Curiosities of Christian History Part 41

THE CATHEDRAL OF OVIEDO.

The cathedral of Oviedo was built on the ruins of a previous church in 1388. The western facade has a n.o.ble bal.u.s.traded portico, rich in ornamentation. The most interesting piece of antiquity here is the Camera Santa or chapel of San Miguel, the second oldest Christian building after the Moorish invasion, being built in 802, as a receptacle for sacred relics. This holy of holies is lit by magnificent silver lamps, and the devout kneel before a railing while the relics are exhibited every morning. These relics are enclosed in superb silver workmanship of various designs. In a small case is kept the _santo sudario_ or shroud of our Saviour, which thrice a year and each Good Friday, if a bishop preaches, is displayed from a balcony. There is also a venerable cross, a thousand years old, inclosed in magnificent filigree work. At Oviedo there is an ancient church of San Miguel. On July 25th each year a great procession is seen of the peasants with their offerings of cows and heifers going to this church, the horns being gaily decorated with ribbons. They go to Ma.s.s on that day, and it is looked forward to as their chief religious event.

NOTRE DAME AND LA SAINTE CHAPELLE, PARIS.

The cathedral of Notre Dame, begun in 528, to commemorate the grat.i.tude of Childebert on his recovery from sickness, replaced another at its side, and was in turn replaced in 1163 by the present structure. It is remarkable for now containing the crown of thorns given by St. Louis and the nail of the true cross. The crown of thorns was brought there from La Sainte Chapelle, which was built by St. Louis as a shrine worthy to contain it. This exquisite chapel, without visible aisles or transept, was begun in 1242 and finished in 1247. One of the little tourelles at the side of the shrine still contains the actual wooden stair which was ascended by St. Louis when he went to take from its tabernacle the crown of thorns, which he and he alone was permitted to exhibit to the people below through a large pane of gla.s.s purposely inserted and always movable in the end window of the apse. It is recorded that when St. Louis was in Paris he would rise to pray three times in the night, always approaching the altar on his knees. This chapel was called by the old chronicler St.

Louis's a.r.s.enal and tower of defence against all the ills of life. The head of the saintly King was afterwards brought hither from St. Denis at the instance of Philip the Fair.

CHURCHES AT Ma.r.s.eILLES AND STRASBURG.

On the rocky hill of Notre Dame de la Garde, above the harbour of Ma.r.s.eilles, is a Romanesque church, in which is a shrine with a famous image of the Virgin, carved in olive wood, and of great antiquity. All the sailors and fishermen in the Mediterranean venerate this object, and hang their offerings on the walls and roof. All kinds of objects connected with shipwrecks, plagues, storms, cholera, panics, are here represented. At Strasburg the cathedral, begun in 1015, is a n.o.ble Gothic edifice, the tower of which is 468 feet above the pavement. There is a circular window 48 feet in diameter, and rising to the height of 230 feet. The interior has much richly painted gla.s.s. There is also a famous clock in the south transept, dating from 1354, which shows the hour, day of the week, month, and year, and many other epochs, besides clockwork figures, with mechanism for moving puppets and images.

CHARTRES CATHEDRAL.

The cathedral of Notre Dame at Chartres, magnificent and strongly built, attracts the visitor by its two tall but unequal bell-towers and spires.

It is vast and elegant, and excels in painted gla.s.s and its three rose windows. The tower and spire are the finest of their period in France, the steeple being 339-1/2 feet high without the cross. Above the Porte Royale or central door is the image of Christ in an oval, with the symbols of the four evangelists, and below these are the fourteen prophets, and in the arches above are the twenty-four elders playing on musical instruments.

The church is a storehouse of painted gla.s.s, above one hundred and thirty windows being rich with splendid ornamentation, the rose windows being thirty or forty feet in diameter. The choir has double aisles and many bas-reliefs of Scriptural subjects. Outside of the screen which separates the choir from the aisles is a series of Gothic sculptures of events in the life of Christ and the Virgin in forty-five compartments, surrounded with elaborate tracery and tabernacle work begun about 1514. The execution has been compared to point lace in stone, some of the sculptured threads being not thicker than the blade of a penknife. This was the earliest and chief church in France dedicated to the Virgin, and was resorted to by countless pilgrims. The sacred image dating from the time of the Druids stood in the crypt. The famous relic of the Sancta Camisia given by Charles le Chauve is here. And the celebrated black image of the twelfth century, after having been crowned with a bonnet rouge during the Revolution, is still a subject of adoration.

THE CATHEDRAL OF AMIENS.

