ROME. 



HOME. 



LCI 



fc of tfc* al'tetti at**, la r*rjr respect the church of the 

 at UM aw*4 lulamtlM in a oily abounding with mag- 

 a* bnrobe*. Tb* ob*U*k of Sna* granite whiob stands in UM 

 I* at UM baok of UM cburcb i* Ui* bkb** iu Boui*. and perhsp. 



. i - ^.1 - _\ ^:_m- I t-l .-J i*iHI*MI* v *' 



b**U !Twwo*foMoa|'*e** 

 LfrV i. bwtl JiO f-t TUo Baptistery of CoiMUntine, which 

 (4U* UM chureb. i rich in marbl* pillars and paintina. and it 

 uiMain* * k * -HtT* HrttamTrt (not in BOOM. Th* church of St. John 

 tltrirr- i coiWuto: iu chapter of canoiu and prebendaries, 

 toditiiliri b* Bunibo* VIII. iu 1300, ha at iu bead a Cardiual Arch- 



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;d*r tb* |M portico on UM north aid* of UM building, constructed 

 bf P|>* SilUi* V. tram <l**icn* by Footana, u the oeUbraUd Soala 

 u,-.. gy i U j. Biijin***.' which u aid to contain a number of step* 

 f Km I)* booM of Pilate, whiob Jesus Cl.riu ascended, and which an 

 Wld to fraa* TMaratioa Pious pcopU ascend them on their knew, 

 a*4 U prot the au from bring worn out, th*y hav* beau covered 

 wiui buanfc. 



U>< of ibc Lateran, and in UM *a*tern auxl* of the city, stands 

 t of S.OU Croc* in 0rualemme, whiob wa* built near the 

 CatUvaat by th* wapnat Helena. It derives its 

 cirouDwtanc* that a portiou of the triu cross is 

 tod that **rtb brought from Jerusalem was mixed 

 MW Thi baaUica was consecrated by St. Sylvester, 

 sod bw b**n ofua repaired. Underneath the church is the chapel of 

 Si. H*lt*s, wbiah i* decorated with mosaic*. The coasecration of the 

 1r\j n ROM, t*nt by the Pope annually to one of the great Catholic 

 auiataifjM. takes plac* in the Basilica of Santa Croce. 



Th* iiatl ^')'~- namely St. Peter's, St, John, Lateran, Santa 



Mam Maniore, and Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, are within the walls. 

 OutaidTtoe walls an three other builioas of great antiquity and 

 kictorioal inter***. 1. The Ba-ilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mure (or 

 St. Paul without the walls), about 4 miles from the city on the road 

 to OatH, was founded by Constantino the Great above the tomb of 

 UM apoaU*. It wa* rebuilt by the emperor Theodoeius on the original 

 plan, which was carefully preserved in all the subsequent repairs and 

 rartonsti in* This church, formerly unrivalled for its magnificence 

 and for iU collection of Christian antiquities, after divine worship had 

 b**a performed in it for about 1500 years, was destroyed by fire in 

 1844. It has bean aince rebuilt, and was consecrated by Pope Pius IX. 

 in 1654. The site of this church is exposed to malaria in the summer 

 nnn"V Tbi* basilica was under the protection of the kings of 

 England bcfon the Reformation. 2. The Basilica of San Lorenzo is 

 a mil* outside the walls on the road to Tivoli. It was founded by the 

 BBWMS Plaoidia, and entirely rebuilt by Pope Pelagius II. in A.D. 578. 

 Tb* portico, of six Ionic columns, four of which are twisted, is sup- 

 posed to date from the 8th century. Among the vast collection of 

 Christian antiquities in tbi church, which is built over the tomb of 

 SC Lawrence, an two marble ambonea, or pulpits, relics of the earliest 

 af** of Christianity. From one of the chapels in this church there is 

 deaoent to the catacomb* of Santa Cyriaca. 3. About two miles out 

 of th* city, on th* Appiaa way, is the Basilica of San Sebastiano, 

 which wa* founded' about the time of Coustantiue, but the present 

 structure was erected in 1611 by Cardinal Borghese. The sanctuary is 

 famous for it* relics. Under the altar of one of the chapels is the 

 tomb of St. Sebastian. Then is an entrance from this basilica to the 

 odabratod catacombs of St Calistus, in which the Christians of Pagan 

 BOOM met for divine worship and for concealment, and in which they 

 buried the remains of martyrs to the faith. 



