The Irish standard., 1910-02-26
ST, PETERS CHURCH AND THE VATICAN
DESCRIBED BY AN AMERICAN TRAVELE
From the Dome Of the Great Temple Can be Seen the Entire City
Of Rome Majestcay Resting Her Seven Hills and Stretch
ing Out Every Side Even the Distant Horizon-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
Syracuse, N. Y. will not attempt
description Of this great Basilica, rs 1t
has so often been enshrned in prose
and poetry that any effort on my part
would 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 q
few lesser Ones all other cathedrals on
this mundane sphere dwindle in COM
parison to mere chapels. In this his
torical edif1ce are the tombs 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
continually illuminate his venerated
shrine. The lights, emblematic Of
Christian faith, are constant remind
srs of the devotion of all Chrstendom.
Among the many objects of interest
to be see in this delightful wilder
ness of priceless antiquities and SUI
. perb works Of art Ia q marble pillar
;. 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 disputing with the venerable
doctors of the Mosaic law. AS 1 re-
member It., the pillar or column is
about ten feet high and fiuted as we
> 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
fragment of the original and is in
closed by an iron railing Of exquisite
workmanship. This ancient relic is
: an object of much reverential interest.
, AS one beholds it and reverts to the
Bible story of the sorrowing parents
seeking the lost Child, his retrospect
} i've imagination carries him back to
Solomon's Temple in the long ago,
and the joyous moment when the fond
2 parents found their Loved One lean
E ing against the very pillar which you
are beholding.
The grand mosaics which adorn st
Peters are revelation to the novice
l marbles so skilfully inlaid as to repre-
4 sent lifelike figures and landscapes in
the most impressive manner. When
l first saw them l thought they were
oil paintings and was SO sure of II
that asked an attendant how many
: paintings there were in st. Peters
n Astonished at my simple question, he
Il said there was not an oil painting In
] the entire church except one, and thai
was in the sacristy.
In a great cathedral like st. Peters
, one would expect to see gorgeous win
dows, stained and figured with re-
lfpious subjects, but strange as it may
: seem, there are no colored window:
e in all this vast edifice. They are filled
with plain glass that the interior ma!
y have all the light possible to give
G proper effect to the numberless works
- of art.
In nv enthusiasm to see as mucf
of Rome as possible I made the ascen
.to the top Of the dome Of st. Pete
and entered the copper ball just a
the base of the cross, about 500 fee
from the ground. This copper ball O.
shell which looks no larger than al
!, apple when viewed from below, ii
really large enough to comfortabl!
hold eighteen men. AS l went vi
>, alone, / had plenty of room and hea
az well, but the effort was we'll re
:, paid. I was enabled to see, through
small circular openings, the entire cit
- of Rome majestically resting on he
seven hills and stretching out on ever
,. side even to the distant horizon.
On the way down from the pinnacl
n, I stepped out onto the roof as
~ reached the base of the dome. Her
/ became bewildered as l could no