Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Getty Research Institute https://archive.org/details/explanationofvieOObark C»W' St Angelo Monte Mario s n;et«no^r ooecjrv • ii, ASTON BARKER has the Honor to inform the Public, that, having purchased the Panorama in the Strand, he has entered into Partnership with JOHN BURFORD, in that Concern- and he trusts that the same Attention to effective Correctness will be evident in the future Pictures of that Establishment which has already met with such general Approbation in his Panorama, Leicester Square. AN EXPLANATION or THE TOWER OF THE CAPITOL . NOW EXHIBITING AT H. A. BARKER and J. BURFORD’s PAIOMIAj NEAR THE NEW CHURCH, IN THE STRAND. 1818 ? PRICE SIXPENCE. J. 4 bIAS n, Printer, VS, Bartholomew Close. AN EXPLANATION OF THE VIEW OF ROME. TL HE spectator is placed on the second story of the tower of the Capitol, which rises over the senator’s palace: from hence we have the most magnificent view of this celebrated city ; nor does any other situation afford so general and interesting a pros¬ pect of the antiquities and modern city of Rome. We see almost the whole boundary of the ancient walls; the seven hills (not including the Pincian) ; the Campus Martins ; the Roman forum; the river; the Campagna; and an extensive range of the Appennines. In describing the View, the order of the objects will be as they occur in the picture, to the right, left, above or below each other, and commences with the church of St. LUKE AND St. MARTIN, At the north extremity of the Campo Vacino: it lias a cupola, and is a striking fore-ground object; this is one of the most ancient churches of Rome. Pope Sixtus the Fifth having be¬ stowed it on the society of painters, they built the present church in the time of Urban the Eighth, from a plan of Pietro de Cortona, who dedicated it to St. Luke the Evangelist, their protector. Opposite the side of St. Luke, at the foot of the Capitol, we see the roof of the church of St. PIETRO IN CARCERE. (St. Peter in Prison). This church was anciently the prison called Mamertines, which took its name either from the neighbouring street or its founder; 4 it was afterwards called Tullienus, from Servius Tullius, who enlarged it. It was first built by Ancus Martius, fourth King of Rome. The Apostle St. Peter was confined here nine months-, in the reign of Nero, which has increased the celebrity of the building. They have, in the lower part of the prison, a small column, to which St. Peter was chained, and near it a fountain,- which they say he miraculously raised to baptise St. Processus and St. Martinianus, the jailers, with forty-seven of their com¬ panions, who were afterwards all martyrs.^ The prison was con¬ verted into an oratory by the first Christians, and consecrated by Pope St. Silvester; the church of St. Joseph is built above it, which is the roof we actually see with a cross on it. The object which attracts our attention opposite the church of St. Luke is THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH OF SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS. The senate and people erected this splendid arch to Septimius Severus, and his sons, Caracalla and Geta, after his Parthian, Arabian, and Adiabenian conquests. It is built of white marble, but of a soft quality, so that the bas-reliefs are exceedingly mu¬ tilated, as is the whole structure. The inscription which we see is repeated on the other side: the letters had been filled up with brass, which has long since been taken away: the name of Geta had been erased by Caracalla, his brother, as it was from every inscription, after he murdered him. The building, with a large brick front and pediment, next to St. Luke is THE CHURCH OF St. ADRIAN. The republic built a temple to Saturn on this spot: some fragments of the fapde only remain, mixed in the brick-work of the front next the Campo Vacino. Opposite the temple stood the famous military column, on which was engraven the dis¬ tances of the Roman provinces. THE CHURCH OF St. LORENZO IN MIRANDA. This church has for its portico the remains of the temple of Antonine and Faustina. The temple is built of Oriental marble, called Cippolino: it is a beautiful remain of antiquity, and is decorated with ten Corinthian columns, six in front, and two on each side. Opposite this temple stood the temple of Pallas, which was demolished by Paul the Third, 5 TEMPLE OF ROMULUS AND REMUS, NOW THE CHURCH OF St. COSMO AND DAMIANO. Antiquaries vary about the title of this temple; it is very an¬ cient, and is esteemed to have been a celebrated one, for in it •was found the marble plan of Rome, supposed to have been ex¬ ecuted in the time of Septimius Severus and Caracalla his son. It is now preserved in the museum of the Capitol : but little of the ancient structure remains; the cupola of the temple serves for a portico to the church. We are now on the Via Sacra : corw tinuing on the same line, we come to THE TEMPLE OF PEACE. It consists of three large arches, and is much in profile in the View. It was built by Vespasian, after the Germans were beaten back by his generals, and Judea was reduced to a Roman pro¬ vince by Titus his son, who completely