Tb* palace* of the nobility form another class of interesting objects. 

 Tb*y an generally buildings of princely magnitude and imposing 

 styU. containing vast court* and long ranges of spacious apartments, 

 and ROOM can boast of a greater number of these than any other 

 capital in the world. In point however of interior comfort, neatness, 

 or splendour. most of them are sadly deficient. The walls are of 

 Trarvrbno, or Tiburtine stone, the pillars and staircases are frequently 

 of marble and other coctly materials. The ground-floor is either let 

 a* bops or u*ed for coach-houses, stables, kitchens, or other menial 

 otto**, and tb window* arc guarded with a strong iron-grating, without 

 (Us* bebind it, which giv* to the lower part of the building the 

 fa*roo of a priwn. Several of the Roman palaces are partly let 

 to UxJgrn, and the owners occupy only one floor, or part of a floor; 

 UM building beitu too large for any single family to live in, except 

 Mob a* a baronial family of the feudal times with its numerous 

 dependent*. Th* higher and wealthier Bomau nobles however the 

 Bomb*e*, Coloona, Itoria, Hospi K lioei, and others, still retain some- 

 Uua of that feudal atate, although they have 1'wt their feudal 

 , ..-, 



Tb* villas of UM Roman nobility an more pleasant than their 

 a*l*0ra, and racmble much UM country-houses of the wealthy Romans 

 of old. Serrral of UM villas an within the wall* of Rome, such as 

 JUdiei. Prambino. Mattel, and Coraini ; other* are outside of the walla, 

 Mcfe as the Villa Pauiuli. on the Jauiculum ; Villa Patrizi, outside of 

 1'wru I'M: and UM Villa Madama, upon Monte Mario. The Villa 

 Albani. although plundered by UM French in 1798, has recovered so 

 MO of it* treasures as to be reckoned the third museum of anti- 

 quitiee in Rome, aud next to UM Vatican aud the Capitol Cardinal 

 Alissainiro Albaui, who created this noble villa and its still nobler 



museum towards tb* middle of the 18th century, made it the business 

 of bis life ; he was a man of taste aud an enthusiast for antiquity and 

 tb* fin* arts. Among the finest sculptures are the rilievo of Autinous, 

 the Thetis found in the villa of Antoninus Pius at Lauuvium, the 

 Minerva, the Jupiter, the Apollo Sauroctouos, Diogenes in his tub, the 

 two Caryatides representing Grecian basket-bearers, the ba&si-rilievi of 

 the triumph of M. Aurelius and others. The contents of the museum 

 Albaui are illustrated in the works of Wiuckeliuauu. 



The Villa Borghese, on the Pinciau Mount, outside of the wall*, is 

 well known for its gardens, its laurel and myrtle groves, its fine sheet 

 of water, its temple, and hippodrome. The fine museum of ancient 

 sculptures was sold to Napoleon L, and is now in the Louvre ; but it, 

 has been partly replaced by new acquisitions. 



The numerous handsome fountains form another peculiar ornament 

 of modern Rome as works of art, independent of their utility. Home 

 is better supplied with good water than most continental t 

 and was much more abundantly supplied in ancient times. Of the 

 ancient aqueducts three still continue to carry water into the town, 

 having been repaired by the popes. The first is that of the Ac.jua 

 Vergine, the best in quality, which comes from near the ancient Collatia, 

 14 mile* north of Rome : it supplies a great part of the lower town, 

 aud feeds 13 public fountains, of which those of Trevi, of La Bareaccia 

 in Piazza di Spagna, of Piazza Navona, and Faruese, are the principal. 

