generations that the
art treasures have been discovered
The French authorities calculate
that by 1914 the reconstruction OF the
palace of the French popes VIII be
completed. An international affair
VIII be made Of its dedication on COM
DletiOn as a national museum OF fine
arts. Much wonderful sculpture and
paintings from all over the south OF
France will be gathered here. and it
viii for the future be protected by the
government as a unique monument or
! by-gOne art and historical events
As the residence Of five popes who
We're undisputed heads Of the papacy
and Of several popes during the period