Chapter XV: The Borgo and St. Peter's (2)

"The cupola is glorious, viewed in its design, its altitude, or
even its decorations; viewed either as a whole or as a part, it
enchants the eye, it satisfies the taste, it expands the soul. The
very air seems to eat up all that is harsh or colossal, and leaves
us nothing but the sublime to feast on:--a sublime peculiar as the
genius of the immortal architect, and comprehensible only on the
spot."--_Forsyth._

"Ce dôme, en le considérant même d'en bas, fait éprouver une sorte
de terreur; on croit voir des abîmes suspendus sur sa
tête."--_Madame de Staël._

_The Baldacchino_, designed by Bernini in 1633, is of bronze, with gilt ornaments, and was made chiefly with bronze taken from the roof of the Pantheon. It covers the high altar, which is only used on the most solemn occasions. Only the pope can celebrate mass there, or a cardinal who is authorised by a papal brief.

"Without a sovereign priest officiating before and for his people,
St. Peter's is but a grand aggregation of splendid churches,
chapels, tombs, and works of art. With him, it becomes a whole, a
single, peerless temple, such as the world never saw before. That
central pile, with its canopy of bronze as lofty as the Farnese
Palace, with its deep-diving stairs leading to a court walled and
paved with precious stones, that yet seems only a vestibule to some
cavern or catacomb, with its simple altar that disdains ornament in
the presence of what is beyond the reach of human price,--that
which in truth forms the heart of the great body, placed just where
the heart should be, is then animated, and surrounded by living and
moving sumptuousness. The immense cupola above it, ceases to be a
dome over a sepulchre, and becomes a canopy over an altar; the
quiet tomb beneath is changed into the shrine of relics below the
place of sacrifice--the saints under the altar;--the quiet spot at
which a few devout worshippers at most times may be found, bowing
under the hundred lamps, is crowded by rising groups, beginning
from the lowest step, increasing in dignity and in richness of
sacred robes, till, at the summit and in the centre, stands supreme
the pontiff himself, on the very spot which becomes him, the one
living link in a chain, the first ring of which is rivetted to the
shrine of the Apostles below.... St. Peter's is only itself when
the pope is at the high altar, and hence only by, or for, him it is
used."--_Cardinal Wiseman._

The four huge piers which support the dome are used as shrines for the four great relics of the church, viz., 1. The lance of S. Longinus, the soldier who pierced the side of our Saviour, presented to Innocent VIII., by Pierre d'Aubusson, grandmaster of the Knights of Rhodes, who had received it from the Sultan Bajazet;[332] 2. The head of St. Andrew, said to have been brought from Achaia in 1460, when its arrival was celebrated by Pius II.; 3. A portion of the true cross, brought by Sta. Helena; 4. The napkin of Sta. Veronica, said, doubtless from the affinity of names, to bear the impression--vera-icon--of our Saviour's face.

"The 'Volto-Santo,' said to be the impress of the countenance of
our Saviour on the handkerchief of Sta. Veronica, or Berenice,
which wiped his brow on the way to Calvary, was placed in the
Vatican by John VII., in 707, and afterwards transferred to the
Church of Santo Spirito, where six Roman noblemen had the care of
it, each taking charge of one of the keys with which it was locked
up. Among the privileges enjoyed for this office, was that of
receiving, every year, from the hospital of Santo Spirito at the
feast of Pentecost, two cows, whose flesh, an ancient chronicle
says, 'si mangiavano lì, con gran festa.' In 1440, this picture was
carried back to St. Peter's, whence it has not since been moved.
When I examined the head on the Veronica handkerchief, it struck me
as undoubtedly a work of early Byzantine art, perhaps of the
seventh or eighth century, painted on linen. It is with implicit
acceptance of its claims that Petrarch alludes to it--'verendam
populis Salvatoris Imaginem.' Ep. ix., lib. 2. During the
republican domination in 1849, it was rumoured that about Easter,
the canons of St. Peter saw the Volto-Santo turn pale, and
ominously change colour while they gazed upon it."--_Hemans'
Catholic Italy_, vol. i.

The ceremony of exhibiting the relics from the balcony above the statue of Sta. Veronica takes place on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Day, but the height is so great that nothing can really be distinguished.

"To-day we gazed on the Veronica--the holy impression left by our
Saviour's face on the cloth Sta. Veronica presented to him to wipe
his brow, bowed under the weight of the Cross. We had looked
forward to this sight for days, for seven thousand years of
indulgence from penance are attached to it.

"But when the moment came we could see nothing but a black board
hung with a cloth, before which another white cloth was held. In a
few minutes this was withdrawn, and the great moment was over, the
glimpse of the sacred thing on which hung the fate of seven
thousand years."--_Schönberg-Cotta Chronicles._

The niches in the piers are occupied by four statues, of Longinus, St. Andrew, Sta. Helena, and Sta. Veronica, holding the napkin or "sudarium," "flourishing a marble pocket-handkerchief."[333]

"Malheureusement toutes ces statues pèchent par le goût. Le rococo,
mis à la mode par le Bernin, est surtout exécrable dans le genre
colossale. Mais la présence du génie de Bramante et de Michel-Ange
se fait tellement sentir, que les choses ridicules ne le sont plus
ici; elles ne sont qu' insignifiantes. Les statues colossales des
piliers représentent: St. André, par François Quesnoy (Fiammingo),
elle excita la jalousie du Bernin; St. Veronique par M. Mochi, dont
il blamait les draperies volantes (dans un endroit clos). Un
plaisant lui répondait que leur agitation provenait du vent qui
soufflait par les crevasses de la coupole, depuis qu'il avait
affaibli les piliers par des niches et tribunes: St. Hélène par A.
Bolgi, St. Longin par Bernin."--_A. Du Pays._

Not very far from the confessional, against the last pier on the right of the nave, stands the statue of St. Peter, said to have been cast by Leo the Great, from the old statue of Jupiter Capitolinus. It is of very rude workmanship. Its extended foot is eagerly kissed by Roman Catholic devotees, who then rub their foreheads against its toes. Protestants wonder at the feeling which this figure excites. Gregory II. wrote of it to Leo the Isaurian: "Christ is my witness, that when I enter the temple of the prince of the Apostles, and contemplate his image, I am filled with such emotion, that tears roll down my cheeks like the rain from heaven." On high festivals the statue is dressed up in full pontificals. On the day of the jubilee of Pius IX. (June 16, 1871), it was attired in a lace alb, stole, and gold-embroidered cope, fastened at the breast by a clasp of diamonds; and its foot was kissed by upwards of 20,000 persons during the day.

