﻿THE 
  SPLENDOR 
  OF 
  ROME 
  

  

  619 
  

  

  Photograph 
  by 
  A. 
  W. 
  Cutler 
  

   NEWSBOYS 
  DREAMING 
  OF 
  THE 
  SPLENDOR 
  OF 
  THE 
  PAST 
  

  

  the 
  chariot-races. 
  Now 
  it 
  stands 
  in 
  the 
  

   silent, 
  sunny 
  piazza 
  before 
  the 
  church, 
  

   still 
  speaking 
  of 
  Egypt, 
  although 
  sixteen 
  

   centuries 
  in 
  Rome. 
  

  

  THE 
  FIVE 
  PATRIARCHAL 
  CHURCHES 
  OF 
  

   ROME 
  

  

  The 
  Church 
  of 
  St. 
  John, 
  or 
  San 
  Gio- 
  

   vanni, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  Rome's 
  five 
  "patriarchal" 
  

   churches 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  Pope 
  is 
  direct 
  head 
  

   and 
  to 
  whose 
  congregations 
  all 
  Christians 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  world 
  once 
  were 
  accredited. 
  

   They 
  have 
  always 
  been 
  greatly 
  venerated 
  

   and, 
  along 
  with 
  Santa 
  Croce 
  and 
  San 
  Se- 
  

   bastiano, 
  above 
  the 
  catacombs 
  of 
  the 
  Via 
  

   Appia, 
  form 
  the 
  "seven 
  churches 
  of 
  

   Rome," 
  better 
  known 
  to 
  pilgrims 
  than 
  the 
  

   far-famed 
  seven 
  hills. 
  They 
  are 
  still 
  the 
  

   notable 
  churches 
  of 
  Rome, 
  the 
  stateliest, 
  

   richest, 
  and 
  holiest, 
  although 
  the 
  Pope 
  

   comes 
  to 
  them 
  no 
  more. 
  Besides 
  St. 
  

   John, 
  they 
  are 
  St. 
  Paul 
  and 
  St. 
  Lorenzo, 
  

   both 
  without 
  the 
  walls, 
  St. 
  Peter's 
  and 
  

   Santa 
  Maria 
  Maggiore. 
  

  

  St. 
  John, 
  like 
  the 
  other 
  great 
  churches, 
  

   was 
  founded 
  by 
  Constantine 
  to 
  please 
  

   Saint 
  Sylvester, 
  then 
  bishop 
  of 
  Rome. 
  It 
  

   occupied 
  the 
  palace 
  of 
  the 
  Laterani 
  family 
  

   and 
  for 
  all 
  time 
  wedded 
  pagan 
  name 
  to 
  

   Christian 
  saint. 
  

  

  From 
  its 
  foundation 
  until 
  the 
  popes 
  

   went 
  to 
  Avignon, 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  Papal 
  resi- 
  

   dence. 
  Upon 
  the 
  return 
  to 
  Rome, 
  in 
  

   1377, 
  Gregory 
  XI 
  took 
  up 
  his 
  residence 
  at 
  

  

  the 
  Vatican 
  and, 
  although 
  Sixtus 
  V 
  rebuilt 
  

   the 
  palace, 
  none 
  has 
  since 
  dwelt 
  here, 
  al- 
  

   though 
  many 
  are 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  church. 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  bronze 
  central 
  doors 
  came 
  

   from 
  the 
  Curia, 
  the 
  Senate-house 
  of 
  early 
  

   Rome. 
  Look 
  closely 
  and 
  you 
  will 
  see 
  that 
  

   they 
  are 
  pieced 
  to 
  fill 
  their 
  present 
  posi- 
  

   tion 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  nave. 
  

  

  The 
  door 
  at 
  the 
  extreme 
  right 
  is 
  closed. 
  

   That 
  is 
  the 
  Porta 
  Santa, 
  which 
  opens 
  only 
  

   every 
  twenty-five 
  years. 
  

  

  BURIAE 
  PEACE 
  OF 
  THE 
  HEADS 
  OF 
  ST. 
  PETER 
  

   AND 
  ST. 
  PAUL 
  

  

  The 
  church 
  is 
  stupendous 
  and 
  the 
  clois- 
  

   ters 
  marvelously 
  lovely. 
  Its 
  many 
  visitors 
  

   are 
  of 
  two 
  sorts 
  — 
  the 
  art-loving 
  and 
  the 
  

   devout. 
  One 
  group 
  lingers 
  long 
  before 
  

   its 
  treasures 
  ; 
  the 
  other 
  prays 
  long 
  before 
  

   its 
  shrines, 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  which 
  contain 
  the 
  

   heads 
  of 
  Saints 
  Peter 
  and 
  Paul. 
  

  

  St. 
  Paul's 
  body, 
  after 
  transfers 
  to 
  and 
  

   from 
  the 
  catacombs, 
  rests 
  in 
  his 
  great 
  

   glittering 
  church 
  without 
  the 
  walls, 
  where 
  

   he 
  was 
  first 
  buried, 
  and 
  St. 
  Peter's 
  in 
  the 
  

   cathedral 
  that 
  covers 
  his 
  original 
  grave. 
  

  

  It 
  has 
  long 
  been 
  the 
  habit 
  to 
  dismember 
  

   saints, 
  popes, 
  and 
  royalties. 
  Hearts, 
  

   heads, 
  and 
  various 
  other 
  intimate 
  proper- 
  

   ties 
  were 
  enshrined 
  separately 
  all 
  through 
  

   the 
  Middle 
  Ages, 
  and 
  it 
  takes 
  nothing 
  

   from 
  the 
  merit 
  of 
  St. 
  Paul's 
  or 
  St. 
  Peter's 
  

   that 
  their 
  saints 
  are 
  headless, 
  while 
  it 
  

   ohn's. 
  

  

  gives 
  much 
  to 
  St. 
  

  

  