LETTER IV. The Monuments.

Rome, January, 1841.
My dear Eugenio,-

I grieve to find in your last letter suspicion with regard to my conduct. You doubt whether the reason for which I have waited a month to write to you may have been that of not wishing to confess my defeat. No, dear friend; as yet I have never come out with loss from the dispute, rather I hope to come out victorious. I did not write to you at once because I did not wish to weary you by writing discussions; I wished to wait for the decisive victory which could not he far off, and then I should have written all to you. But since you desire to know all the details, I am willing to satisfy you. I reveal myself to you as to a friend of my heart, which you are; I hide nothing from you, not even the thoughts of my soul, certain that you will not compromise me. This, then, is what happened in our visit to the monuments. I went the appointed day to Mr. Manson and found the other two gentlemen. We took a carriage, and according to the programme of my master, I conducted my friends to the Church of 8t. Peter in in vinculis. It is situated on the south side of the Esquiline Hill. A most beautiful portico, with five arches, enclosed in elegant iron railings, forms the entrance to the magnificent basilica; which is of a light, and at the same time, majestic architecture. I shall say nothing of the most beautiful picture of St. Augustine, the work of Guercino; nor of the other, representing the liberation of St. Peter from prison, the work of Domenichino. The chef d’aeuvre of Michael Angelo, viz., the statue of Moses, destined tor the mausoleum of Julius II., eclipses all else in this church.

Mr. Manson, Mr. Sweeteman, and I stood enchanted before that statue, which shows how high the genius of Christian art can attain. The Waldensian smiled at our admiration; then, striking me lightly on the shoulder, said: “Signor Abbe, explain to me a little one thing I do not understand. Your Church says that temples are holy places. places consecrated to the Lord, houses of prayer; and adopts in its temples all that the Bible tells of the Temple at Jerusalem. How, then, can it transform its temples into studios of fine arts or museums, and thus expose itself to the profanation of us Protestants, who enter them not to pray, but to look at the objects of art?”

I answered that these statues were in the churches to excite the devotion of the people, and the more beautiful they ware the more they answered their purpose.

“Keep to common ground,” he interrupted; “we must not anticipate the question of statues, that will come in its time. But, even granting what you saw, this monument is certainly not placed here to excite devotion; but to honour the dead body of a Pope.” “To the Lord’s House,” I added, “belongeth magnificence.” “It is written, however,” he resumed, “Holiness becometh Thy house” (Psalm xciii. 5).

We passed into the sacristy, where the Father Abbot awaited us, and received us with many compliments. In the sacristy is a beautiful marble altar, and upon it a little cupboard made of precious marble, and of most beautiful work. The Father Abbot lighted four candles, put on his surplice and stole, opened the little cupboard, and drew from it a beautiful urn of rock crystal, in which the chains of St. Peter are preserved. The Father Abbot and I knelt together before these holy chains, and prayed in silence; then we kissed these relics, and! the Father Abbot shut the cupboard.

Then, having taken off the sacred vestments, he related that in the fifth century Giovenale, the Patriarch of Jerusalem., gave to the Empress Eudocia the chain with which St. Peter was manacled in Jerusalem by order of the Emperor Herod; Eudocia presented them to Pope Leo I., who brought together this and the other chain with which St. Peter was bound in Rome by order of Nero. The two holy chains coming in contact united and became one single chain, which is here preserved. Then the Empress caused this church to be rebuilt; I say rebuilt, because it was already a church, built by Pudens, and consecrated by St. Peter. Hence the title of St. Peter in vinculis.

“And is this story well certified?” asked the Waldensian.

“To doubt the truth of it,” replied the Father Abbot, gravely, “it would be necessary to doubt the evidence itself. If you will take the trouble to come up to my room, I can show you the documents which prove the truth of it.”

Then went up to the apartment of the Father Abbot, where he drew from his bookshelves the first volume of the works of Father Tillemont, and at page 172 he read these words:-

“Tradition says that St. Peter converted the Senator Pudens in Rome, that he lived in his house, and consecrated in it the first church in Rome, which became afterwards San Pietro in vinculis.”