"La coutume antique chez les Grecs d'habiller et de parer les
statues sacrées s'était conservée à Rome et s'y conserve encore.
Tout le monde a vu la statue de saint Pierre revêtir dans les
grandes solennités ses magnifiques habits de pape. On lavait les
statues des dieux, on les frottait, on les frisait comme des
poupées. Les divinités du Capitole avaient un nombreux domestique
attaché à leur personne et qui était chargé de ce soin. L'usage
romain a subsisté chez les populations latines de l'Espagne et
elles l'ont porté jusqu'au Mexique où j'ai vu, à Puebla, la veille
d'une fête, une femme de chambre faire une toilette en règle à une
statue de la Vierge."--_Ampère, Hist. Rom._ iv. 91.

Along the piers of the nave and transepts are ranged statues of the different Founders, male and female, of religious Orders.

Returning to the main entrance, we will now make the tour of the basilica. Those who expect to find monuments of great historical interest will, however, be totally disappointed. Scarcely anything remains above-ground which is earlier than the sixteenth century. Of the tombs of the eighty-seven popes who were buried in the old basilica, the greater part were totally lost at its destruction,--a few were removed to other churches (those of the Piccolomini to S. Andrea della Valle, &c.), and some fragments are still to be seen in the crypt. Only two monuments were replaced in the new basilica, those of the two popes who lived in the time and excited the indignation of Savonarola--"Sixtus IV., with whose cordial concurrence the assassination of Lorenzo di Medici was attempted--and Innocent VIII., the main object of whose policy was to secure place and power for his illegitimate children."

"The side-chapels are splendid, and so large that they might serve
for independent churches. The monuments and statues are numerous,
but all are subordinate, or unite harmoniously with the large and
beautiful proportions of the chief temple. Everything there is
harmony, light, beauty--an image of the church-triumphant, but a
very worldly, earthly image; and whilst the mind enjoys its
splendour, the soul cannot, in the higher sense, be edified by its
symbolism."--_Frederika Bremer._

The first chapel on the right derives its name from the _Pietà of Michael Angelo_, representing the dead Saviour upon the knees of the Madonna, a work of the great artist in his twenty-fourth year, upon an order from the French ambassador, Cardinal Jean de Villiers, abbot of St. Denis. The sculptor has inscribed his name (the only instance in which he has done so) upon the girdle of the Virgin. Francis I. attempted to obtain this group from Michael Angelo in 1507, together with the statue of Christ at the Minerva, "comme de choses que l'on m'a assuré estre des plus exquises et excellentes en votre art." Opening from this chapel are two smaller ones. That on the right has a Crucifix by _Pietro Cavallini_; the mosaic, representing St. Nicholas of Bari, is by _Christofari_. That on the left is called _Cappella della Colonna Santa_, from a column, said to have been brought from Jerusalem, and to have been that against which our Saviour leant, when he prayed and taught in the temple. It is inscribed:

"Hæc est illa columna in qua DNS Nr Jesus XPS appodiatus dum
populo prædicabat et Deo p[=n]o preces in templo effundebat
adhærendo, stabatque una cum aliis undeci hic circumstantibus de
Salomonis templo in triumphum. Hujus Basilicæ hic locata fuit
demones expellit et immundis spiritibus vexatos liberos reddit et
multa miracula cotidie facit. P. reverendissimum pre[=m] et Dominum
Dominus. Card. de Ursinis. A.D. MDCCCXXXVIII."

A more interesting object in this chapel is the sarcophagus (once used as a font) of Anicius Probus, a prefect of Rome in the fourth century, of the great family of the Anicii, to which St. Gregory the Great belonged. Its five compartments have bas-reliefs, representing Christ and the Apostles.

Returning to the aisle, on the right, is the tomb of Leo XII., Annibale della Genga (1823--29) by _Fabris_; on the left is the tomb of Christina of Sweden, daughter of Gustavus Adolphus, who died at Rome, 1689, by _Carlo Fontana_, with a bas-relief by Teudon, representing her abjuration of Protestantism in 1655, in the cathedral of Innspruck.

On the right is the altar of St. Sebastian, with a mosaic copy of Domenichino's picture at Sta. Maria degli Angeli; beyond which is the tomb of Innocent XII., Antonio Pignatelli (1691--1700). This was the last pope who wore the martial beard and moustache, which we see represented in his statue. Pignatella is Italian for a little cream-jug; in allusion to this we may see three little cream-jugs in the upper decorations of this monument, which is by _Filippo Valle_. On the left is the tomb, by _Bernini_, of the Countess Matilda, foundress of the temporal power of the popes, who died in 1115, was buried in a monastery near Mantua, and transported hither by Urban VIII. in 1635. The bas-relief represents the absolution of Henry IV. of Germany, by Hildebrand, which took place at her intercession and in her presence.

We now reach, on the right, the large _Chapel of the Santissimo Sacramento_, decorated with a fresco altar-piece, representing the Trinity, by _Pietro da Cortona_, and a tabernacle of lapis-lazuli and gilt bronze, copied from Bramante's little temple at S. Pietro in Montorio. Here is the magnificent tomb of Sixtus IV., Francesco della Rovere (1471--81), removed from the choir of the old St. Peter's, where it was erected by his nephew, Cardinal Giulio della Rovere, afterwards Pope Julius II. This pope's reign was entirely occupied with politics, and he was secretly involved in the conspiracy of the Pazzi at Florence; he was the first pope who carried nepotism to such an extent as to found a principality (Imola and Forli) for his nephew Girolamo Riario. The tomb is a beautiful work of the Florentine artist, _Antonio Pollajuola_, in 1493. The figure of the pope reposes upon a bronze couch, surrounded, in memory of his having taught successively in the six great universities of Italy, with allegorical bas-reliefs of Arithmetic, Astrology, Philology, Rhetoric, Grammar, Perspective, Music, Geography, Philosophy, and Theology, which last is represented like a pagan Diana, with a quiver of arrows on her shoulders. Close to this monument of his uncle, a flat stone in the pavement marks the grave of Julius II., for whom the grand tomb at S. Pietro in Vincoli was intended.

