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Antiquities, &c. 
ROME. 
Antiquities, &c. 
343 
■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 
rises 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. 
The 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 monuments, 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 
T>y 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, represent¬ 
ing the exact attitude and drapery in which the body was 
discovered in the tomb in 821. It is deemed very beautiful. 
The church of St. Pietro in Mor.terio on Monte Janicu- 
lum, enjoys the finest view of the ancient and modern 
city. The church is not handsome, but it was once cele¬ 
brated 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 posi- 
4ion. 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, supported by sixteen pillars, and terminated 
.by a dome. It was designed by Bramanti, and is much 
esteemed. Raphael has introduced it into his cartoon of 
Paul preaching 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 numerous 
columns of granite, porphyry, and alabaster, which support 
its nave and choir ; and that of S. Giovanni 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 containing 
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 portico and 
several good paintings, but it is best known as the principal 
entrance into the catacombs in its vicinity. 
The church of Madonna del Sole is the ancient temple of 
Vesta, stripped of its entablature, curtailed and disfigured. 
The cella and pillars of white marble remain. 
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 
Cceli, which crowns the summit of the Capitoline, is sup¬ 
posed to occupy the site of the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. 
It is adorned within with twenty-two ancient columns; and 
on tire outside with a flight of i24 steps of Grecian marble, 
■said to have formed the ascent to the temple of Romulus 
Quirinus. 
The seven great churches or patriarchal Basilica?, 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 6000 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 without the walls, Santa Croce, St. 
Lorenzo, and St. Sebastian. 
The church of St. John Lateran, founded by Constantine, 
istheregular cathedral ofthe bishop ofRome, 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. 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 Aclium, and dedicated by Domitian on the Capitol. 
The Corsini chapel in this church, in the form of a Greek 
cross, is reckoned 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 magni¬ 
ficent 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 sarcophagus of porphyry, originally 
found in the portico of the Pantheon. 
The Basilica Liberiana, or church of Santa Maria Mag¬ 
giore, stands on the highest of the two summits of the Esqui- 
line hill, in the midst of two great squares, which terminate 
two streets nearly two miles long. It is supposed to occupy 
the site of the ancient temple and grove of Juno Lucina. 
The principal front consists of a double colonnade; the 
lower Ionic, the upper Corinthian ; and before it is a Corin¬ 
thian pillar, supporting a brazen image ofthe blessed virgin. 
On entering the church, there appear two magnificent co¬ 
lonnades lining the nave, and separating it from the aisles. 
They are each supported by more than twenty pillars. The 
Ionic pillars are thirty feet high, and the length of the colon¬ 
nade 250. The altar is overshadowed by a large canopy of 
bronze, sustained by four lofty Corinthian columns of por¬ 
phyry. One of the chaples was built by Sextus Quintus, 
and contains his tomb. A chapel on the opposite side, be¬ 
longing to the Borghese family, surpasses it in decorations. 
In the latter, bronze, marble, lapis lazuli, jasper, aud the 
more precious stones, cover the walls with a blaze of 
ornament. 
The Basilica of St. Paul, without the walls, is at some 
distance from the Porta Ostiensis. It is a grand tem¬ 
ple erected by Constantine on the spot of the apostle’s mar¬ 
tyrdom. This church is said by Procopius to have been 
held in such veneration, that Theodosius and Honorius 
built a portico from the gate to the Basilica, a distance of 
nearly a mile. This portico, which seems to have equalled 
the greatest works of the ancient Romans, was supported by 
marble pillars, and covered with gilt copper, but not a trace 
of it now remains. The interior of the church is of ancient 
brick. The portico is supported by twelve pillars; the 
principal doors of bronze, and the nave and double aisles 
are supported by about 80 Corinthian columns in double 
rows, 24 of which are of Pavonazzo marble; the walls and 
arches rest upon 12 other columns, and 30 more decorate the 
apostle’s tomb. These pillars are in general porphyry, and 
the four that support the central arches are of vast magnitude. 
The church is 300 feet long and 150 broad, and it exhibits 
the finest collection of pillars now known. 
The church of Santa Croce in Gierusalemmo stands in a 
solitary situation on the Esquiline hill, close by the walls of 
Rome, and near the Claudian aqueduct. It was erected by 
Santa Helena, the mother of Constantine on the ruins of a 
temple of Venus and Cupid. It derives its name from some 
pieces of the holy cross, and a quantity of earth taken from 
Mount Calvary and deposited in it by its founder. It is 
remarkable 