I was consoled beyond measure, and admired the prudence of my master in having so wisely directed my visit to the monuments. Mr. Manson exclaimed, “Ah! one must come to Rome to be instructed in ecclesiastical antiquity.”

The Waldensian, with his accustomed coldness, said, “But do you believe, Father Abbot, that Tillemont really lent credence to this fact?”

“I cannot think how you can doubt it,” replied the Father Abbot; “Tillemont depended upon tradition.”

“Well,” said the Waldensian, “favour me with the second volume of Tillemont.” Having it, he sought for page 616, and showed that Tillemont based such tradition upon the Apocryphal book of The Shepherd, attributed to Hermas. And then he showed that all the events related in that book belonged to the time of Antoninus that is, towards the middle of the second century; from which one must deduce that if you have faith in such tradition, St. Peter would have been the guest of Pudens in the middle of the second century, that; is, about a century alter his death.

The Father Abbot and I were confounded by this observation; still, the Father Abbot did not lose courage, and taking from his cupboard an old martyrology in parchment, with the initials in miniature, opened it, and read, at August 1, these words in Latin: “The consecration of the first church at Rome, built and consecrated by St. Peter the Apostle.” “Here is a document much more ancient than Tillemont.”

The Waldensian looked at the martyrology, and from its characters and its miniatures he showed that it was of the XIVth century.

A document,” said he, “of at least three centuries after the fact which you wish to prove by it, proves nothing.”

“Well,” replied the Father Abbot, “here is the testimony of Cardinal Bona,” and he showed the book of that Cardinal upon the liturgy. “Here is the history of this church written by one of our Canons.” The Waldensian interrupted: “All these testimonies are more recent than those of the martyrology. But let us not go from Tillemont; see what is said at page 604 in this second volume. Read, Father Abbot:-“It cannot be believed that the Christians had churches or buildings built expressly in which to assemble for their religious exercises until alter the persecution of Severus towards the year 230 A.D’ And you could,” he added, “quote all the Fathers of the first centuries to show by their testimonies that the Christians had no churches until the third century.”

The Father Abbot became as red as a hot coal. I felt as if I could not contain myself, and excited by anger, I said to the Waldensian, “And perhaps you have something to contradict about this chain?”

“Not at all; I should be out of my mind: if I did not see it was a chain; but to be reasonably convinced that this was the chain of at. Peter I must reason with you a little about it. I must know, for example, why of the two chains (Acts xii. 6) with which St. Peter was fettered at Jerusalem, only one was preserved; and where is the other gone? I must know who preserved that chain. Whether Herod? Whether the Jews? Whether the Christians? But St. Peter left the chains on the ground in the prison. It would be well to know how, in the ruin of Jerusalem, when all was destroyed, that chain was preserved. With relation to the one at Rome you must show that St. Peter was there, which, however, is a little difficult. If he had not been to Rome, he could not have been imprisoned there. But suppose he was there, I will ask, who preserved that chain? Nero? But he, we know, was not so devout. The Christians? But who would have dared to go and ask for it? And if they had dared, would they have got it? And then you know welt that in those times the worship of relics was esteemed idolatry; it is sufficient to read Tertullian, Origen, Justin Martyr, and the other ancient Fathers, to be persuaded of this. Therefore, dear sir, let us look at other monuments in which you may be more fortunate; but these do not in the least convince me.”

This first experience taught me that I had to do with a man who knew much more than I did; and then I felt that my_ was right, and sought how to extricate myself from trouble, and wished that I had got out by means of Biblical arguments, in order to accuse him of not having kept to the contract, and thus break off the discussion with some honour. To that end, rather than conduct him to the Mamertine Prison, I took him to the church called, Domine quo vadis.

