Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-03-26

SzsszzsAzzAa@ at all seasons but such as could
choose their time for this pilgrimage made it at
Easter that they might participate in or witness
the wonderful series of services which take place
at the actual scenes of the death and resurrection
OF the Savior. No one who has attended the
services of holy week and Easter at the Church
OF the Holy Sepucher in Jerusalem has ever
| tailed to be deeply impressed by the services.
And yet but comparatively few people know
mat the unique services preparatory to and Gull
hinatlng in Easter which take place in Jerusalem
are reproduced faithfully as circumstances
VIII permit in one spot in our own land-at the
franciscan monastery on the outskirts of Wash
ington.
The Franciscan order of friars has had charge
OF the holy places of Palestine since early i'm the
thirteenth century ST. Francis of Assist, the
| founder of the order was granted their custody
by the Mohammedans. IN Washington body of
deyout monks has created an establishment which
| is memorial of all the holy shrines of Palestine
and reproduces the services taking place there
The Church ofsthe Holy Sepulcher named after
the famous basilica in Jerusalem and it's attached
monastery of Franciscan friars are situated to
the northeast of Washington, three miles from the
United States treasury, regarded as the center of
the city. The holy brothers were wise in their
selection of their site, when some 10 years ago
! they chose the glorious wooded eminence now
known as Mount st. Sepulcher, overlooking miles
upon miles of verdant Maryland on one side and
III
is gracious spot and fitting place for the re-
production of the most sacred places of earth.
In the great church, built upon Byzantine lines
restrained by the rule of simplicity of the order
in the form of the ive-fod cross which was the
coat-of-arms of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem
are assembled faithful reproductions of the holy
shrnes of Palestine each separate and distinct
but all combined in beautiful and harmonious
whole
The chief feature of the church. as of the whole
establishment is the holy Sepulcher. which is an
exact reproduction of the original tomb preserved
in Jerusalem the holy of holes and sheltered
by the magnificent Church of Holy Sepulcher
the mecca of all Christians. 1t was TO preserve
the tomb of Christ that many of the crusaders
of old from various parts of the world laid down
their lives.
The holy sepulcher in the monastery church
here as in Jerusalem, consists of two apartments
The outer apartment is called the Chapel of the
Angel because the angel was found seated here
on the morning of the first Easter. And the inner
chamber which is the tomb. The chapel of the
angel is entered by low arched doorway,
mounted by a large relief panel representing
Christ rising from the tomb. casket of stone
in the center of the chamber contains fragment
of stone from Jerusalem.
Through an archway so low that must stoop
far to enter it is the sepulcher of Christ 1t is
replica of the bare, rock-hewn CELL the tomb of
Joseph of Arimathea, in which Christ laid
after MS cruclf1X10n. In the original Sepulcher
a slab of marble has been laid over the tomb to
cover it from desecrating hands. Here that slab
is reproduced and its lies figure of the
Christ who. after the amounting of his body lay
| here in death from Good Friday until his resur-
| rection Easter morn.
| Above the tomb is a facsimile of the silver
! lief panel of Raphae's Resurrection which
Cardinal Antonelli donated to the holy sepucher.
| In Jerusalem the soft lamps which dimly light the
| sacred chamber of gold, silver and precious
| stones. Here the reproductions are of simpler
| materials but produce the same effect upon the
| hallowed spot
1t is at the holy sepucher that the holy eu-
chariSt is administered to the throngs who come
| to this most sacred shrine Easter Sunday
! Ing.
Above the holy sepulcher and reached by two
flights of marble steps is the altar of Thabor rep
| resenting the commonly known Mount Tabor.
where the TRANSPORTATION of Christ took place in
! the presence of Moses and Elias
To the left of the holy sepulcher, and the altar
| of ThabOr is the chapel of st. Francis The
Sweet Saint of Assist is here represented in
the figure above the altar receiving the
brace of Lord, according to the conception
| of Murillo A relief panel on either side of the
| figure represents, the right st. Francis bless
| ing st. Louis. king of France and st. Elizabeth,
| queen of Hungary, and the left his stgmati-
| cation.
The altar of Calvary, set high above the main
! entrance to the church. is a replica of the Greek
| altar at Jerusalem which covers the place of the
| skull" where the Savior of the world gave IN
i his life for mankind. Behind the altar is an im-
| pressive group of the crueifxion consisting of
| the figure of tie Crucified, with the Virgin Mary
and st. John on either side. Beyond these figures