CORONATION OF PIUS X. THE CEREMONY AND ITS STORY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 33, 13 August 1903, Page 83 (Supplement)

CORONATION OF PIUS X.

THE CEREMONY AND ITS STORY.

If

UK coionation of Pius X. took place in St. Peter's on Sunday in the presence of 50,000 persons. The ceremony is one of great antiquity and solemnity. According to Moroni's great work (the principal authority from which we summarise the lollowmji, particulars for ' Tablet ' readers) the first Pope of whose coronation a record appears to exist was St Leo 111., who received the diadem in the \atican Basilica in the year 758. Another account credits Nicholas I , who came to the

thi one in hnß, with being the first Pontiff who was publicly and solemnly crowned. He, like some of his predecessors and practically all his successors, was a temporal ruler, and he is said to ha\e lecn tie first to unite the princely crown with the mitre, although the Bcllandists Hunk that this was done before his time Innocent 111 , who reigned from 1198 to 121(1, is represented in a thirteenth century picture as wearing the

second ciown, aul Benedict \II (1331-1312) or Urban \ (1.-5(»2-H7ii) is supp° s( - >(i to ha\e added the third diadem that goes to form the triple crown which is placed i, pon the Popes head at his coronation, and ot which a lailhful iepresent.it ion appeals on the upper right-hand lornei ot the poitiait ol Pius A which appeals on the 1 1 out page ot this supplement Trie tiara is ne\er used «it spnitual iiinc lions At these the Pope uses the episcopal untie Fiom \eiy remote tunes (according to Moioni) the Popes used time mitres in pontifical functions—a smooth white ore, and two others of different nehness, each adorned with gold lace, etc The triple ciown or tiaia is piobably a representation of those ".luce kinds of papal mitre, which are in use to this day Fiom the first a Sunday or festhal was set apart as the proper day for the coionation of a Pope. This usage pi e\ ails at the present time, and has been departed tioni only in the ease of Clement VIII , Paul 111 , and ,i lew otheis (Moment X (1700-1721) was the last who set aside this ancient custom Following another old usage, the iiewiv-elected Pope distiibuted money last Satin day ( ohe day prewous to his coronation) to a number. ot poor persons ot both sexes in the Belvedeic courtyard of the Vatican This ceremony will be repeated on each animeisaiy ot the event The day of the coronation was also, in the times of Papal independence, mark-

ed by the bestowal of generous largess upon the pooi and the charitable institutions of the Eternal City, and the occasion was signalused by a splendid and picturesque pageantry, the firing of salvoes of artillery, illuminations and fireworks on a great scale, and the plea'saut hum of popular rejoicing. A legend that arose— heavens knows how— still runs to the effect that on the coronation day these words were sung or said in the presence or hearing of the new Pope : ' Non videbis annos Petri '— ' thou shalt not see the years of Peter '—meaning that his pontificate should not last for twenty-five years. The story is utterly without foundation

Before the Piedmontese troops took possession of Rome in 1870, the coronation of the Popes took place in the great basilica of St. Peter's amidst scenes of great and festive splendor. Leo XIII., howe\er, from motives of prudence, was crowned in the gieat chapel oxer the portico of St Peter's, in the p.resence of a great number of Cardinals and other ecclesiastics and of dip-

lomaiic representatives and laymen of exalted rank who weie admitted to the ceremony by ticket. The present Pope was, according to the cable messages, crowned in St Peter's Admission to the Basilica was by ticket and the ceremonies, briefly stated, were as described hereunder. Assuming — as we naturally do — that he followed the customary rite of coronat'on now in use, he \ested in a white cope and Hold mitre, and was borne on the sedia gestatoria to the portico, where the assembled Caidinals and other dignitaries, lay and ecclesiastical, and the noble guards in their ' high ' uniform, awaited him The Basilica was splendidly decked in hangings of red silk, with gold fringes and tassels, and the whole scene must have been one of brilliant coloring The famous Sistine choir sang the ' Tv es Petrus ' as he entered. The Pope took his place on the throne, received and returned the kiss ol the Cardinal Aichpnest of the Basilica, who then pronounced a lnief congratulatory discourse. The Pope then received lie ' obedience ' ol the Chapter and other beneficed clergy <,f the Chapter of St Peter's. He then prayed for a nine before the altar in the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, and was borne to the chapel of St Gregory, where «i splendid throne had been erected. Seated upon it, he received the homage of the Cardinals and imparted the apostolic blessing to the assembled

THE CORONATION OF PIUS X.

multitude. The two Cardinal deacons attendant at the throne retired (their places being taken by others) to assume white dalmatics, while the Cardinal bishops vested in white copes, the Cardinal pnests in white chasubles, the bishops and abbots of the Latin rite put on white mitres, those of the .Greek and Eastern rites their proper vestments. Terce was then sung, at the close ot which the Pope prepared to celebrate solemn Pontifical Mass. As he was borne in state on the sedia gestatona. outside the chapel ot St. Gregory (the Clementine), a master oi ceremonies knelt belore him, holding in Ins hands a silver wand, to the iorked top ol which was attached some tow A cleric set (ire to this with a candle, and, as it vanished in a thin puft of t-nioke, the master oi ceremonies raised the vvai ct aloft and sang . ' Sancte Pater, sic transit gloria mundi '— ' Holy father, thus the glory of the world passeth away. 1 This little ceremony was performed three times in succession during the Pope's processional progress to the great papal altar. At the altar the Pope descended liorn the sedia gestatona and began the solemn Mass pioper to the eoronatron, facing the people as in the Greek ute. Alter the Connteor the pontifical pallium (the sign of pap-al authority) was placed upon his shoulders by the Cardinal deacon, and he received the homage of the Caidinals, bishops, abbots, and penitentiaries A Litany was also sung imploring the help of the Saviour of the World on the new Pontiff. Wnen the Popes held the temporal sovereignty of Rome, the new Pontiil was, after the Mass, carried on the sedia gestatona to the laree central balcony or loggia over the iacade ol St Peters i-'alestrina s motett, ' A crown ot gold upon his head,' was sung, and, some prayers having been recited, the second Cardinal deacon re-