vanquished that nation. When peace became universal, Vespasian built this temple, about the year of Christ 75. This was the largest of the Roman temples, and was considered also as the most magnificent. The roof of the great nave was supported by eight prodigious fluted Corinthian columns of white marble, that are supposed to have belonged to Nero’s golden house, which stood near this spot. One of these remains entire, and was moved by order of Pope Paul the Fifth, who caused it to be transported to the square before the great church of St. Maria Maggiore. Its dimensions are fifty feet high, and sixteen feet round the shaft. Next the Temple of Peace stands THE CHURCH OF St. FRANCISCO ROMANO, CALLED ALSO St. MARIA NUOVA. This is said to be the precise spot w’here stood the vestibule of Nero’s golden house. Nero extended his palace over a great part of the-Esquiline-hill and the valley between the Celian and Esquiline, as far as the grand circus. Most of this edifice was defiroyed by Vespasian, who built on its site his amphitheatre, as Titus did his baths. Nero enlarged his palace from the Pala¬ tine to the Esquiline-hill ; he first called it his thoroughfare, but, being burnt down, he rebuilt it, and called it his golden house. To the right is— B3 G THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH OF TITUS. This arch was erected in honour of Titus, by the senate and people of Rome, in consequence of his conquest of Jerusalem. It is acknowledged the finest specimen of this kind of architecture ©f antiquity that remains : it is smaller than the other triumphal arches, but of exquisite workmanship ; it has suffered greatly by the destroying hand of time. Behind it rises the TRIUMPHAL ARCH OF CONSTANTINE, Which is too distant to make any figure in the view. This arch is the best preserved of any in Rome ; it was raised and dedicated to this emperor in memory of his celebrated victory over the ty¬ rant Maxentius, near the Ponte Molle. VESPASIAN’S AMPHITHEATRE, CALLED THE COLOSSEO. To the left rises this majestic pile of ruins ; it was begun by Vespasian, and finished by Titus. There are no remains of Roman antiquity that give us a more exalted idea of the splendour and greatness of those times than this wonderful amphitheatre. Vespasian drained the ponds belonging to Nero’s golden-house, and built it there. It lies between the Palatine, Celi^n, and .Esquiline, hills ; of an oval form ; one end of the ellipsis is nearly ©pposite the Capitol. Eighty-seven thousand persons could sit conveniently on the steps, or Seats, of this edifice, elevated one above another; and, it is added, that twenty thousand could conveniently stand in the passages above, and see the spectacle l)elow. We owe what remains of this grand amphitheatre to Pope Benedict the Fourteenth, who, considering it sanctified by the martyrdom of so many Christians, who were condemned to be torn to pieces by wild beasts, caused fourteen little chapels to be erected within the arena; and, granting it all the privileges of a church, has thus saved it from the hands of the modern barba¬ rians. At some distance, but immediately o v er the Colosseo, Hand THE PALACE, CHURCH, AND BAPTISTRY, OF St. JOHN LATERAN. Constantine the Great, after he had built the Basilic of St. John, gave the palace to St. Silvester for his residence, which became 7 from that time to the fourteenth century the residence of the Popes. The building with two spires that joins the palace, is a baptistry, which was also built by Constantine ; here the emperor received the baptism by Pope St. Silvester. This building, like most others, has undergone many changes ; it is renowned for its antiquity, as well as the beauty of its ornaments, and is esteemed, the most ancient a id finest monument of the Christian religion. The church of St. John Lateran takes its name from the circum¬ stance of its standing on the site of the palace of Plautus Laterans, who was chief in the conspiracy against Nero. The obelisk, which stands in the place of St. John Lateran, is the largest of those wonderful works of Egyptian art known, or that have been brought to Rome. Ramises, or Ramses, king of Egypt, raised it in Thebes, in a temple of the sun. It was removed by Con¬ stantine the Great from Thebes to Alexandria, with the intention of having it sent to his new city of Constantinople ; but some years after his death, Constans, his son, had it transported to Rome, and placed it in the grand Circus. Pope Sixtus the Fifth had it removed from under the ruins and rubbish of the circus, where it laid sixteen feet deep, and broken in three pieces. Be¬ hind St. John Lateran stands the gate of the same name, which leads to Frescati, Marino, Albano, Genzano, Villetri, and Na¬ ples. Along the wall, to the left, laid the pretorian camp, and an amphitheatre, which forms a part of the Roman wall to this day. To the left are some extensive saltpetre-works, and joining are the ruins of THE BATHS OF TITUS. These baths are situated on the Esquiline-hill; their ruins stand on part of the site of Nero’s golden house, and at present in the vineyards of the convent of St. Pietro in Vincula, Laurati and Gualtieri. Mtecena’s gardens, it