The Approach Of The Pope Is Announced By The Thunder Of
Cannon, And He Is Brought Into The Church Dressed
In full pontificals, with
the triple Crown on his head, on a chair borne by men, palanquin fashion;
he is
Conducted thro' the lane formed by the Papal Guard, and as he passes
he makes the sign of the cross several times with his finger, repeating the
words: Urbi et Orbi. He is then set down, with his face fronting the
baldachin, when he immediately takes off the tiara, and begins the
ceremony. That ended, he leaves the church in the same state, and then
ascends the staircase, in order to prepare to give the benediction, which
is usually given from a window above the facade of the church. The Pope is
there seated on a chair with the triple Crown on his head. Troops of
cavalry and infantry are drawn up in a semi-circle before the facade of the
church, and the whole vast arena of the Piazza di San Pietro is covered
with spectators. On a sudden his Holiness rises, extends his hands towards
heaven, then spreads them open, and seems as if he scattered something he
held in them on the crowd below; a silly young Frenchman who was standing
next to me said: Le voila! Le voila qui arrache la benediction au ciel, et
qui la repand sur tout le monde! I could not refrain from laughing at this
sally, tho' I was much impressed with the solemnity of the scene, which I
think one of the grandest and most sublime I ever beheld. This ceremony
concluded, salves of ordnance were fired. The Pope retires amidst clouds of
smoke, and seems to vanish from the Earth. The troops then fire a feu de
joie and move off, playing a march in quick time, and the company
disperse.
It is the etiquette on these occasions that no person be admitted either
into the church of St Peter or into the Sistine Chapel except in full
toilette. The ladies dress generally in black with caps and feathers; the
gentlemen either in black full dress or in military uniform. From the
variety of foreigners of all nations that are here, most of whom are
military men, or intitled to wear military uniforms, much is added to the
splendour of the spectacle.
On the evening of Easter Monday, I was present at the illumination of the
facade of St Peter's. Rows of lamps are suspended the whole length of the
columns and pilasters and all over the cupola, so that, when illuminated,
the style of the architecture is perceptible. The illumination takes place
almost at once. How it is managed I cannot say; but a splendid illuminated
temple seems at once to drop from the clouds, like the work of an
enchanter; I say drop from the clouds, because the illumination begins
from the cross and cupola and is communicated with the rapidity of
lightning to every other part of the edifice.
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