The cathedral of Amiens, one of the n.o.blest Gothic edifices in Europe, was begun in 1220, about the same time as Salisbury, but the spire is 422 feet, being 20 feet higher than Salisbury. Yet owing to the loftiness of the roof of the nave, this great height does not strike the beholder. The interior is one of the most magnificent of spectacles, owing to this great height of the roof, which is about double the usual height of English cathedrals. The area of the cathedral is also larger than that of any other cathedral in France, and is only surpa.s.sed by that of St. Peter's at Rome, and by Cologne. At the crossing of the transept, three magnificent rose windows of elaborate tracery and rich stained gla.s.s, and about 100 feet in circ.u.mference, make this cathedral unique. The head of St. John the Baptist, brought from Constantinople at the time of the Crusades, has always been prized as an invaluable relic, and is deposited in the side chapel dedicated to St. John. Several other heads of St. John existed before the Revolution in other churches of France, but this was deemed the genuine one. Since the Revolution, however, the skull has been reduced to the frontal bone and upper jaw. The choir and its elegantly groined roof, resting on compressed lancet-pointed arches, are of great beauty, and there are one hundred and ten stalls of elaborately carved woodwork, showing the finest invention and execution. This carved work was done or finished in 1528.

THE CATHEDRAL OF RHEIMS.

The cathedral of Rheims is a Gothic edifice of great power and grace, commenced in 1212. The western front is thought to be unrivalled for the multiplicity of detail in sculpture and tracery. The interior is perfect in design, and the gorgeous stained gla.s.s in the rose windows, the largest being forty feet in diameter, adds to the grandeur of the general effect.

The choir was consecrated in 1241. The clock over the sacristy, one of the oldest clocks known, strikes the hour, when a door opens and the effigy of a man looks out, while other figures sally forth and make the round. Here the coronation of the French kings took place. The holy oil, according to the legend, was at first brought by a dove from heaven.

THE CATHEDRAL OF AIX-LA-CHAPELLE AND RELICS.

The cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle is the most ancient polygonal church north of the Alps, the nave of which being octagonal, was erected by Charlemagne about 796, partly as a tomb for himself, in imitation of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. The Emperor's tomb was opened by Otho III., and Charlemagne was found, not lying, but sitting on a throne as one alive, bearing a sceptre in his hand, and having a copy of the Gospels on his knees. These relics were removed to Vienna. The choir was rebuilt in 1413. It is 120 feet long, and 114 feet high, having the appearance of a gigantic lantern. The treasury of the cathedral has a rich collection of relics in shrines of great beauty. There is a locket of the Virgin's hair; a piece of the true cross; the leathern girdle of Christ (bearing Constantine's seal); a nail of the cross; the cord which bound the rod that smote Him; the sponge which was filled with vinegar; that arm of Simeon on which he bore the infant Jesus; some blood and bones of St.

Stephen; some manna from the wilderness; and some bits of Aaron's rod.

These relics were presented to Charlemagne by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Caliph Haroun Al Raschid. Another silver-gilt shrine contains the great relics which are shown only once in seven years. These are the cotton robe worn by the Virgin at the Nativity; the swaddling clothes of Jesus; the cloth on which John the Baptist's head was laid; the scarf worn by the Saviour at the Crucifixion, having stains of His blood.

THE CATHEDRAL OF TREVES.

The cathedral of St. Peter and St. Helen at Treves has five stately towers, and was completed in the twelfth century, being supposed to be begun about 550. The vast size of the building is imposing. One of the remarkable relics here preserved is the holy coat, without seam, and said to be made of camels' hair, five feet long. When not exhibited, it is carefully walled up inside the high altar. In 1844, when it was exhibited, about a million of pilgrims went to view it.

THE CATHEDRAL AND CHURCHES OF ANTWERP.

The cathedral of Notre Dame at Antwerp is one of the largest of the Gothic cathedrals. The great attractions in the interior are the masterpieces of Rubens. The steeple is one of the loftiest in the world, being 403 feet high, and of such delicate workmanship that Charles V. said it deserved to be kept in a case. Napoleon said it was as minute and elaborate as a piece of Mechlin lace. It was begun in 1422 and completed in 1518. The framework is chiefly of iron, with stones interlaced and bolted together with copper. In the tower there are sixty bells, which are made to chime in perfection. Another church of Antwerp, more highly decorated even than the cathedral, is that of St. Jacques, where marbles, gla.s.s, carved wood, and monuments give a rich appearance to the interior. The Holy Family, by Rubens, adorns the altarpiece, which for colour stands as high as any of Rubens' works. In another church in Antwerp, that of the Augustines, there is also an altarpiece by Rubens--the marriage of St. Catherine--where there are about twenty figures of saints, all of which are rendered with great skill, and the brilliancy of colour is impressive and fascinating.