is said, took up the whole extent of the Esquiline-hill. It was given to him by Augustus, as well to beautify the city as to free it from the stench of the bodies of the slaves and low people buried there. His celebrated tower stood in these gardens, from whence the monster Nero had the infernal pleasure of seeing Rome in flames, whilst he sung the tragedy of the Destruction of Troy. Pope St. Silvester opened an oratory under the baths of Titus, during the persecution of the Christians. It was here that he met his faithful companions to perform divine service. Behind these vast ruins extend several— i 8 AQUEDUCTS. These are truly proud monuments of the Roman greatness : many serve still to bring water to Rome; and there is no city better or more abundantly supplied with excellent water. Many of these prodigious works extended a surprising distance ; that of Claudius brought two waters to Rome, the one above the other, from Subiacco, in the Appennines, a distance of near fifty miles. On this side of the aqueducts we see THE TEMPLE OF MINERVA MEDICA ; So called from a statue of that goddess found here, and preserved in the Justinian gallery. Its form is round without, and decagon or ten sides, within: it is entirely built of brick, and there is every reason to suppose it was a splendid temple. Here were found the following statues, besides that of the goddess Minerva: Pomona, Adonis,Venus, Faunus, Hercules, Antinous, two wolves, and many other pieces of sculpture. In the Campo Vacino stand the remains of THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER STATOR, Which consists of three beautiful fluted Corinthian columns, with part of their cornice, all of white marble : the whole frag¬ ment is of exquisite taste and workmanship, and serves as k a model for that order of architecture. This temple stands on the spot where Romulus rallied his men when they fled before the Sabines, and repulsed them. Close to it is THE CHURCH OF St. MARIA LIBERATRICE, (St. Mary Liberator,) Generally believed to stand on the ground where the original temple of Vesta was situated, erected by Numa Pompilius. In the centre of the Campo Vacino is a fountain ; near to which was the Lacus Curtius, or gulf, into which a Roman knight leaped with his horse. THE FORUM: Is now, as we see, an open waste, and is used for a cattle-market. The present Campo Vacino extends as far as the temple of peace, whereas the Roman forum seems only to have reached in breadtli as-far as the church of St. Maria Liberatrice, which was also about the middle of its length ; however, its exact limits are not 9 easily traced. The forum was surrounded with statues, those ot Sylla, of Augustus, of Pompey, &c. and had in it many fine buildings. Antiquarians place the Curia of Hostilius near the temple of Jupiter Stator, and the Comicia also. Near this part stood the rostrums, or tribunes, where the orators placed themselves to harangue, to accuse, or defend the accused. Tarquin confined the forum by porticos. This forum, once the most famous spot in the world, where the Roman senators pronounced laws to the rest of mortals, has degenerated to the lowest condition. THE PALATINE HILL Presents itself very favourably. This renowned spot, which Ro¬ mulus considered as large enough for his city, became, in a suc¬ cession of years, barely sufficient for the palace and gardens of the Emperors. The ruins we see round it are the remains of the palace of the Caesars: that on the southern extremity is part of the greater palace, which looked into the Circus Maximus. The Emperor Augustus had two houses here; in the one he was born; in the other he is said to have lived about forty years, without changing his room summer or winter. The Emperor Tiberius augmented this palace, and made it more splendid and more convenient^ After him, luxury having increased beyond measure, Caligula enlarged it to the forum, to which he had porticos and stair-cases of immense structure ; he even had a bridge constructed from his palace to the Capitol for his conve¬ nience; however, either the Emperor Claudius or the people de¬ molished the most parts of these works. Nero went beyond all that had reigned before him, as we have already mentioned. It suffered often by fire, and was as often repaired and embellished, until the year 409, when Rome was taken by Alaric, and the palace so destroyed, that it was no longer known, and has fallen to ruins. THE CHURCH OF ST. THEODORE, CALLED SANTO TOTO ; A small octangular building, at the north-west side of the Pala¬ tine-hill. This was anciently the temple of Romulus, and on this spot it is said the twins, Romulus and Remus, were discovered. The Tyber having overflowed its banks, favoured their preser¬ vation; and, soon returning to its proper channel, left the twins on the Palatine-hill. Very little of the ancient temple remains, 10 but the custom of bringing children to it, in memory of Romulus and Remus, is, without much alteration still preserved : the ceremony was called lupercales, and to this day they bring chil¬ dren afflicted with the scrofula and other hidden diseases to obtain a cure. At the foot of the Capitol.ine-hill, in the Campo Aacino, are the