JOTTINGS FROM A TRAVELLER'S JOURNAL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1026, 20 August 1883, Page 4

JOTTINGS FROM A TRAVELLER'S JOURNAL.

WRITTEN SPECIALLY FOR THE “ASHBURTON . < GUARDIAN. ”J \

;11 JjH i .H&o. XX! J A Legend—Arch of Constantine Arch of Traps— The . Golden .Candle■J • stick—A Historical Church— A ’ ! "' Miraculous Picture —Bas Relief. ‘ There are many legends connected with ’ |T .-One is, that when some ’ "'loreigii' Ambassadors turned up; their r; noßea in disgust,, at a handful of earth taken from the, arena, and presented to ; 1 them by Gregory the Great as a precious ' relic—and they 'evinced their contempt ‘ tjf the dirty gift, the Pontiff, prepared the ’ soil with his hands, and straightway there s trickle V from, it, some of the blood of *. ’ 'hiily martyrs;, t> ‘V Near the Coliseum are the remains of Meta Sudans, the fountain it is said, the gladiators washed their wounds, ‘ ‘"and -cleansed; themselves from the dust and defilement of the arena. It is now little more than a shapeless cone Thp*Ar<fh of Constantine is comparatively im- good preservation. It was erected to commemorate the victories of ; the first Christian Emperor. But th > in- • .terestof the structure is, in <* measure, 1 destroyed by a want of harmony ,in its several parts- Sqrae of the; reliefs that ‘ . adorn it were taken from the Arch of Tuajanandhnilt with an addition to chb Arch "of Isis, and the composite whole was dedicated as the Arch oi: Constantine, There is a marked difference between the admirable sculptures that represent Scenes ill the life of Trajan, and those which

were chiselled in the time of Constantine, which are greatly inferior in spirit and finish, 1 The Arch of Titus is more interesting. A ipynuts description , of .this ancient mouument would be superfluous, as almost every one is familiar with some* pictorial representation of it,. and knows _ that' it • •, was.ejected—though aiot ih His lifetime, J “ but’after his death and deification —to, I 1 '.: commemorate the conquest of Jerusalera .. ty Titus, If the reader has a copy of TO' S.Josephus among his books,' and will turn to the “ "Wars of the Jews ” Y111.,;v. 5, , he will read There was a golden 1 tal)le which weighed many talents ; also • a - golden ; candlesii-k which was : con- , . structed upon a different principle from , ‘ ’ afiyiliing in use amongst us now. In the -middle was the main stem, which rose a * but of the base ; from this proceeded smaller branches very much -resembling the form of a trident, and on the top of a;., them.was a lamp worked in brast. ‘There were,seven such in all, emblematic of the seven days of the Jewish week.” Standing under the arch, and looking at the .' .carved reliefs which adorn the inner sides, the .spectator has before him an accurate representation in stone of that which Josephus describes. There is the

Emperor standing in his triumphal i chariot, on his way to the Temple of Jupilir Captolemus a procession of captive Jews, and attendants beaming aloft Hot I p ppJs, the candlestick, but alpo{ the table ’ shewbrbad, with two trumpets crossed before it; and the roll of law. On one side of the arch the inscription is still legible :—“ Senatus Populusque Pomhnus £i ytme Tito divi. Vespaniani filio Vespdniano Augusto.” Another, more moddrn inscription! tells of the reconstruction of the arch under Pope Pius VII, it having been rendered insecure, by the removal of the walls and embattlements which the T Frangipani, who used it as t a fortress, had i bofl.t against it in the-bliddleages The central portion of the arch, of marble, is original, and therefore most ancient. From thence I walked to the Church of St Francesca Kotnana. .It occupies'; the in'nch older dating back to the ninth century. There are some carious legends connected with this church. Indeed, almost every church in Bpmo has tfts marvellous , traditions, and those jsiho v are snflicient'ly interested to read these jottings from my journal mnst 7 \r bsiprspakfcd Jor soma i extraordinary tales. They may believe them or not as they pleas?. The,firat church was built by S. Sylvester, and dedicated as St Maria Antica. It was rebuilt byJohnYHL, who, during his pontificate, frequently resided in a neighboring mpnaatory. In the . yeat 1216 t h elf ch urc h was burnt, and of its sacred contents the only relic that escaped destruction was a picture of the Virgin, said to have been painted , by St ft i-jLnkej iHdho'rius Ilf. restored the'church and called it St Maria Nuova. While ther work of restoration was in progress the precious picture was kept in safe custody at St Adriano. When the time arrived for taking it back to its place, a contest arose amongst the people as to the method of its removal—by whom should the ;;saored service bs performed, and by what • august ceremonies should it,'be solemnised.; i ,The contest was raging.furioußly; When the commotion was suddenly'quelled child, who exclaimed —“ What are '•'f '‘"yba contending about; why tbjs poise? : i!" The Madonna has already returned.,to hep r:; ' plaoA” And sure enough, it was fqund ' that the picture had mysteriously: re- ' sumed its place in the ‘churph--rno,'ono •ktibw how 1 And can any one reasonably -' Qoqbt the truth of this legend when. I add tli»t IsaW'the picture hanging , over‘the ifiigH 1 altar as if it had jnever been dis- * turhbft f. Ish6t : that good evidence! ■ thib picture there ace some . ,l ihterestihg c mbnumehts in the Churchr • r onb of 'Cardinal Viilcani, and another of f Aptonio Ridb, The tomb of, St da Ponziani, the foundress, of the .Order’ of Oblates. Her interment was the occasion for the , name of the

Church bajp? ■ jchadged ,to ;S. Franceses Boipana. .This popular, saint,died ; at-at ■•-advanced age, and her tody remainec during a night and a day atthe Ponzian; "Palace ; the Oblates who watched the . ; Remains say : “ Franoeaca’ar, fade • which' had recently borne traces of ;ag« and, suffering,■ becarae as .beautiful again as'in the days of youth, and the astonished bystanders gazed with wonder and awe at her unearthly loveliness.” In the righttransept of iHa 1 chlxrih is the tomb oftPdperGregory Xlj erected at public expense in gratitude because he restored the Papal Court to Borne from Avignon, The has reliefs are very curious. Gregory is making triumphal entry into St Catherine of Siena, who per* ■ suaded him to make the -change, walks before the mule-on which he rides ; the walls, .of Borne are,, represented as in ruins ’the chair of, St . Peter is seen ‘ gliding back to'the city through the air, and an angel is conveying thither the tiara and the keys, while a symbolic figure “’rhpffesentihg Rome welcomes the returning Pope.

(To he continue^-)