Returning to the aisle, we see on the right the tomb of Gregory XIII., Ugo Buoncompagni (1572--85), during whose reign the new calendar was invented, an event commemorated in a bas-relief upon the monument, which was not erected till 1723, and is by _Camillo Rusconi_. The figure of the pope (he died aged eighty-four) is in the attitude of benediction: beneath are Wisdom, represented as Minerva, and Faith, holding a tablet inscribed, "Novi opera hujus et fidem." Opposite this is the paltry tomb of Gregory XIV., Nicolo Sfrondati (1590--91).

"Le tombeau de Gregoire XIII., que le massacre de Saint Barthélemy
réjouit si fort, est de marbre. Le tombeau de stuc ou d'abord il
avait été placé, a été accordé, après son départ, au cendres de
Grégoire XIV."--_Stendhal._

On the left, against the great pier, is a mosaic copy of Domenichino's Communion of St. Jerome. On the right is the chapel of the Madonna, founded by Gregory XIII., and built by Giacomo della Porta. The cupola has mosaics by Girolamo Muziano. Beneath the altar is buried St. Gregory Nazianzen, removed hither from the convent of Sta. Maria in the Campo Marzo by Gregory XIII.

St. Gregory Nazianzen (or St. Gregory Theologos) was son of St.
Gregory and St. Nonna, and brother of St. Gorgonia and St. Cesarea.
He was born _c._ A.D. 328. In his childhood he was influenced by a
vision of the two virgins, Temperance and Chastity, summoning him
to pursue them to the joys of Paradise. Being educated at Athens
(together with Julian the Apostate), he formed there a great
friendship with St. Basil. He became first the coadjutor,
afterwards the successor, of his father, in the bishopric of
Nazianzen, but removed thence to Constantinople, where he preached
against the Arians. By the influence of Theodosius, he was ordained
Bishop of Constantinople, but was so worn out by the cabals and
schisms in the Church, that he resigned his office, and retired to
his paternal estate, where he passed the remainder of his life in
the composition of Greek hymns and poems. He died May 9, A.D. 390.

On the right is the tomb of Benedict XIV., Prospero Lambertini (1740--58), by _Pietro Bracci_, a huge and ugly monument. On the left is the tomb of Gregory XVI., Mauro-Cappellari (1831--46), by _Amici_, erected in 1855 by the cardinals he had created.

Turning into the right transept, used as a council-chamber (for which purpose it proved thoroughly unsatisfactory), 1869--70, we find several fine mosaics from pictures, viz.: The Martyrdom of SS. Processus and Martinianus from the Valentin at the Vatican; the Martyrdom of St. Erasmus from Poussin; St. Wenceslaus, king of Bohemia, from Caroselli; Our Saviour walking on the sea to the boat of St. Peter, from Lanfranco.

Opposite to the last-named mosaic is the famous monument of Clement XIII., Carlo Rezzonico (1758--69), in whose reign the Order of Jesuits was attacked by all the sovereigns of the house of Bourbon, and expelled from Portugal, France, Spain, Naples, and Parma. The pope, who had long defended them, was about to yield to the pressure put upon him and had called a consistory for their suppression, but died suddenly on the evening before its assembling. This tomb, the greatest work of Canova, was uncovered April 4, 1795, in the presence of an immense crowd, with whom the sculptor mingled, disguised as an abbé, to hear their opinion. The pope (aged 75) is represented in prayer, upon a pedestal, beneath which is the entrance to a vault, guarded by two grand marble lions. On the right is Religion, standing erect with a cross; on the left the Genius of Death, holding a torch reversed. The beauty of this work of Canova is only felt when it is compared with the monuments of the seventeenth century in St. Peter's; "then it seems as if they were separated by an abyss of centuries."[334]

Beyond this are mosaics from the St. Michael of Guido at the Cappuccini, and from the Martyrdom of St. Petronilla, of Guercino, at the Capitol. Each of these large mosaics has cost about 150,000 francs.

Now, on the right, is the tomb of Clement X., Gio. Baptista Altieri (1670--76), by _Rossi_, the statue by _Ercole Ferrata_; and on the left, is a mosaic of St. Peter raising Tabitha from the dead, by Costanzi.

Ascending into the tribune, we see at the end of the church, beneath the very ugly window of yellow glass, the "Cathedra Petri" of _Bernini_, supported by figures of the four Fathers of the Church, Augustine, Ambrose, Chrysostom, and Athanasius. Enclosed in this, is a very ancient wooden senatorial chair, encrusted with ivory, which is believed to have been the episcopal throne of St. Peter and his immediate successors. Late Roman Catholic authorities (Mgr. Gerbet, &c.) consider that it may perhaps have been originally the chair of the senator Pudens, with whom the apostle lodged. A magnificent festival in honour of St. Peter's chair (Natale Petri de Cathedra) has been annually celebrated here from the earliest times, and is mentioned in a calendar of Pope Liberius of A.D. 354. It was said that if any pope were to reign longer than the traditional years of the government of St. Peter (Pius IX. is the first pope who has done so), St. Peter's chair would be again brought into use.