A short distance from the city, upon the Appian Way. there is a little church built on the spot. where our Lord appeared to St. Peter. In order that you may well know the fact, I transcribe the inscription upon the marble which is found in that church: – This Church is called Santa Maria delle piante, and, commonly speaking, Domine quo vadis. It is called “of the footprints,” on account of the appearance of our Lord made in it to St. Peter, when that glorious Apostle, persuaded or even compelled by the Christians to come out of prison and depart from Rome, walked by this Appian Way, and just at this place met with our Lord walking towards Rome, to whose miraculous appearance he said: ‘Domine, quo vadis?’ (Lord, whither goest Thou?); and He replied, ‘Venio Romam iterum cruciffigi‘ (I come to Rome to be crucified afresh). St. Peter immediately understood the mystery, and remembered that to him also such a death had been predicted, when Christ gave to him the government of His Church; therefore, turning round, he went back to Rome, and the Lord disappeared, and in disappearing left the impression of His feet in a paving-stone of the street. From this the Church took the name of ‘delle piante,’ and from the words of St. Peter the name Domine quo vadis? …. 1830.-” …. 1830.-”

We had scarcely arrived in front of the church, than the Waldensian stopped to read the inscription that is over the door:- “Stop; 0 passer-by, and enter into this holy temple, where you will find the footprint and figure of Our Lord Jesus Christ, when He met with St. Peter, who fled from prison. Alms are requested for wax and oil, to liberate some soul from purgatory.” After he had read this inscription, he said, “I do not think that the Signor Abbe is more fortunate in the visit to this second monument.”

We entered; upon the wall on the right of those who enter is depicted the Saviour, who with His cross on His shoulders, walks towards Rome. On the wall to the left is depicted St. Peter in the attitude of flying from Rome. In the middle of the Church there is a narrow strip of basalt pavement to represent the ancient street, and in the centre a white square stone, projecting above the pavement, and on this there is the print our Lord’s feet, and around is sculptured the verse of the Psalm, “Let us adore in the place where His feet rested.”

The Waldensian assumed a very serious expression, and cast a compassionate look upon me, and without anything more, went out of the church; Mr. Sweeteman appeared to me also scandalized Mr. Manson himself was not satisfied, and all went out.

I did not at all understand this. I also went out, and the Waldensian spoke to me, with a seriousness that made me afraid.

“Signor Abbe, I am a Christian, and cannot bear that under the aspect of religion the adorable Person of Our Lord Jesus Christ should be made ridiculous; and that the word of God should be thus abused to inculcate the adoration of a stone.”

I wished to justify the thing; but all were against me, and I held my peace. Everything went wrong with me that day. Then I resumed the programme of my master, and ordered the vetturino to drive us to St. Peter.

St. Peter in carcere is nothing but the ancient Mamertine Prison turned into a chapel. You descend by a modern staircase to the door of the prison, upon which you may still read the ancient Roman inscription. Having entered the first subterranean prison, you descend by little steps into the second, which is perpendicularly under the first. As we descend by the little steps, I made Mr. Manson notice on wall the impression of the profile of a human face, an impression which was taken from the face of St. Peter, when going down into that prison the jailer gave him a box on the ear, and caused him to strike his head against the stone wall. which, softened by the touch of the holy head, received the impress of his face. In the middle of that second subterranean prison there is a well of water, miraculously made to spring forth by St. Peter, when he converted the jailers Processo add Martiniano, and baptized them with forty-eight other prisoners.

Mr. Manson was filled with veneration for this prison, in which the Apostle St. Peter had lived, and had worked miracles. He wished to taste the miraculous water, and to preserve some of it in a little bottle, which he bought of the custodian to carry with him to England. I thought myself victorious, and in going out I asked the Waldensian if he was convinced that this was the prison of St. Peter.

