So oppressed by the crowd and heat, that I almost fainted away, and was
very glad to get out of the Chapel again, before the ceremony commenced.
Why in the name of commonsense do they perform these ceremonies in the
Sistine Chapel which is small, instead of doing them in the church of St
Peter's, which would contain so many people and produce a much grander
effect?
A great many people are deprived of seeing the ceremonies in the Sistine
Chapel from the difficulty of getting in. The Pope's Swiss Guard attend on
that day in their ancient costume, with helmets, cuirasses and halberds;
these guard the entrance of the staircase leading to the Chapel, and they
have no small trouble and difficulty in maintaining order, as there is
always a great scuffle to get in, and they are particularly importuned by
German visitors, who thinking to be favored by them, in speaking to them in
their own language, vociferate; Ich bin Ihr Landsmann! and hope by this
to obtain a preference.
On Friday evening a large Cross is erected before the grand altar; every
part of this Cross is filled with lamps, and at seven in the evening the
whole is illuminated.