On the right of the chair is the tomb of Urban VIII., Matteo Barberini (1623--44), who was chiefly remarkable from his passion for building, and who is perpetually brought to mind through the immense number of his erections which still exist. The tomb is by _Bernini_, the architect of his endless fountains and public buildings, and has the usual fault of this sculptor in overloading his figures (except in that of Urban himself, which is very fine,[335]) with meaningless drapery. Figures of Charity and Justice stand by the black marble sarcophagus of the pope, and a gilt skeleton is occupied in inscribing the name of Urban on the list of Death. The whole monument is alive with the bees of the Barberini. The pendant tomb on the left is that of Paul III., Alessandro Farnese (1534--50), in whose reign the Order of the Jesuits was founded. This pope (the first Roman who had occupied the throne for 103 years--since Martin V.) was learned, brilliant, and witty. He was adored by his people, in spite of his intense nepotism, which induced him to form Parma into a duchy for his natural son Pierluigi, to build the Farnese Palace, and to marry his grandson Ottavio to Marguerite, natural daughter of Charles V., to whom he gave the Palazzo Madama and the Villa Madama as a dowry. His tomb, by _Guglielmo della Porta_, perhaps the finest in St. Peter's, cost 24,000 Roman crowns; it was erected in the old basilica just before its destruction in 1562,--and in 1574 was transferred to this church, where its position was the source of a quarrel between the sculptor and Michael Angelo, by whose interest he had obtained his commission.[336] It was first placed on the site where the Veronica now stands, whence it was moved to its present position in 1629. The figure of the pope is in bronze. In its former place four marble statues adorned the pedestal; two are now removed to the Farnese Palace; those which remain, of Prudence and Justice, were once entirely nude, but were draped by Bernini. The statue of Prudence is said to represent Giovanna Gaetani da Sermoneta, the mother of the pope, and that of Justice his famous sister-in-law, Giulia.

"On a dit de ces figures que c'était le Rubens en sculpture."--_A.
Du Pays._

Near the steps of the tribune are two marble slabs, on which Pius IX. has immortalised the names of the cardinals and bishops who, on December 8, 1854, accepted, on this spot, his dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

Turning towards the left transept;--on the left is a mosaic of St. Peter healing the lame man, from _Mancini_. On the right is the tomb of Alexander VIII., Pietro Ottobuoni (1689--91), by _Giuseppe Verlosi_ and _Angelo Rossi_, gorgeous in its richness of bronze, marbles, and alabasters. Beyond this is the altar of Leo the Great, over which is a huge bas-relief, by _Algardi_, representing S. Leo calling down the assistance of SS. Peter and Paul against the invasion of Attila.

"The king of the Huns, terrified by the apparition of the two
apostles in the air, turns his back and flies. We have here a
picture in marble, with all the faults of taste and style which
prevailed at that time, but the workmanship is excellent; it is,
perhaps, the largest bas-relief in existence, excepting the rock
sculpture of the Indians and Egyptians--at least fifteen feet in
height."--_Jameson's Sacred Art_, p. 685.

Next to this is the Cappella della Colonna, possessing a much revered Madonna from a pillar of the old basilica, and beneath it an ancient Christian sarcophagus containing the remains of Leo II. (ob. 683), Leo III. (ob. 816), and Leo IV. (ob. 855). In the pavement near these two altars is the slab tomb of Leo XII. (ob. 1828), with an epitaph illustrating Invocation of Saints, but touching in its humility.

"Commending myself, a suppliant, to my great celestial patron Leo,
I, Leo XII., his humble client, unworthy of so great a name, have
chosen a place of sepulture, near his holy ashes."

Over the door known as the Porta Sta. Marta (from the church in the square behind St. Peter's, to which it leads), is the tomb of Alexander VII., Fabio Chigi (1655--67), the last work of _Bernini_, who had built for this pope the Scala-Regia and the Colonnade of St. Peter's. This is, perhaps, the worst of all the papal monuments--a hideous figure of Death is pushing aside an alabaster curtain and exhibiting his hour-glass to the kneeling pope.

Opposite to this tomb is an oil painting on slate, by _Francesco Vanni_, of the Fall of Simon Magus. The south transept has a series of mosaic pictures; The Incredulity of St. Thomas from Camuccini, the Crucifixion of St. Peter and a St. Francis from Guido, and, on the pier of the Cupola, Ananias and Sapphira from the Roncalli at Sta. Maria degli Angeli, and the Transfiguration from Raphael.[337]

Opposite the mosaic of Ananias and Sapphira is the last tomb erected in St. Peter's, that of Pius VIII., Francesco Castiglione (1829--31), by _Tenerani_. It represents the pope kneeling, and above him the Saviour in benediction, with SS. Peter and Paul. It is of no great merit.

The Cappella Clementina has the Miracle of St. Gregory the Great from the Andrea Sacchi at the Vatican. Close to this is the fine tomb of Pius VII., Gregorio Chiaramonte (1800--23), who crowned Napoleon,--who suffered exile for seven years for refusing to abdicate the temporal power,--and who returned in triumph to die at the Quirinal, after having re-established the Order of the Jesuits. His monument is the work of _Thorwaldsen_, graceful and simple, though perhaps too small to be in proportion to the neighbouring tombs. The figure of the pope, a gentle old man (he died at the age of eighty-one, having reigned twenty-three years), is seated in a chair; figures of Courage and Faith adorn the pedestal. The tomb was erected by Cardinal Gonsalvi, the faithful friend and minister of this pope (who died very poor, having spent all his wealth in charity), at an expense of 27,000 scudi.

Turning into the left aisle,--on the right is the tomb of Leo XI., Alessandro de Medici (1605), to which one is inclined to grudge so much space, considering that the pope it commemorates only reigned twenty-six days. The tomb, in allusion to this short life, is sculptured with flowers, and bears the motto, _Sic Florui_. It is the work of _Algardi_. The figures of Wisdom and Abundance, which adorn the pedestal, are fine specimens of this allegorical type.

Opposite, is the tomb of Innocent XI., Benedetto Odescalchi (1676--89), by _Etienne Monot_, with a bas-relief representing the raising of the siege of Vienna by King John Sobieski.

Near this, is the entrance to the Cappella del Coro, the very inconvenient chapel (decorated with gilding and stucco by Giacomo della Porta), in which the vesper services are held. The altar-piece is a mosaic copy of the Conception by Pietro Bianchi at the Angeli. In the pavement is the gravestone of Clement XI., Giov. Francesco Albani (1700--21).