“I believe,” he replied, “that this is the Mamertine Prison, because it is really in the position in which it was situated. History speaks of this prison, and tells that in it only illustrious prisoners were confined; hence it could not have held the poor fisherman of Galilee. History gives the names of prisoners who lived in this prison, but amongst them there is not the name of Peter or of Paul; on the contrary. with regard to the latter. who was really in Rome, the account in the Acts of the Apostles tells that he was not in this prison. History tells that those who entered this prison never came out alive. but were strangled there, and their bodies, to the terror of the people, were thrown from the Scale Gemonie, which looked upon the Forum. Thus we know that in this prison Jugurtha was put to death; that by order of Cicero, Lentulus, Cetegus, Statilius, Sabinius, and Ceparius, heads of the Catiline conspiracy. were strangled; in it was killed Sejan, by order of Tiberius, and Gioras, son of Simon, chief of the Jews, who had been made prisoner by Titus; but no historical document speaks either of St. Peter or of St. Paul. History tells that no one came out of this prison alive; therefore, St. Peter was not there, because, according to you, he did not die there. Moreover, you have shown me in Domine quo vadis that. St. Peter, persuaded by Christians, came out of prison. But from this prison. he could not have come out, and in it he could not have spoken with any one. There is no other way of entrance but the aperture used from above – the first aperture penetrated the upper prison, which was otherwise inaccessible. But St. Peter would have been in the lower inaccessible prison, and it would have been absolutely impossible to come out of it. It cannot be admitted that he came out by miracle as he came out of the prison at Jerusalem; for then there would have been no room for the reproof which, according to you, he received from Jesus Christ for having come out; so you see well that this prison proves nothing in your favor.”

“And the impression of the face of St. Peter on the stone? And the miraculous water? And the baptism of the prisoners? Are these, then, all impostures?”

“My dear Signor Abbe, do not allow yourself to be blinded by prejudice, but let us quietly reason. before admitting the facts as certain. The steps on which half-way down is the pretended face of St. Peter, are of recent construction. When the Mamertine dungeon was a prison the prisoners did not go down into it by those steps, which did not exist, but were let down into it through the upper aperture; so then, if these steps did not exist, St. Peter could not have passed by and left his face on the stone. As to the well, I see no miracle in that; because, wherever you dig in Rome to that level you find water, which is not at all miraculous. And then it is an absurd thing to pretend that God worked the miracle of causing the waters to rise, in order to baptize those jailers, who could easily bring water needed for the baptism, without the necessity of a miracle. Finally, it is absurd to pretend that there were, together with St. Peter and St. Paul in that prison. forty-eight other prisoners; first, because that was an exceptional prison, as we have mentioned, and then, if you measure the prison you will see it is absolutely impossible that there could have been fifty-two persons in it, unless they were packed like anchovies in a barrel.”

On hearing these reasons Mr. Manson threw away the bottle of water he had bought; Mr. Sweeteman smiled, and I bit my lips with rage, not knowing what. adequate answer to give to such reasoning. I was convinced that there must be a good answer, but I did not know it, and I was indignant that my master, in giving me the programme, had not warned me of the objections of the Waldensian, and taught me how to &newer them.

“Well,” said I, “let us go and see the place where St. Peter was crucified.”

“Do you mean,” said the Waldensian,” Bramante’s famous little temple of San Pietro in Montorio? Let us spare our poor horses that fatiguing ascent; and this is why. I have good reasons to believe that not only did St. Peter not die in Rome, but that he never came there; but even if I could be persuaded that St. Peter had died at Rome, the sight of the hole where, eighteen centuries ago, the cross of St. Peter was planted, would make me laugh. Who can believe that that hole made in the earth could have been preserved for so many centuries? Besides, although the scientific men who study Christian antiquity at Rome believe that St. Peter died in that city, they do not agree as to the place of his martyrdom. Read Bosio, read Arrighi, and many more who have written upon the martyrdom of St, Peter, and you will see that some of them maintain that St Peter was put to death on the Vatican Hill, others between the Vatican and the Janicullum, and scarcely one believes that it was on the summit of the Janiculum, where is the little temple of Bramante. Therefore, it is useless for us to go there.”

The further we proceeded, the more I found myself confused and discouraged. Nevertheless, as I had no honest reason to retire· honorably, I took courage and conducted my companions to the Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina. belonging to the Carmelite Fathers.

Entering the Church. I called to the Friar Sacristan, in order that he should show the columns of St. Peter. I hoped that the Friar would be indignant at the observations the Waldensian would make, and thus a contest would arise which would give me a good pretext to retire; but instead of this, the contrary happened.