In the nave of the same church a picture by Vand.y.k.e, the Ecstasy of St.

Augustine, is also famous.

THE CATHEDRAL OF COLOGNE.

The cathedral church of St. Peter at Cologne was commenced in 1248, to replace an earlier one which had been destroyed by fire. The work proceeded very slowly, came to a stop in 1509, and stopped for three hundred years. In 1830 the original plan was resumed. The two princ.i.p.al towers were to be raised to the height of 500 feet. A handsome terrace has been raised round the church. The entire length of the body of the church is 511 feet, equal to the height of the towers. It had always been intended to be the most regular and most stupendous Gothic monument existing. The choir consists of five aisles, and from the great height and arrangement of the pillars and stained windows the interior has a glorious effect. The exterior also is striking from its double range of vast flying b.u.t.tresses and intervening piers bristling with a forest of purfled pinnacles. Round the choir stand fourteen colossal statues of the twelve Apostles, the Virgin, and the Saviour, coloured and gilt. The chapel immediately behind the high altar is that of the three kings of Cologne, or the Magi, who came from the East with gifts to the Infant at Bethlehem.

The bones of these kings had been carried off from Milan by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1162. The shrine containing the bones is of silver gilt, and curiously wrought. Even the skulls of the kings are exhibited crowned with diadems.

ST. ISAAC'S CATHEDRAL, ST. PETERSBURG.

The cathedral of St. Isaac's at St. Petersburg is of comparatively modern origin, being completed in 1801, the former one built in 1710 being destroyed by fire. The proportions are grand and the porticoes n.o.ble. The cupola, which is 296 feet high, supported by thirty polished granite pillars, is covered with copper overlaid with gold, and glitters brightly.

The screen is supported by malachite columns 30 feet high, and on either side of the door of the screen there are pillars of lapis-lazuli. Into the inmost shrine or sanctuary women are not admitted. The most effective portion of the service in the Greek Church is the singing, boys always taking the soprano parts. Certain half-recitative solos are delivered by deacons with very strong and deep ba.s.s voices. One of the most impressive parts of the service occurs when the doors of the ikonostas or screen are shut; the chanting then ceases, the incense-bearers withdraw, and every one seems breathless with attention. The royal doors are then opened in the centre, and the chief officiating priest, attended by deacons, comes forward, carrying the Holy Eucharist, and commences a long recitative, which is a prayer for the Emperor and Imperial Family. While this prayer is intoned the audience bend low in att.i.tudes of adoration. The outward forms of the service are joined in by the men as well as the women with great fervour. The first proceeding on entering a Russian church is to purchase a wax candle. With this the worshipper slowly approaches one of the shrines. He sinks on one knee, bowing his head to the pavement, and crossing his breast repeatedly with the thumb and two forefingers of his right hand. Having reached the shrine, he then lights his votive candle at the holy lamp, and sets it up in one of the various holes in a large silver stand provided for the purpose, falling at the same time on his bended knees on the pavement before the altar. He then says his prayers and retires slowly with his face to the altar, kneeling and crossing himself at intervals. The kindling of lamps and tapers is a custom in all Russian churches.

THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. STEPHEN'S OF VIENNA.

The cathedral at Vienna was begun in 1359, and has much rich tracery and curious carvings. The giant portal is a triumph of Gothic ornament. The lofty nave has rich sculpture and rich tinted gla.s.s, two of the windows being rose. The tower is a masterpiece, and is 444 feet high, and it is now made useful by the fire brigade as a watch-tower, there being a station half-way up, and watchmen posted there night and day.

THE MOSQUE OF ST. SOPHIA, CONSTANTINOPLE.

The cathedral of old Constantinople, dedicated by Constantine to the Eternal Wisdom, now turned into a mosque, was first built in 325. It was burnt down and rebuilt in 415, and again in 532 and 548. Justinian at the last date restored it and placed it on a magnificent footing. He was proud of the structure, and boasted that he had vanquished Solomon. The marble columns were the admiration of the world, every variety of marble, granite, and porphyry being used: white marble with rose-coloured stripes, green and blue, and white marble with black veins. There were eight porphyry columns used which Aurelius had taken away from the Temple of the Sun at Baalbec. This church, when restored by Justinian, was the theatre of great and solemn State affairs. It was said to have had a hundred architects, and the plan had been laid down by an angel who appeared to the Emperor in a dream. A second angel appeared to a boy when guarding the workmen's tools, and insisted on the works being rapidly completed. The building was afterwards completed, except as to the cupola, and an angel for the third time appeared, and as the works were stopped for want of money, led the mules of the Treasury to a subterranean vault, where 80 cwt. of gold was concealed, whereupon the building advanced with great speed. The Emperor and the architect having differed as to the position of certain windows admitting light, the angel again appeared and instructed the Emperor that the light should fall upon the altar through three windows, in honour of the Trinity. The altar was to be more costly than gold, and was one ma.s.s of precious stones. Above the altar rose a tabernacle crowned with a golden cross weighing 75 lbs., and adorned with precious stones. The doors were of ivory, amber, and cedar. The church was opened in 548. The building is nearly a square. Fergusson (on Architecture) doubts whether any Christian church of any age exists whose interior is so exquisitely beautiful. It contains among the relics the cradle of the Saviour and a basin in which the Infant was washed by Mary.