ii,o\ed the untie lioni the Ik ad of tie Pope, and the lust ( animal deacon (whiuc oil cc it is to ciown him) j.'.ued the tiaia or tuple ciown upon his head The new 1) -c row ned Pope then lecited the cu.stomaty i rayers dfter Mass and impaited the solemn triple blessing. This was the signal [or the booming of the cannon in the Castel S Angelo, the crash of inihtaiy music , the ringing of the bells all over the city, and the joyous 1 evvivas ' of the dense crowds that had gathered together in and around the gieat square of St. Peter's The present Pope, however, gave his blessing inside St Peter's and not on the outside balcony or loggia Alter the blessing the Pope, accompanied by the Cardinals, was brought by Ins beaiers to the sacnsty, where the Cardinal Dean olTered, in a biief discourse, the congratulations and good wishes of the Sac n d ( ollege The Pope suitably replied, and prayed lor the blessing of God and their ready help during Ins pontificate The ceremonies of the coronation were then o\ei, and he letired to his apartments. Places associated with Pius X. RIESE Rie.se, whore Ins Holiness was born, is a small town in the diocese of Tieuso, -liuated pome 25 miles or so from Venice Tievi.so, the episcopal city, is about 18 iiules from the Queen of the Ulri.ilic on the railway leading to Udine, and on to the \ustnan frontier, and to \ lenna Riese, like Treviso, is situated in a leautiful plain, with the spurs of the Alps to the noith and west looking like buttresses to the mam ranges, and making a splendid background to a picturesque landscape, which it would be difficult to surpass in any part of the

world. When the editor of the • N.Z. Tablet ' travelled over this part ot Northern Italy last October the country appeared to be ' a land flowing with milk and honey. ' The clustering grapes from tree to tree Hung in their rosy pride.' To the tra\eller the country seemed one vast vineyard, with groves of mulberry trees, patches of maize, and plots of great pumpkins, scattered here and theie. All over the lertne plain aie to be seen towns and villages with their quaint buildings and red-tiled lesidences, all in keeping with the vaned character of the landscape and the light and shade so admirably blended in Noithern Italy MANTUA Mantua, of which Pius X. was appointed Bishop on i\o\ ember 10, 1884, was at one time, and is perhaps still, the .strongest fortress in Italy. It was one of the four lorU 01 tne lamous ' quadrilateral,' which figured so prominently in the campaign against Austria in 1859. It is a line city, well built, and bristling with lortihcations lor miles around Among its most prominent architectural features are the Cathedral, rebuilt in 982, having been burned down in 894, with its fine naves and splendid colonnades , and the vast ' T Palace,' so called irom its shape. Mantua was the seat of a duchy, and was at one time mled by the Gonzaga family, a branch of which gave St. Moysius Goir/aga, the patron of studious youth to the Church St. Aloysius Gonzaga studied for a time at M£/>li a Me died in 1591, and was canonised in 1726 Many llhistnous men were born in Mantua, among them being the poet Virgil, to whose memory there is a splen!id monument in the city. It was near Mantua— at Gov-

e r nol<» o;. the Mmcio — that Pope Si Leo went to meet \tlila and Jus invading hordes of nortliem barbarians, .did b) the majesty of his presence and address sent the MMiqueror hack from his f march on Rome VENICE His Holiness was appointed to the patriarchal see of Venice in 1893 The ' Queen of the Adriatic ' is one of the most interesting cities in Italy outside of Rome. It played a \ery important part in international affairs during the Middle Ages, and was noted lor its commercial supremacy \enice was made an episcopal see as Kit hack as 1170, and a patriarchal see in 1151. One ot the glories of this city is the Basilica oi St. Mark, .in illustration of which is given on opposite page. The Hast Ik a stands in the piazza of St Walk, and has always been ot great interest to all leners of the beautiful m marble and stone and mosaic, as it is one of the architectural glories of the Church In Ihe fronjL of the building rise three tall red flagstaffs surmounted by winged lions. The magnificent campanile, which stood m the piazza close to the basilica was destroyed last \ ear through the foundations giving way, much to the soiY >\r ci lovers o' ait all over the world At the time of our visit to Venice in October last year, the piazza was stiewn with the debris of this noble structuie, which had withstood storm and stress since its completion in 1510 Its foundations were laid in ( tO2 The iower was 323 ft high, and from its summit there could be got a magnificent view of Venice, the lagoons, the surrounding country, and the blue Adriatic. The Campanile is to be rebuilt at the nation's expense, supplemented by funds subscribed by members of art st cieties in other lands.