The Irish standard., 1920-05-01
Saturday. May I. 1870
(coatiaued from page y
Pil9rimaees to Mon
astry Near WASH
in9ton, D. G..

Snall De glorious" 1t is the chief at.
traction Of the Monastery. Before
the tomb stands the Stone of the
Amounting. marking the place where
the body of Christ was annointed and
prepared for burial, after the manner
of the Jews Of His time. This fac.
simile is of Palestine marble. In the
vestibule of the Sepulchre is the
Chapel of the Angel, which has all the,
appearance of that which encloses the
rock from which the primitive tomb
was hewn.
Originally this vestibule or outer
chamber was an ante-room for mourn
ers. Here 1t was that the Angel
rested the first Easter morn after
having rolled away the great rock that
sealed the tomb. The copy contains
q stone from Jerusalem. From this
chamber one enters through q low
doorway into the Sepulchre. The rock
upon which Christ's body lay is pro.
tected. in the original at Jerusalem,
by slab of the most perfect marble.
This slab has counterpart in the
shrine OF the Sepulchre at the Wash
ington monastery.
Memorial lamps hanging from the
ceiling, copy Of Raphael's "Resur-
rection," which is a facsimile of the
silver panel that Cardinal Antonelli
donated to the Holy Sepulchre, rich
laces and beautiful tabernacle are
among the chief embellishments of
this shrine.
Out in the grounds surrounding the
monastery these Monks have con-
structed three grottos which by their
size, cost and fidelity to the originals
excite the interest and admiration of
the thousands who view them every
year. These are reproductions of the
grotto in the Garden of Gethsemane,
where the Saviour prayed on the eve
of His crucifixion, the tomb of the
Blessed Virgin, and the grotto of Our
Lady of Lourdes.
The "Grotto of the Agony" is cut
into the side of the slope and is so
carefully done that it appears to be
natural cave. The earthly stain on
the rocks, the color of the roughness
of the lines help to give the impress
sion Of reality. The original grotto
outside Jerusalem has remained prac-,
tically in its primitive state. It has
changed but little since that night be.
fore Good Friday.
A considerable building forms the
replica of the Blessed Virgins Tomb.
This follows the tradition that the
Mother Of Christ was buried at Naz.
areth and that her sacred body re-
NAMED in the tomb three days before
her assumption into Heaven. Near
the tomb is the grotto of Lourdes.
which was built after a model OBJ
tanned by studies of the original. It
is so exactly wrought that it is diff.
cult to believe that what appear to be
outcroppings Of stone are in fact arti-
fetal rocks Of cement.
Repilcas Of catacombs.
While not directly connected with
the shrines Of the Holy Places. the
reproduction of . section of the Cata-
combs is IN appropriate addition to
them. The inscriptions, pictures and
crypts In these catacombs beneath the
monastery are counterparts in every
respect Of originals which survive
from the ages when Christians made
refugees and sanctuaries of the sub.
terranean galleries they constructed
under Rome-some 600 or 800 miles of
them.
The martyrs crypt in these Amer
lean catacombs initiates one Of the
many chapels to be found in the true
Catacombs. In this crypt repose the
relics Of st. Benignus in the breast
of a wax figure Of the martyr. All
the symbolism of the Christian Cata-
combs is to be seen here-the peacock
or phoenix, typifying the fesurrection;
the Greek letters Alpha and Omega,
signifying the beginning and the end;
the anchor, emblem Of hope, and the
tree bearing fruit, and sheltering q
lamb, symbol Of tho Church.
From these replicas as from the
Cataconbs themselves the Christians
of the second and succeeding centur.
les testify eloquently to tho identity
Of their belief and that which Cath
olics hold today. The numerous In.
scriptions speak Of the Sacrifice Of
the Mass, prayers for the dead, tho
Eucharist and the other sacrameuts.
Two crypts Of great beauty relieve
fhA anmharnaaa nP fhoao eafacnmha