Under the next arch of the aisle, on the left, is the interesting tomb of Innocent VIII., Gio. Battista Cibò (1484--92), by Pietro and Antonio Pollajuolo. The pope is represented asleep upon his sarcophagus, and a second time above, seated on a throne, his right hand extended in benediction, and his left holding the sacred lance of Longinus (said to have been that which pierced the side of our Saviour), sent to him by the sultan Bajazet. It is supposed that it was owing to the representation of this relic, that this tomb alone (except that of Sixtus IV., uncle of the destroyer), was replaced after the destruction of the old basilica. Upon the sarcophagus of the pope is inscribed, in allusion to the name of Innocent, the 11th verse of the 26th Psalm, "In innocentiâ meâ ingressus sum, redime me Domine et miserere mei." Opposite, is a tomb which is a kind of Memento Mori to the living pope, which always bears the name of his predecessor, and in which his corpse will be deposited, till his real tomb is prepared. "This tomb is now empty, and awaits its prey, Pius IX."[338]

Passing the Cappella della Presentazione, which contains a mosaic from the "Presentation of the Virgin," by _Romanelli_, we reach the last arch, which contains the tombs of the Stuarts. On the right is the monument, by _Filippo Barigioni_, of Maria Clementina Sobieski, wife of James III., called in the inscription "Queen of Great Britain, France, and Ireland"; on the left is that by Canova to the three Stuart princes, James III. and his sons, Charles Edward, and Henry--Cardinal York. It bears this inscription:

"JACOBO III.
JACOBI II., MAGNÆ BRIT. REGIS FILIO
KAROLO EDOARDO
ET HENRICO, DECANO PATRUM
CARDINALIUM,
JACOBI III. FILIIS,
REGLÆ STIRPIS STVARDIÆ POSTREMIS
ANNO MDCCCXIX
BEATI MORTUI QUI IN DOMINO MORIUNTUR."

"George IV., fidèle à sa réputation du _gentleman_ le plus accompli
des trois royaumes, a voulu honorer la cendre des princes
malheureux que de leur vivant il eût envoyés à l'échafaud s'ils
fussent tombés en son pouvoir."--_Stendhal._

"Beneath the unrivalled dome of St. Peter's, lie mouldering the
remains of what was once a brave and gallant heart; and a stately
monument from the chisel of Canova, and at the charge, as I
believe, of the house of Hanover, has since arisen to the memory of
_James the Third, Charles the Third, and Henry the Ninth, Kings of
England_,--names which an Englishman can scarcely read without a
smile or a sigh! Often at the present day does the British
traveller turn from the sunny crest of the Pincian, or the carnival
throng of the Corso, to gaze, in thoughtful silence, on that
mockery of human greatness, and that last record of ruined hopes!
The tomb before him is of a race justly expelled; the magnificent
temple that enshrines it is of a faith wisely reformed; yet who at
such a moment would harshly remember the errors of either, and
might not join in the prayer even of that erring Church for the
departed, 'Requiescant in pace.'"--_Lord Mahon._

The last chapel is the Baptistery, and contains, as a font, the ancient porphyry cover of the sarcophagus of Hadrian, which was afterwards used for the tomb of the Emperor Otho II. The mosaic of the Baptism of our Saviour is from Carlo Maratta.

Distributed around the whole basilica are confessionals for every Christian tongue.

"Au milieu de toutes les créations hardies et splendides de l'art
dans le basilique de St. Pierre, il est une impression morale qui
saisit l'esprit, à la vue des confessionaux des diverses langues.
Il y a là encore une autre espèce de grandeur."--_A. Du Pays._

_The Crypt of St. Peter's_ can always be visited by gentlemen, on application in the sacristy; but by ladies only with a special permission. The entrance is near the statue of Sta. Veronica. The visitor is terribly hurried in his inspection of this, the most historically interesting part of the basilica, and the works of art it contains are so ill-arranged, as to be difficult to investigate or remember. The crypt is divided into two portions, the _Grotte Nuove_, occupying the area beneath the dome, and opening into some ancient lateral chapels,--and the _Grotte Vecchie_, which extended under the whole nave of the old basilica, and reaches as far as the Cappella del Coro of the present edifice.

The first portion entered is a corridor in the Grotte Nuove. Hence open, on the right, two ancient chapels. The first, _Sta. Maria in Portico_, derives its name from a picture of the Virgin, attributed to _Simone Memmi_, which stood in the portico of the old basilica; it contains, besides several statues from the magnificent monument of Nicholas V., which perished with the old church, a statue of St. Peter which stood in the portico, and the cross which crowned its summit. The second chapel, _Sta. Maria delle Partorienti_, has a mosaic of our Saviour in benediction, from the tomb of Otho II.; a mosaic of the Virgin, of the eighth century; several ancient inscriptions; and, at the entrance, statues of the two apostles James, from the tomb of Nicholas V. Behind this chapel were preserved the remains of Leo II., III., and IX., till they were removed to the upper church by Leo XII.

Entering the _Grotte Vecchie_, we find a nave and aisles separated by pilasters with low arches. Following the south aisle we are first arrested by the marble inscription relating to the donation of lands made by the Countess Matilda to the church in 1102. Near this is the small _Cappella del Salvatore_, containing a bas-relief of the Virgin and Child by _Arnolfo_, which once decorated the tomb of Boniface VIII.,--and the grave of Charlotte, Queen of Cyprus, who died in 1487. Near this are the sepulchral urns of the three Stuart princes, commemorated in the upper church. At the end of this aisle is the tomb of the Emperor Otho II., who died at Rome in A.D. 983; this formerly stood in the portico of the basilica.

Here is the empty tomb of Alexander VI., Rodrigo Borgia (1492--1503), the wicked and avaricious father of Cæsar and Lucretia, who is believed to have died of the poison which he intended for one of his cardinals. The body of this pope was not allowed to rest in peace. Julius II., the bitter enemy of the Borgias, turned it out of its tomb, and had it carried to S. Giacomo degli Spagnuoli, whence, when that church was pulled down, it was taken to Sta. Maria di Monserrato. The empty sarcophagus is surmounted by the figure of Alexander, who was himself a handsome old man, and in whose features may be traced the lineaments of the splendid Cæsar Borgia, known to us from the picture in the Borghese Palace.

At the end of the central nave is the sarcophagus of Christina of Sweden, who has a monument in the upper church.

