The Doorcase Is
White Marble, And Over The Entrance Is Cut In Relieve The History Of
St. Paul's Preaching To The Bereans (As In Acts Xvii.
2).
It
consists of a group of nine figures, besides that of St. Paul, with
books, &c., lively represented by the same hand as "The Conversion."
On the south side of the church, near the west end, is a forum or
portal, the doorcase being enriched with cartouches, volutas, and
fruit, very excellently carved under a pediment, and opposite to
this on the north side is the like doorcase. And, in brief, all the
apertures are not only judiciously disposed for commodiousness,
illumination of the fabric, &c., but are very ornamental.
At the west end is an acroteria of the figures of the twelve
apostles, each about eleven feet high, with that of St. Paul on the
angle of the pediment, and those of the four evangelists, two of
each cumbent between as many angles on a circular pediment. Over
the dials of the clock on the fronts of the two towers, also an
entablature and circles of enrichment, where twelve stones compose
the aperture, answering to the twelve hours.
The said towers are adorned with circular ranges of columns of the
Corinthian order, with domes upon the upper part, and at the vertex
of each a curious pineapple.
The choir has its roof supported with six spacious pillars, and the
church with six more, besides which there are eight that support the
cupola and two very spacious ones at the west end. All which
pillars are adorned with pilasters of the Corinthian and Composite
orders, and also with columns fronting the cross-aisle, or
ambulatory, between the consistory and morning prayer chapel, which
have each a very beautiful screen of curious wainscot, and adorned
each with twelve columns, their entablatures arched pediments, and
the king's arms, enriched with cherubims, and each pediment between
four vases, all curiously carved. These screens are fenced with
ironwork, as is also the cornice at the west end of the church, and
so eastward beyond the first arch.
The pillars of the church that support the roof are two ranges, with
their entablature and beautiful arches, whereby the body of the
church and choir are divided into three parts or aisles. The roof
of each is adorned with arches and spacious peripheries of
enrichments, as shields, leaves, chaplets, &c. (the spaces included
being somewhat concave), admirably carved in stone; and there is a
large cross aisle between the north and south porticoes, and two
ambulatories, the one a little eastward, the other westward from the
said cross-aisle, and running parallel therewith. The floor of the
whole is paved with marble, but under the cupola and within the rail
of the altar with fine porphyry, polished and laid in several
geometrical figures.
The altar-piece is adorned with four noble fluted pilasters, finely
painted and veined with gold, in imitation of lapis lazuli, with
their entablature, where the enrichments, and also the capitals of
the pilasters, are double gilt with gold.
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