HOLYROOD PALACE 



2815 



HOMAGE 



all the Christian countries of Western Europe, 

 but practically he had control only of Italy 

 and the German states with their depend- 

 encies. 



The emperor was elected by the German 

 princes, and when he proved to be a strong 

 ruler, like some of the Hohenstaufens, his title 

 conferred real power, but after the thirteenth 

 century this power gradually declined until 



HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE 

 Its boundaries in the year 1125. 



the title became little more than an empty 

 honor. The name Holy Roman Empire be- 

 came extinct in 1806, because of the conquest 

 by Napoleon of many of the states, and 

 Francis II gave up the title of Holy Roman 

 Emperor, adopting instead that of emperor of 

 Austria. W.E.L. 



Related Subjects. The important part played 

 by the Holy Roman Empire in European history 

 will be evident if the following articles are con- 

 sulted : 



Charlemagne Germany (History) 



Charles Henry 



Ferdinand Maximilian 



Francis Otho 



Frederick Sigismund 



HOLYROOD PALACE, the ancient residence 

 of the Scottish kings in Edinburgh. Originally 

 it was the famous Augustinian abbey of the 

 Holy Rood, which was built by King David I 

 in 1128 on the spot where, according to the 

 myth, he was saved from the attack of a stag 

 by a miraculous cross which caused the animal 



to flee. The palace was almost totally de- 

 stroyed by fire in 1560, and was rebuilt between 

 1671 and 1679 by King Charles II of England. 

 Holyrood is historically interesting as having 

 been the home of Mary, Queen of Scots, and 

 the scene of the murder of Rizzio. 



HOLY SPIRIT PLANT, also called DOVE 

 PLANT, is the name given to a species of orchid 

 found in Central America, especially in the 

 vicinity of Panama. It derives its name from 

 the resemblance of its united stamens and 

 pistils to a dove hovering with outstretched 

 wings similar to that typifying the Holy Ghost 

 in religious pictures. The flower stem is four 

 to six feet high and bears creamy-white, fra- 

 grant flowers, the inner part of which is often 

 flecked with crimson. The plant is much used 

 for altar decoration in churches in Central 

 America. See ORCHID. 



HOLY WATER, water blessed by a priest, 

 which is used in the Greek and Roman Catho- 

 lic and Episcopal churches in religious rites 

 and ceremonies, to sprinkle the people and 

 objects employed in religious practices. Ac- 

 cording to Ezekiel XXXVI, 25, it is the natu- 

 ral symbol of spiritual purification. "Then will 

 I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall 

 be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all 

 your idols, will I cleanse you." G.W.M. 



HOLY WEEK, the week immediately preced- 

 ing Easter, and consecrated to the commem- 

 oration of the final events in the life of Christ. 

 Holy Week in Roman Catholic and Anglican 

 Churches is marked by added solemnity an<l 

 abstinence, as preparation for -.the festival 

 of Easter. On the Sunday before Easter, Palm 

 Sunday, is commemorated the triumphal entry 

 into Jerusalem. The days having the greatest 

 significance in the following week are : Wednes- 

 day, frequently called Spy-Wednesday, which 

 recalls the betrayal of the Master by Judas; 

 Holy Thursday, observed in memory of the 

 Last Supper and the institution of the sacra- 

 ment of the Eucharist (see Maundy Thursday) ; 

 and Good Friday, which commemorates the 

 death of the Saviour. The observance of Good 

 Friday as a legal holiday is largely increasing 

 among English-speaking people, even among 

 denominations other than that of Roman 

 Catholics. G.W.M. 



HOMAGE, hom'aje, in the feudal system of 

 the Middle Ages, was the solemn declaration of 

 allegiance by a tenant or vassal to his lord. 

 During, this ceremony the tenant knelt and 

 placed his hands between those of his lord and 

 proclaimed himself the latter's -vassal. The lord 