The first tomb in the south aisle, beginning from the west, is that of Boniface VIII., Benedetto Gaetani (1294--1303).

"The last prince of the Church, who understood the papacy in the
sense of universal dominion, in the spirit of Gregory VII., of
Alexander and Innocent III. Two kings held the bridle of his
palfrey as he rode from St Peter's to the Lateran after his
election. He received Dante as the ambassador of Florence; in 1300
he instituted the jubilee; and his reign--filled with contests with
Philip le Bel of France and the Colonnas--ended in his being taken
prisoner in his palace at Anagni by Sciarra Colonna and William of
Nogaret, and subjected to the most cruel indignities. He was
rescued by his fellow-citizens and conducted to Rome by the Orsini,
but he died thirty seven days after of grief and mortification. The
Ghibelline story relates that he sate alone silently gnawing the
top of his staff, and at length dashed out his brains against the
wall, or smothered himself with his own pillows. But the
contemporary verse of the Cardinal St. George describes him as
dying quietly in the midst of his cardinals, at peace with the
world, and having received all the consolations of the
Church."--_See Milman's Latin Christianity_, vol. V.

The character of Boniface has ever been one of the battlefields of history. He was scarcely dead when the epitaph, "He came in like a fox, he ruled like a lion, he died like a dog," was proclaimed to Christendom. He was consigned by Dante to the lowest circle of Hell; yet even Dante expressed the universal shock with which Christendom beheld "the Fleur de lis enter Anagni, and Christ again captive in his Vicar,--the mockery, the gall and vinegar, the crucifixion between living robbers, the cruelty of the second Pilate." In later times, Tosti, Drumann, and lastly, Cardinal Wiseman, have engaged in his defence.

Boniface VIII. was buried with the utmost magnificence in a splendid chapel, which he had built himself, and adorned with mosaics, and where a grand tomb was erected to him. Of this nothing remains now, but the sarcophagus, which bears a majestic figure of the pope by _Arnolfo del Cambio_.

"The head is unusually beautiful, severe and noble in its form, and
corresponds perfectly with the portrait which we have (at the
Lateran) from the hand of Giotto, which represents his face as
beardless and of the most perfect oval. His head is covered by a
long, pointed mitre, like a sugar-loaf, decked with two crowns.
This proud man was indeed the first who wore the double crown,--all
his predecessors having been content with a simple crowned mitre.
This new custom existed till the tune of Urban V., by whom the
third crown was added."--_Gregorovius, Grabmäler der Päpste._

Close to that of Boniface are the sarcophagi of Pius II., Æneas Sylvius Piccolomini (1458--64) and Pius III., Antonio Todeschini Piccolomini (1503), whose monuments are removed to S. Andrea della Valle.

Next beyond Boniface is the tomb of Adrian IV. (Nicholas Breakspeare, 1154--59), the only Englishman who ever occupied the papal throne.[339] He is buried in a pagan sarcophagus of red granite, adorned with Medusa heads in relief, and without any inscription.

Opposite this, is a sarcophagus bearing the figure of Nicholas V., Tomaso di Sarzana(1447--55), being nearly all that has been preserved of the glorious tomb of that pope, who founded the Vatican library, collected around him a court of savants and poets, and "with whom opened the age of papacy to which belonged the times of Julius II. and Leo X." His epitaph, attributed to Pius II., is by his secretary Mafeo Vegio.

"The bones of Nicholas V. rest in this grave,
Who gave to thee, O Rome! thy golden age.
Famous in council, more famous in shining virtue,
He honoured wise men, who was himself the wisest of all.
He gave healing to the world, long wounded with schism,
And renewed at once its manners and customs, and the buildings
and temples of the city.
He gave an altar to St. Bernardino of Siena
When he celebrated the holy year of jubilee.
He crowned with gold the forehead of Frederick and his wife,
And gave order to the affairs of Italy by the treaty which he made.
He translated many Greek writings into the Latin tongue;--
Then offer incense to-day at his holy grave."

Next comes a remnant of the tomb of Paul II., Pietro Barbo (1464--71), chiefly remarkable for his personal beauty, of which he was so vain, that when he issued from the conclave as pope, he wished to take the name of Formosus. This pontiff built the Palazzo S. Marco, and gave a name to the Corso, by establishing the races there. He also prepared for himself one of the most splendid tombs in the old basilica, for which he obtained Mino da Fiesole as an architect It was his wish to lie in the porphyry sarcophagus of Sta. Costanza, which he stole from her church for this purpose; hence the simplicity of the existing sarcophagus, which bears his effigy. Beyond this, are sarcophagi of Julius III., Gio. Maria Ciocchi del Monte (1550--55), builder of the Villa Papa Giulio; and Nicholas III., Orsini (1277--81), who made a treaty with Rudolph of Hapsburg, and obtained from him a ratification of the donation of the Countess Matilda. Then comes the sarcophagus of Urban VI., Bartolomeo Prignani (1378--87), the sole relic of a most magnificent tomb of this cruel pope, who is believed to have died of poison. It bears his figure, and in the front, a bas-relief of him receiving the keys from St. Peter. His epitaph runs:

"Here rests the just, wise, and noble prince,
Urban VI., a native of Naples.
He, full of zeal, gave a safe refuge to the teachers of the faith.
That gained for him, noble one, a fatal poison cup at the close
of the repast.
Great was the schism, but great was his courage in opposing it,
And in the presence of this mighty pope Simony sate dumb.
But it is needless to reiterate his praises upon earth,
While heaven is shining with his immortal glory."

"Sepelitur in beati Petri Basilica, paucis admodum ejus mortem,
utpote hominis rustici et inexorabilis, flentibus. Hujus autem
sepulchrum adhuc visitur cum epitaphio satis rustico et
inepto."--_Platina._

Next come the sarcophagi of Innocent VII., Cosmato de Miliorati (1404--6), bearing his figure; of Marcellus II., Marcello Cervini (1555), who only reigned twenty-five days; and of Innocent IX., Giov. Antonio Facchinetti (1591--92), who reigned only sixty.

Near these is the urn of Agnese Gaetani Colonna, the only lady not of royal birth buried in the basilica.

