The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1922-04-19

Kubla Knan, Ghengis Khan, later Persian Shahs
all have given their share, in the shape of loot,
to the crusading soldiers Of the little fathers.
And cars and czarinas ever have been liberal
to the priests.
Some Of the ca%thednals possess treasures which
are almost incOnceivable. An altar In one of
the big monasteries Is Of solid gold. captured from
Genghis Khan and erected by Peter the Great. 1t
weighs % tons and is studded with emeralds,
rubies. pearls and s%apphires Of the Orient. The
four largest rubies in the world, worn by Emperor
Constantine, adorn the top Of 1t.
The great Ikonostaz. a special stand for ikons.
In the Uspensky cathedral, is one Of the marvels
Of the world. 1t Is Of gold and platinum and Is
studded with precious stones, among them the
lost Lala stone, said to radiate light at night and
also to have the power to heal the wOrshipers.
These stones come from the treasures Of Pharaoh.
On the Ikonostaz Is the famous inter of Nixon.
which, in addition to innumerable other priceless
Jewels, contains the pearl Of julius Caesar and the
Perez pearl. These two pearls are the most
famous jewels In history. A king OF Persia who
ruled in the Fourth century, was the original pos
SCISSOR Of the "Perez." The Caesar pearl, for CEN
turtles the subject Of royal intrigue. Is said to be
the mate Of the one made famous by Cleopatra,
which she 'drank dissolved In vinegar" to i'm
press Marc Antony.
The melting Of all the gold and platinum, the
latter used almost universally in the making of
the church bells because Of its supposed wonderful
sounding quality, will bring millions In gold rubles.
The poorest of provincial churches are the
wealthiest factors in the country. From ancient
times these churches have been the recipients of
untold offerings Every religious holiday adds to
the wealth Of the shrine.
The shadowy archives of the Russian church
are interviewer with threads OF Oriental splendOr.
The magnlfcence of its priceless collection of treas
ures. some Of them secreted in repositories un-
known to the authorities, is unparalleled in the
world. No other country ever has owned even in
its most prosperous days anything like the marvels
belonging to the Russian church.
Some OF the most famous jewels are kept in
frames Of gold and adorn the ikon-stands and
walls OF nonasteries. The candlesticks. the al
tars, the ikons. even the gates are masses Of in
valuable Jewels and precious metal. The opulent
gorgeousness Of the cathedrals almost Is beyond
the widest imagination.
Perhaps the least known Of the hidden treasures
Of the churches Is nothing else than q bed. This
bed Is Of solid gold, Its pillars incrusted with pearls
and diamonds, its head and foot adorned with the
Romanoff crest set with almost priceless emeralds
It is the bed OF a slave girl-a beautiful Circassian,
who was captured in q Tartar raid and who be-
came first the favOrite OF q car and then his car
ina. This was Anastasia, whom Ivan the Terrible
loved and then beheaded with his own sword.
One night the palace was stormed by the mob
which carried on the gold bed, and. having NJ
other place to put 1t where II would be safe. car
ried it to the holy Of Holes Of the most mag
nifcent cathedral. This was the Vladimir cathe
dral, which still stands. Since then It has rested
behind the altar. Every year the priests have
showered upon It jewels given them by those VIII.
have kept alive the memory Of the Circassian.