The Friar conducted us to the fourth chapel on the left, where leaning against the two walls, encased in wood, are preserved two columns of marble. An inscription, in Latin verse tells that the two Apostles, Peter and Paul, being tied to these two columns and scourged, the image of the Saviour, which is above the altar. appeared to them, and spoke to them for some time, consoling them in their suffering. The Waldensian smiled. The Friar Sacristan, turning towards him, said, “You do not, then, believe this to be true?”

“To believe it,” he replied, “I should desire to see some document. History tells nothing of this fact, and it seems to me frivolous to believe it without any proof. Besides, these columns were found in excavating the foundations of this Church in 1563; that is fifteen centuries after the death of St. Peter; who then, after fifteen centuries, is able to attest the fact? As to the image, the imposture is too gross; it is sufficient to look at it to perceive that it is a work relatively modern. Besides, it is beyond doubt that the use of images amongst Christians began long after the time of St. Peter.”

“The gentleman is right,” said the Sacristan; “during the many years that I have shown these columns to strangers I have found very few who have believed in them. Neither do I believe in them; but what would you? Everyone must attend to his own business.”

We came out of the Church, and after taking a few steps the Waldensian prayed us to come for a moment with him into the church close by of San Giacomo Scossacavalli. On entering he showed us two great pieces of rough marble, and pointing to them, said, “There is no doubt that this is stone of the country; but read.” There was written over these marbles that St. Helena had them brought from Jerusalem; that one of them was the altar on which Abraham tied his son Isaac to sacrifice him; the other was the altar on which the infant Jesus was placed to be circumcised. “See,” he added, “what faith can be given to the monuments which are preserved in Rome.”

My discouragement increased, and I prayed to the Virgin Mary and to the Holy Apostles that they would help me.

We arrived at last at St. Peter’s. Scarcely had we entered the Church than the Waldensian said to me: “Since the Signor Abbe showed us just now two columns, I will also show you one.” Thus saying, he conducted us to the first chapel on the right on entering called the chapel della Pieta. “Here is a column, with an inscription, which says:-‘This is a pillar from the Temple of Solomon, which Jesus Christ leaned against when He preached in the Temple.’ The Bible says that the magnificent temple of Solomon was entirely destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, so much so, that when it was rebuilt by Zerubbabel, they had to begin by excavating the foundations anew. History says that -as Jesus Christ predicted- of the temple which existed at the time of His life on earth, there has not remained one stone upon another. How is it then that this column is preserved? Such is the antiquity of these monuments!”

There remained to me no longer any hope of convincing him, except by making him see the chair of St. Peter; I, therefore, led him in front of its magnificent altar.

The chair of St. Peter??

This imposing monument is situated in the apsis of the basilica, opposite its principal door. Four colossal statues in copper gilt, each one twenty-four palms high, lightly sustain, as if in triumph, the chair of St. Peter, which is under a lining of copper gilt, adorned with magnificent work of sculpture and chiseling.

The four colossal statues represent two doctors of the Latin Church, viz., St. Augustine and St. Ambrose; and two doctors of the Greek Church, viz., St. Athanasius and St. John Chrysostom. A group of angels, sporting among small golden clouds, serves as a crown to a transparent dove, representing the Holy Spirit, which, in the midst of a large elliptical window of painted glass, seems to throw rays of light on the chair, and so to establish a sort of communication between and heaven.

So magnificent and surprising is the work that Mr. Sweeteman, who had never seen it, was struck with admiration, and Mr. Manson said, “I hope that Signor Pasquali will have nothing to object to so magnificent a monument.”

“I have nothing to say from the side of its magnificence; nothing more could have been done to gratify the senses; but I have my reasons to believe that that seat, supported by four doctors and honoured with special sumptuousness, instead of being the sea of the humble Apostle of the Lord, is the seat of Soliman, Caliph of Babylon, or of Saladin of Jerusalem.”

I could no longer resist such horrible blasphemy; I know not how far my zeal would have led me, but a convulsive tremor seized me; they led me home, and I was obliged to go to bed.

Tomorrow, if it pleases God, I will write you the remainder of this adventure.-Your friend,

Enrico.

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