Hence we return to the corridor of the Grotte Nuove, containing a number of mosaics and statues detached from different papal tombs, the best being those from that of Nicholas V. and that of Paul II., by _Mino da Fiesole_ (a figure of Charity is especially beautiful), and a bas-relief of the Virgin and Child, by _Arnolfo_, from the tomb of Benedict VIII.

Here also are a half-length statue of Boniface VIII., ascribed to _Andrea Pisano_; a half-length of Benedict XII., by _Paolo di Siena_; and a figure of St. Peter seated on a gothic throne which once supported a statue of Benedict XII.

The _Chapel of St. Longinus_ has a mosaic from a picture by Andrea Sacchi. Near the entrance of the shrine are marble reliefs of the martyrdoms of St. Peter and St. Paul. Opposite to the entrance of the shrine is the magnificent sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, Christian prefect of Rome, who died A.D. 359. It was discovered near its present site in 1595. It is adorned with admirable sculptures from the Old and New Testament.

Opening from the centre of the circular passage is the _Confession or Shrine of SS. Peter and Paul_, which contains the sarcophagus brought from the Catacomb near S. Sebastiano in 257, and which the Roman Catholic Church has always revered as that of St. Peter. On the altar, consecrated in 1122, are two ancient pictures of St. Peter and St. Paul. Only half the bodies of the saints are held to be preserved here, the other portion of that of St. Peter being at the Lateran, and of St. Paul at S. Paolo fuori Mura.

To the Roman Catholic mind this is naturally one of the most sacred spots in the world, since it holds literally the words of St. Ambrose, that: "Where Peter is, there is the Church,--and where the Church is, there is no death, but life eternal."[340]

"From this place Peter, from this place Paul, shall be caught up in
the resurrection. Oh consider with trembling that which Rome will
behold, when Paul suddenly rises with Peter from this sepulchre,
and is carried up into the air to meet the Lord."--_St. John
Chrysostom, Homily on the Ep. to the Romans._

"Among the cemeteries ascribed by tradition to apostolic times, the
crypts of the Vatican would have the first claim on our attention,
had they not been almost destroyed by the foundations of the vast
basilica which guards the tomb of St. Peter.... The _Liber
Pontificalis_ says that Anacletus, the successor of Clement in the
Apostolic See, '_built_ and adorned the sepulchral monument
(_construxit memoriam_) of blessed Peter, since he had been
ordained priest by St. Peter, and other burial-places where the
bishops might be laid.' It is added that he himself was buried
there; and the same is recorded of Linus and Cletus, and of
Evaristus, Sixtus I., Telesphorus, Hyginus, Pius I., Eleutherius,
and Victor, the last of whom was buried A.D. 203; and after St.
Victor, no other pontiff is recorded to have been buried at the
Vatican until Leo the Great was laid in St. Peter's, A.D. 461. The
idea conveyed by the words _construxit memoriam_ is that of a
monument above-ground according to the usual Roman custom; and we
have seen that such a monument, even though it covered the tomb of
Christian bishops, would not be likely to be disturbed at any time
during the first or second century. For the reason we have already
stated, it is impossible to confront these ancient notices with any
existing monuments. It is worth mentioning, however, that De Rossi
believes that the sepulchre of St. Linus was discovered in this
very place early in the seventeenth century, bearing simply the
name of Linus."--_Northcote and Brownlow, Roma Setterranea._

To ascend the _Dome of St. Peter's_ requires a special order. The entrance is from the first door in the left aisle, near the tomb of Maria-Clementina Sobieski. The ascent is by an easy staircase _à cordoni_, the walls of which bear memorial tablets of all the royal personages who have ascended it. The aspect of the roof is exceedingly curious from the number of small domes and houses of workmen with which it is studded,--quite a little village in themselves. A chamber in one of the pillars which support the dome contains a model of the ancient throne of St. Peter, and a model of the church, by Michael Angelo and his predecessor, Antonio di Sangallo. The dome is 300 feet above the roof, and 613½ feet in circumference. An iron staircase leads thence to the ball, which is capable of containing sixteen persons.

"Cette hauteur fait frémir," dit Beyle, "quand on songe aux
tremblements de terre qui agitent fréquemment l'Italie, et qu'un
instant peut vous priver du plus beau monument qui existe.
Certainement jamais il ne serait relevé: nous sommes trop
_raisonables_."

"De Brosse raconte que deux moines espagnoles, qui se trouvaient
dons la boule de St. Pierre lors de la secousse de 1730, eurent une
telle peur, que l'un d'eux mourut sur la place."--_A. Du Pays._

_The Sacristy of St. Peter's_, which is entered by a grey marble door on the left, before turning into the south transept, was built by Pius VI., in 1755, from designs of _Carlo Marchione_. It consists of three halls, with a corridor adorned with columns and inscriptions from the old church, and with statues of SS. Peter and Paul, which stood in front of it. The central hall, _Sagrestia Commune_, is adorned with eight fluted pillars of grey marble (bigio) from Hadrian's Villa. On the left is the _Sagrestia dei Canonici_, with the Cappella dei Canonici, which has two pictures, the Madonna and Saints (Anna, Peter, and Paul), by _Francesco Penni_, and the Madonna and Child, _Giulio Romano_. Hence opens the _Stanza Capitolare_, containing an interesting remnant of the many works of Giotto in the old basilica under Boniface VIII. (for which he received 3020 gold florins), in three panel pictures belonging to the ciborium for the high altar ordered by Cardinal Stefaneschi, and representing,--Christ with that Cardinal,--the Crucifixion of St. Peter,--the Execution of St. Peter,--and on the back of the same panel, another picture, in which Cardinal Stefaneschi is offering his ciborium to St. Peter.