 The second is the Acqua Felice, the ancient Aqua Mareia and Claudia, 

 restored by Pope Sixtus V. : it comes from the east, and supplies the 

 upper or eastern part of the town, and feeds 27 public fountains, of 

 which that of Moses, near Porta Pia, that of Triton in the Piazza 

 Barberini, and that of Monte Cavallo, are the principal. The third 

 aqueduct, called Acqua Paola, the ancient Alsietiua, enters Home by 

 the Janiculum, and supplies both the Trastevere aud the Vatican, feed- 

 ing the Fontana Paoliua and the splendid fountains before St Peter's : 

 passing the Ponte Sisto by conduits, it supplied the adjoining fountain 

 and the neighbouring district of Strada Giulia. 



The obelisks which adorn most of the squares of Rome are another 

 peculiar feature of this city. There are no Ie33 than 12 Egyptian 

 obelisks, most of them covered with hieroglyphics, erected in different 

 parts of Rome. When the Romans became masters of Egypt they 

 removed many of these monuments to their own capital, among others 

 that of the Laterau, which is the largest now known, its shaft being 

 105 feet (although it has been reduced, a portion at the lower part 

 having been cut off in consequence of being fractured), and two of 

 its sides 9 feet 8 4 inches, the other two 9 feet. This obelisk was first 

 conveyed from Heliopolis to Alexandria by Conatantine, and by that 

 emperor's son, Constantius, brought from tbe latter city to Rome, 

 where it was erected in the Circus Maximus. The shaft of the Laterau 

 obelisk weighs about 445 tons in round numbers. Augustus also had 

 previously brought two from Heliopolis. That which was originally 

 placed in the Vatican Circus by Caligula, and now stands in the piazza 

 of St. Peter's, is next in size to that of the Lateran, though supposed 

 to have been somewhat abridged of its original dimensions. The 

 entire height, including the pedestal and tbe ornament at tup, is about 

 132 feet ; the shaft itself is 83 feet, and 8 feet 10 inches square at its 

 base, and 5 feet 1 1 inches at the other end. 



The streets of Rome are generally narrow, like those of most old 

 cities, but many of them are straight and regular, and the great number 

 of open spaces, such as squares, gardens, large courts, &&, render 

 the town generally airy. The pavement of the streets is made of 

 selci, or small cubes of basaltic stone, not very agreeable to pedes- 

 trians, especially as there are no footpaths except along the Corso. 

 The streets are lighted at night with gas. Rome possesses a great 

 advantage over many continental towns, in being provided with a 

 regular system of sewers, partly ancient and partly modern. 



The lower town is subject to occasional inundations from tbe Tiber, 

 which sometimes rises, in seasons of extraordinary rains, from 25 feet 

 to 30 feet above its ordinary level, whilst a considerable part of tbe 

 town is hardly 20 feet above the level. 



The climate of Rome iu ancient times was considered healthy when 

 compared with the surrounding country. The dense population of 

 the ancient city, its elevated position, the plentiful supply of whole- 

 some water, the convenience of an admirable system of sewers, and 

 other circumstances contributed to maintain a tolerable state of salu- 

 brity within tbe walls. Cicero remarks tbe good choice of tboae who 

 built Rome in the most favourable spot in the midst of a generally 

 unhealthy region. (' De Repub.,' ii. 6.) Horace however (' Epist ,' 

 i. 7), complains of the fevers which prevailed in tbe month of August. 

 Tbe improvements made by Augustus, and tbe reconstruction of the 

 town after the great fire in Nero's time, seem to have had a goo 1 

 effect on the salubriousuess of the city, and Froutinus (i. 18) observes 

 that the increased supply of water by means of additional aqui ducts 

 had contributed to render the atmosphere purer than it was iu the old 

 times. After the fall of the empire, and the ravages committed by 

 the barbarians, we read of the abandonment of Porto, Ostia, Ardea, 

 and other neighbouring towns in consequence of the malaria. At tbe 

 same time a gradual removal was taking place within tbe walls ; the 

 population, which was much diminished, was leaving the southern part 

 of the city for the northern, the hills for the plain of the Campus 

 Marti us. 



As tbe southern hills, the Cxlian, Aventiue, Palatiue, aud Esquilino 