remains of THE TEMPLE OF CONCORD, Built by order of the great Camillas, then dictator, after he had reconciled the two orders, the senate and people, when the latter came to share the consular dignity with the former. The original, of that spoken of, was consumed by fire, and the remain, which is the portico, was rebuilt by the senate and people. The columns are of the Ionic order, of a pale granite, with base and capitals, of white marble : their dimensions are twelve feet in circumfe¬ rence, and forty feet and a half high, including base and capital. Near the arch of Septimius Severus stands a solitary column of the Corinthian order, forty-four feet high. Some writers sup¬ pose this to have been part of the graecostatis, which was a building where such ambassadors as were received into the city waited till the senate gave them audience. Over the centre of the Palatine-hill, in the plain, and opposite the Celian, rises tl;e extensive ruins of CARACALLA’s BATHS. They were reckoned amongst the most magnificent of these build¬ ings. It appears they were built in the 217th year of the Chris¬ tian sera. To contemplate these vast remains, to consider the enormous extent, and all the various purposes it was intended for, offers a noble idea of the splendour and magnificence of those times. These baths, it is said, had an upper and lower suit of apartments, or halls; they were for public use, where any per¬ son could bathe for the value of a halfpenny. In the evening a bell was rung, to announce the warm baths being ready; these were more expensive. The upper halls were used for bathing, and the lower for various sports and games, such as throwing the disk, playing at tennis, darting, and wrestling : here the learned also found books in convenient rooms, where they met to read their compositions, dispute, harangue, &c. There were an in¬ finite number of halls, so that three thousand persons could bathe at the same time : and sixteen hundred single marble baths, called labra. This edifice was magnificently ornamented and decorated 11 with statues, among which were the famous Farnese Hercules, and the group known by the title of the Farnese-bull, both at Naples. These ruins are now employed for stables, and there are gardens and pastures within the walls of the great apartments. Beyond the city walls, in the plain, we see, to the left, THE TOMB OF CECILIA METELLA; A magnificent remain of antiquity, indeed one in the best preser¬ vation; it was built by Crassus to deposit the ashes of his wife Cecilia Metella. This mausoleum is called Capo di Bove, from the ox-skulls carved on the frieze. Near this tomb are the famous catacombs; they are very extensive, and form a perfect labyrinth, and it is dangerous to enter far among the windings: it is said, fourteen popes and seventeen thousand martyrs have been interred here. Not far from this spot, to the left, are still to be seen, the remains of THE FOUNTAIN OF EGERIA, Sacred to this nymph and the muses; where Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome, retired so frequently. It was here the king feigned to have conferences with the nymph, and receive her oracles, for the better government of his people. Returning to the right, along the city walls, we come to a pyramid, THE TOMB OF CAIUS CESTIUS, Who was one of the Epulones, a college of priests of great dig¬ nity, called Septemvir Epulonum, who prepared certain feasts to the gods, called Lectisternia, where their statues were couched on rich beds, and placed at table as the principal guests : these sump¬ tuous feasts were devoured by the seven gormandizing priests. It was to appease the gods in time of a plague that these feasts were instituted, in the year 156. This tomb is cased with marble on the outside, a foot thick : the height of it is one hundred and thirteen feet; each side, at the base, measures eighty-nine feet; the whole stands on a base of travertine stone, and, according to the testament of Caius Cestius, was built in three hundred and thirty days. The protestants who die in Rome are buried at the side of this tomb. This pyramid joins the gate of St. Paul, so called from the celebrated church of that name. 12 CHURCH OF St. PAOLO, (St. Paul’s.) St. Paul’s, just over the pyramid, a mile beyond the gate of that name, is said to have been founded by Constantine. It is splendidly ornamented with columns in the inside, to the number of one hundred and twenty. In a line under this church we se# THE ARCH OF JANUS QUADRIFRONS. It is a square building, having four gates or arches in the centre of each side, and twelve niches on each front. It is built of large square blocks of marble; and on the top is some brick-work, which was added by the Frangipani family, who, in the middle age, converted this building into a small fortress: it stands in the Forum Boarium. To the left is the square steeple of THE CHURCH OF St. GEORGE IN VELABRO. Joining to this church we see the small arch of Septimius Se- verus, raised in honour of that emperor, his wife Julia, and their sons Caracalla and Geta, by the bankers and merchants of the Forum Boarium. Under the arch of Janus, near the fore-ground, is the church and convent of La