"The fragments which are preserved of the painting which Giotto
executed for the Church of St. Peter cannot fail to make us regret
its loss. The fragments are treated with a grandeur of style which
has led Rumohr to suspect that the susceptible imagination of
Giotto was unable to resist the impression which the ancient
mosaics of the Christian basilicas must have produced upon
him."--_Rio. Poetry of Christian Art._

Here also are several fragments of the frescoes (of angels and apostles), by _Melozzo da Forlì_, which existed in the former dome of the SS. Apostoli, and of which the finest portion is now at the Quirinal Palace. On the right is the _Sagrestia dei Benefiziati_, which contains a picture of the Saviour giving the keys to St. Peter, by _Muziano_, and an image called La Madonna della Febbre, which stood in the old Sacristy. Opening hence is the _Treasury of St. Peter's_, containing some ancient jewels, crucifixes, and candelabra, by Benvenuto Cellini and Michael Angelo, and, among other relics, the famous sacerdotal robe called the _Dalmatica di Papa San Leone_, "said to have been embroidered at Constantinople for the coronation of Charlemagne as Emperor of the West, but fixed by German criticism as a production of the twelfth, or the early part of the thirteenth century. The emperors, at least, have worn it ever since, while serving as deacons at the pope's altar during their coronation-mass."

"It is a large robe of stiff brocade, falling in broad and unbroken
folds in front and behind,--broad and deep enough for the
Goliath-like stature and the Herculean chest of Charlemagne
himself. On the breast the Saviour is represented in glory, on the
back the Transfiguration, and on the two shoulders Christ
administering the Eucharist to the Apostles. In each of these last
compositions, our Saviour, a stiff but majestic figure, stands
behind the altar, on which are deposited a chalice and a paten or
basket containing crossed wafers. He gives, in the one case, the
cup to St. Paul, in the other the bread to St. Peter,--they do not
kneel, but bend reverently to receive it; five other disciples
await their turn in each instance,--all are standing.

"I do not apprehend your being disappointed with the Dalmatica di
San Leone, or your dissenting from my conclusion, that a master, a
Michael-Angelo I would almost say, then flourished at Byzantium.

"It was in this Dalmatica--then _semée_ all over with pearls and
glittering in freshness--that Cola di Rienzi robed himself over his
armour in the sacristy of St. Peter's and thence ascended to the
Palace of the Popes, after the manner of the Cæsars, with sounding
trumpets and his horsemen following him--his truncheon in his hand
and his crown on his head--'terribile e fantastico,' as his
biographer describes him--to wait upon the Legate."--_Lord
Lindsay's Christian Art_, i. 137.

Above the Sacristy are the _Archives of St. Peter's_, containing, among many other ancient MSS., a life of St. George, with miniatures, by _Giotto_. The entrance to the Archivio, at the end of the corridor, is adorned with fragments of the chains of the ports of Smyrna and Tunis. Here, also, is a statue of Pius VI., by _Agostino Penna_.

It is quite worth while to leave St. Peter's by the Porta Sta. Marta beneath the tomb of Alexander VII., in order to examine the exterior of the church from behind, where it completely dwarfs all the surrounding buildings. Among these are the _Church of S. Stefano_, with a fine door composed of antique fragments, and the dismal _Church of Sta. Marta_, which contains several of the Roman weights known as "Pietra di Paragone," said to have been used in the martyrdoms. Beyond the Sacristy is the pretty little _Cimeterio dei Tedeschi_, the oldest of Christian burial-grounds, said to have been set apart by Constantine, and filled with earth from Calvary. It was granted to the Germans in 1779, by Pius VI. Close by is the _Church of Sta. Maria della Pietà in Campo Santo_.

Not far from hence (in a street behind the nearest colonnade) is the _Palazzo del Santo Uffizio--or of the Inquisition_. This body, for some time past, suppressed everywhere except in the States of the Pope, was established here in 1536 by Paul III., acting on the advice of Cardinal Caraffa, afterwards Paul IV., for inquiry into cases of heresy, and the punishment of ecclesiastical offences. It was by the authority of the "Holy Office" that the "Index" of prohibited books was first drawn up. Paul IV., on his deathbed, summoned the cardinals to his side, and recommended to them this "Santissimo Tribunale," as he called it, and succeeding popes have protected and encouraged it. The character of the Inquisition has been much changed from that which it bore three hundred years ago; but even in late years, many cases of extreme severity have been reported,--especially one of a French bishop cruelly imprisoned for sixteen years in one of its dungeons (merely because he had received his consecration from a French constitutional prelate), and who was only released when its doors were opened in the revolution of 1848.

"Within these walls has been confined for many years a very
extraordinary person--the archbishop of Memphis.... Pope Leo XII.
received a letter from the Pacha of Egypt informing his Holiness,
that he and a large portion of his subjects desired to be received
into the bosom of the Church of Rome; and announcing that he and
they were willing to conform, provided the pope would send out an
archbishop, with a suitable train of ecclesiastics, and requesting
that his Holiness would do him the favour of appointing a certain
young student whom he named, the first archbishop of Memphis, and
despatch him to Egypt. No doubt was entertained as to the truth of
this communication, but an objection presented itself in the youth
of the ecclesiastical student whom the Pacha wished to have as his
archbishop. The pope consulted his cardinals, who advised him not
to make the dangerous precedent of raising a novice to so high a
rank in the Church, but his Holiness, tempted by the desire of
converting a kingdom to Christianity, resolved to conform to the
wishes of the Pacha, and did consecrate the youth archbishop of
Memphis. The archbishop was sent out attended by a train of priests
to Egypt. When the ship arrived, the authorities in Egypt declared
the affair was an imposition. His Grace confessed the fraud, was
arrested, and reconducted to Rome. He was the author of the letter
which imposed on the pope--his original intention having been to
confess to the pope as a priest, after his consecration, the
imposition he had practised; and as the pope could not betray a
secret imparted to him at the confessional, the offender might have
obtained absolution, and escaped punishment. Whether this would
have been practicable I know not; but it was not accomplished, and
as the youth had the rank of archbishop indelibly imprinted on him,
nothing remained but to confine his Grace for the remainder of his
life; and accordingly he was confined to this prison near the
Vatican, whence he may find it difficult to escape."--_Whiteside's
Italy_, 1860.

The tribunal of the Inquisition was formally abolished by the Roman Assembly in February, 1849, but was re-established by Pius IX. in the following June. Its meetings, however, now take place in the Vatican, and the old palace of the Holy Office was long used as a barrack for French soldiers.