That Ended, He Leaves The Church In The Same State, And Then
Ascends The Staircase, In Order To Prepare To Give The Benediction, Which
Is Usually Given From A Window Above The Facade Of The Church.
The Pope is
there seated on a chair with the triple Crown on his head.
Troops of
cavalry and infantry are drawn up in a semi-circle before the facade of the
church, and the whole vast arena of the Piazza di San Pietro is covered
with spectators. On a sudden his Holiness rises, extends his hands towards
heaven, then spreads them open, and seems as if he scattered something he
held in them on the crowd below; a silly young Frenchman who was standing
next to me said: Le voila! Le voila qui arrache la benediction au ciel, et
qui la repand sur tout le monde! I could not refrain from laughing at this
sally, tho' I was much impressed with the solemnity of the scene, which I
think one of the grandest and most sublime I ever beheld. This ceremony
concluded, salves of ordnance were fired. The Pope retires amidst clouds of
smoke, and seems to vanish from the Earth. The troops then fire a feu de
joie and move off, playing a march in quick time, and the company
disperse.
It is the etiquette on these occasions that no person be admitted either
into the church of St Peter or into the Sistine Chapel except in full
toilette. The ladies dress generally in black with caps and feathers; the
gentlemen either in black full dress or in military uniform.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 428 of 558
Words from 116705 to 116972
of 151859