THE MOSQUE OF OMAR.

The Saracenic cupola of the Mosque of Omar may be said to defy comparison even with the proud domes of St. Sophia, St. Peter, and St. Paul. The marble octagon from which that cupola springs into the air with the Arabesque frieze and circle of pointed windows has nothing in Europe excelling it in either grace or strength.

THE CHURCHES OF JERUSALEM.

Though the site of the Holy Sepulchre has not been clearly established, there was a church erected over the supposed spot by Constantine in 326, and rebuilt in 614, and again in 1048. The church remained in the same state as the Crusaders left it till 1808, when it was partly destroyed by fire and rebuilt. The church is nearly of an oval shape. In the centre of the rotunda is the Holy Sepulchre, covered by a building 26 feet long by 18 feet wide, cased in white stone, with semicolumns and pilasters. The sepulchre proper is a vault 6 feet by 7 feet. Over it lamps of gold and silver burn with a brilliant light. The vault was said to be hewn out of the rock, but no rock is seen, all being marble. A round marble stone let into the pavement marks the spot where Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene, and even the exact spot is shown where Mary stood. The Chapel of the Apparition marks the spot where Christ appeared to His mother after the Resurrection. Near that spot St. Helena laid the crosses after she had discovered them. The column of flagellation is represented by a fragment of porphyry covered over, and the pilgrim can insert his staff in a hole and touch it, which he usually does, and then kisses the staff. Adjoining are various chapels: the Chapel of St. Helena, the Chapel of the Invention of the Cross and of the Elevation of the Cross, and the Chapel of the Crucifixion. The latter stands on the spot where Christ was nailed to the cross. In the south wall is a barred window, marking the place where the Virgin Mary stood during the Crucifixion.

THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OF BETHLEHEM.

The extraordinary interest attached by all Christians to the little village of Bethlehem led to early pilgrimages. St. Helena, the mother of Constantine, went to the spot and built what was then considered a splendid church or basilica in 327, and which is the oldest existing monument of Christian architecture in the world. St. Jerome afterwards took up his abode there in a cell. The Crusaders also took especial interest, and at the request of the inhabitants a.s.sumed possession. In 1110 Baldwin I. made an episcopal see of this place, though it had an ephemeral existence. The Church of the Nativity, built partly into the cave or stable of Bethlehem, is 120 feet long by 110 feet wide, and has four aisles with marble columns. The Chapel of the Nativity is a vault hewn out of the rock, 38 feet long by 11 feet wide. On a marble slab in the pavement a silver star marks the supposed site of the birth of Christ.

The site of the manger is also pointed out, for the real manger was carried to Rome and is deposited in Santa Maria Maggiore. The various grottoes here are possessed by rival sects, which keep up constant warfare about their rights. The convents, together with the church, make up a large pile of buildings. There are about three thousand inhabitants in Bethlehem, nearly all Christians, who are peasants, and some of them make a livelihood by carving heads and crosses for pilgrims.

ANCIENT BRITISH CHURCHES AND THEIR CHIEF FEATURES.

The old British churches in the time of Edward I. had some features which are now unknown. Under every altar there was a small stone, which closed up the aperture in which relics were kept, it being a maxim that no altar could be consecrated without relics. There was a canopy over the altar with curtains, and here was hung the pyx or box containing the Host, or consecrated bread. This was considered so sacred a thing, that once, when it was stolen, Henry V. delayed his whole army for a day in order to discover the thief. There was a confessional with oblong holes in the wall, or there was a crypt for the like purpose. The Galilee was the place marked by circular stones, to show where the processions ended. There were holy-water stones filled with fresh water every morning. The old fonts were baths, and in progress of time they grew less and less, and at last a basin of water only was used. In baptising children, not only water was used, but oil, or chrism, especially to make the sign of the cross on the child's breast and between the shoulders. The oil was omitted after the Reformation. The churches were often mere lounging-places, and the porch was the place for people meeting and settling their disputes. This state of things continued slightly changed for some time even after the Reformation.

ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, LONDON.