A Lamp Hangs Suspended From The Roof,
In The Centre Of The Dungeon, And The Artist Has Made A Very Happy Hit In
Throwing The Whole Glare Of The Lamp On The Countenance Of Galileo, Who Is
Seated Reading A Book, While The Gaoler Monk Is Left Completely In The
Shade.
On seeing this I exclaimed:
Veramente, Signor Granet, e buonissimo
quel vostro concetto!
Easter Tuesday.
I have at length seen all the fine sights that Rome affords during the Holy
Week, and have witnessed most of the religious ceremonies, viz., the
illuminated cross hi St Peter's on Good Friday; the high mass celebrated by
the Pope in person on Easter Sunday; the Papal benediction from a window of
the church above the facade on the same day; the illumination of the facade
of St Peter's on Easter Monday, and the Girandola or grand firework at
the Castle of St Angelo on the same evening. The ceremony of the Pope
washing the feet of twelve poor men I did not see, for I could not get into
the Sistine Chapel, where the ceremony was performed: and at the mass
performed by the Pope in the Sistine Chapel I did contrive to enter, but
was so oppressed by the crowd and heat, that I almost fainted away, and was
very glad to get out of the Chapel again, before the ceremony commenced.
Why in the name of commonsense do they perform these ceremonies in the
Sistine Chapel which is small, instead of doing them in the church of St
Peter's, which would contain so many people and produce a much grander
effect?
A great many people are deprived of seeing the ceremonies in the Sistine
Chapel from the difficulty of getting in. The Pope's Swiss Guard attend on
that day in their ancient costume, with helmets, cuirasses and halberds;
these guard the entrance of the staircase leading to the Chapel, and they
have no small trouble and difficulty in maintaining order, as there is
always a great scuffle to get in, and they are particularly importuned by
German visitors, who thinking to be favored by them, in speaking to them in
their own language, vociferate; Ich bin Ihr Landsmann! and hope by this
to obtain a preference.
On Friday evening a large Cross is erected before the grand altar; every
part of this Cross is filled with lamps, and at seven in the evening the
whole is illuminated. It has a most brilliant appearance and gives the
happiest chiaro-oscuro effect to the statues, columns and pilasters which
abound in this vast temple. There is no other light on this occasion than
that reflected from the Cross. On Easter Sunday, when the Pope celebrates
high mass in the church of St Peter's, the Papal noble Guard, composed of
young men from the principal families in Rome, form a hedge on each side of
the nave of the church, from the entrance of the facade to the grand altar.
The street or interval formed between this double line may be about thirty
feet broad, and behind this guard or in any other part of the church, the
spectators may stand; but as these guards wear very large feathers in their
hats, they intercept very much the sight of those who stand behind them.
The uniform of the Papal Noble Guard is very splendid, being a scarlet
coat, covered with gold lace, white feathers, white breeches and long
military boots.
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