R O M E. 



Home, entitle a man to the admiration of posterity, and shed 



"Y*"*' a l>!:i/.f of glory ovrr his remains, surely the courage, 



the constancy, the cruel sufferings, the triumphant 



/I) of tin M- holy champions, must excite our adini- 

 ration and our gatitudr, rnnohle the spot where their 

 ivlics repose, and sanctify the very dust that imbibi-d 

 tlu-ir y.irn-d blood. They enlihtrrird the world by 

 their doctrine, they reformed it by their example, they 

 devoted their lives to the propagation of truth, and 

 they sealed their testimony with thrir hlooi 1 . They are 

 therefore the patriots of the world at large, the com- 

 mon benefactors of mankind ; and, in the truest 

 and noblest sense, heroes and conquerors." 



The vestry or sacristy of St. Peter's is a splendid 

 building, connected with the church by a long gallery, 

 and ornamented with mosaics, statues, and paintings. 

 It is indeed a large church, covered with a dome, and 

 surrounded with chapels. 



The dome of St. Peter's is ascended by a well-light- 

 ed and broad paved staircase or road, of such gentle 

 acclivity, that there is a continual passage of horses and 

 mules upon it, which go up laden with stones and 

 lime. Crowds of workmen are seen passing and re- 

 passing, and the whole has more the appearance of a 

 town than of a single building, from the small houses 

 and ranges of workshops necessary for the constant 

 repairs of the church. The traveller can now examine 

 closely the construction of the dome, the vast square 

 platform on which it rests, the lofty colonnade that 

 vises on that, platform, and the double dome of solid 

 stone of such prodigious magnitude; and the lantern 

 which, like a little temple, stands on its summit. 

 Si Clcn.cnt. 1 ne church of St. Clement is the most ancient 

 church in Rome, having been built on the site of the 

 house of the bishop of that name. A plan of it is given 

 by Eustace ; and it is deemed one of the best models 

 of the original form of Christian churches. 



The church of S. Pietro in Vincoli, built about 420, 

 is a noble hall, supported by twenty Doric pillars of 

 Parian marble, open on all sides. Among its monu- 

 ments, is a sarcophagus of black marble, of exquisite 

 form ; and the tomb of Julius II. distinguished by the 

 celebrated and wonderful statue of Moses by Michael 

 Angelo. 



The church of St. Martin and St. Sylvester is formed 

 out of the ruins of the neighbouring baths of Titus. It 

 is one of the most beautiful buildings in Rome. It is 

 supported by Corinthian columns of the finest marble, 

 and the aisles are adorned by the paintings of the two 

 Poussins. 



The church of St. Andrea on Monte Cavallo by 

 Bernini, though very small, is highly finished and very 

 beautiful, both for its form and the marbles that line 

 its oval exterior. 



That of St. Cecilia in Trastevere is remarkable for its 

 great antiquity and magnificence. Over the tomb of 

 St. Cecilia is a fine statue by Stefano Moderno, of the 

 saint, representing the exact attitude and drapery in 

 which the body was discovered in the tomb in 621. It 

 is deemed very beautiful. 



The church of St. Pietro in Monterio on Monte Ja- 

 niculum, enjoys the finest view of the ancient and mo- 

 dern city. The church is not handsome, but it was 

 once celebrated for its sculpture and paintings, among 

 which was the Transfiguration by Raphael. It was 

 said to have been in a bad light here, though Raphael 

 painted it for this very position. In the middle of the 

 little square of the convent belonging to this church, is 

 a round chapel in the form of an ancient temple, sup- 



S. 1'ietro 

 in Vincoli. 



Ported by sixteen pillar*, and terminate;! by a dome. Rome 

 t was designed by Hramanti, and is much esteemed. 

 Raphael has introduced it into his cartoon of Paul 

 rliing at Athens. 



The church of Santa Maria in Trastevere is a bold 

 and majestic building, distinguished by its simplicity. 

 The vault and chapel are adorned with fine paintings 

 by Domenichino. 



The church of S. Grisagono is remarkable for its nu- 

 merous columns of granite, porphyry, and alabaster, 

 which support its nave and choir ; and that of S. Gio- 

 vanni Paoli is still more splendidly adorned with pillars 

 and ancient ornaments. 



The church of St. Gregorio Magno is celebrated by 

 the rival productions of Guido and Domenichino on 

 the walls of its chapel. 



The church of San Onofrio is celebrated for contain* 

 ing the remains of Tasso, which lay for many years 

 without a monument or even an inscription. At last 

 this piece of justice was done to his memory by the 

 cardinal Bevilacqua. 



The church of St. Sebastiano has a handsome por- 

 tico and several good paintings, but it it best known as 

 the principal entrance into the catacombs in its vi- 

 cinity. 



The church of Madonna del Sole is the ancient tem- 

 ple of Vesta, stripped of its entablature, curtailed and 

 disfigured. The cella and pillars of white marble re- 

 main. 



The church of Santa Maria Egizeaca is the temple 

 of Fortuna Virilis, and that of Miranda stands on the 

 ruins of the temple of Antoninus and Faustina. The 

 church of Ara Coeli, which crowns the summit of the 

 Capitoline, is supposed to occupy the site of the tem- 

 ple of Jupiter Capitolinu?. It is adorned within with 

 twenty-two ancient columns ; and on the outside with 

 a flight of 124- steps of Grecian marble, said to have 

 formed the ascent to the temple of Romulus Quirinus. 



The seven great churches or patriarchal Basilica?, Seven Bui- 

 are the cathedrals of the sovereign pontiff, in which he !* 

 occasionally officiates, reserving the high altar entirely 

 to himself; and they possess the privilege of granting 

 ()000 years indulgence to the penitent who shall visit 

 them in one day. These seven churches are St. Peter's, 

 St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, St. Paul with- 

 out the walls, Santa Croce, St. Lorenzo, and St. Sebastian. 



The church of St. John Lateran, founded by Con- St. Jhn 

 stantine, is the regular cathedral of the bishop of I*terau. 

 Rome, and assumes the title of the parent and mother 

 of all churches. The principal portico, which is of the 

 composite order, consists of four lofty columns and six 

 pilasters. The decorations of the church are rich in 

 the extreme. It was anciently supported by more 

 than 300 antique pillars, but the architect walled them 

 up in the buttresses. t In a semicircular gallery, there 

 is an altar decorated with four ancient columns of gilt 

 bronze, which are unique; and are said to be the 

 identical columns made by Augustus out of the rostra 

 of the ships taken in the battle of Actium, and dedi- 

 cated by Domitian on the Capitol. The Corsini chapel Corsini 

 in this church, in the form of a Greek cross, is reckon- chapel. 

 ed one of the most perfect buildings of the kind. The 

 ancient marbles which line its walls, the columns 

 which sustain its rich frieze of sculptured bronze, its 

 gilt dome, the polished marbles of its pavement, and 

 the magnificent tombs of its popes are said to surpass 

 conception. The tombs, with the statues, are much 

 admired, particularly that of Clement XII. who was 

 entombed in a large and finely shaped antique sarco- 

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