Consolazione j and nearer to the bottom of the picture we see the top of the tarpeian ROCK. It is now so choaked up and enclosed by mean houses and stables, that but little remains to be seen of this once formidable spot, from whence malefactors were thrown down. It is agreed by many authors, that where the Cafrarelli palace stands, was the part from whence the convicts were thrown out of the city into the Campus Martins, which it overlooks. A tolerable view of the Tyber presents itself, which runs at the foot of the Aven- tine-hill; this part is called the port of Ripa Grande, where the custom-house for the marine is situated : it lies behind the great regular white building on the banks, called THE HOSPITAL OF St. MICHAEL. This great house of charity was established, in the year 1684, by Cardinal Odescalchi, for the reception of poor orphan chil¬ dren. Innocent the Twelfth and Clement the Eleventh added to this building an hospital for the reception of men and women of an advanced age, and also a house of correction for boys. 13 THE AVENTINE HILL Is a very picturesque object in the View. Here Remus wished to build the first city, but was prevented by an unfavourable augury. This hill was added to the city by Ancus Martius, fourth king of Rome : formerly there were many famous temples and other buildings on it. Of the four bridges on the Tyber, in Rome, none appear in the view. A fragment of the PONS SUBLICIUS Is seen just below the hospital of St. Michael. The bridge Sub- licius was built by Ancus Martins, fourth king of Rome, in the year 266 , five hundred and eight years before the birth of our Saviour. It was on this bridge that the hero, Horatius Codes, alone impeded the progress of the army under Porsenna, until it was broken down at the other end : having no means of escape, he threw himself all armed into the river, and arrived happily without harm on the other side. The fear of such another sur¬ prise induced the Romans to construct the bridge with wood, and without iron fastenings or nails, so that it could be taken to pieces in a short time. This remained a wooden bridge until twenty- four years before the birth of Christ, when it was carried away by a great inundation of the river : it was rebuilt of wood, and again broken down in the reign of the Emperor Otho : it was af¬ terwards built of stone, but it is not known under what reign ; however, this was also swept away by an inundation towards the year 780. The Emperor Heliogabalus was thrown from this bridge, fastened to a great stone, so that he might nevet be buried. I shall now’ lead the spectator through that part of the city, called TRASTEVERA. Which extends from the river to St. Peter’s church. The first spire which presents itself to view, next to the hospital of St. Mi¬ chael’s, is THE CHURCH AND MONASTERY OF St. COSMO AND DAMIANO. There is nothing remarkable to be observed of it; but Hear this ground, or in the environs, were the baths of Aurelian and 14 Septimius Severus; the gardens, the Naumachia and baths' of Caesar; and the Naumachia of Augustus. To the right, but nearer to us, stands THE CHURCH OF St. CECILIA. The tomb of this saint is under the altar: the recumbent statue, in the position site was found dead, is very beautiful. Further to the right rises THE CHURCH AND CONVENT OF St. GRISOGONO, Built in the time of Constantine. To the right of this church is that of St. MARIA IN TRASTEVERE, Generally believed to stand on the ruins of the Taberna Meritoria, which was a kind of hospital, or house of invalids; to which the old and worn out Roman soldiers retired when no longer able to carry arms. Upon a terrace or platform above this last-men¬ tioned church we see the small CHURCH OF St. PIETRO IN MONTORIO. It stands on the Janiculum-hill : here St. Peter suffered mar¬ tyrdom. On this spot it is recorded, that before the birth of our Saviour a fountain of oil rose up from the earth, so abundant, that it flowed into the river. To preserve the tradition, it is en¬ graven near the great altar. This church was also renowned on account of the superlative picture, by Raphael d’Urbino, of the transfiguration. Further up the hill, we see the great FOUNTAIN OF AQUA PAOLO. It is the largest and most abundant of Rome ; the water Al- seantine flows into it, which Augustus had brought to Rome by an aqueduct to supply his Naumachia. It is called Aqua Paolo, from Pope Paul the Fifth, who caused the fountain to be built. Between the houses of the fore-ground, in a line under the foun¬ tain, is a part of Rome, called GHETTO; The only part of the city allowed for the residence of the Jews. These poor wretches are the descendants of the many captive Jews brought to Rome by Titus, alter his conquest of Jerusalem. 15 They still live in a state of slavery; and their increasing num¬ bers as well as the narrow limits they are confined to, subject them to the greatest inconvenience and filth : every night they are locked up in this narrow quarter by order of the government. The large house that intercepts Ghetto is called the Cafrarelli- palace j at the back of which we perceive some old brick-work : it is supposed to be part of the ancient fortifications of the Ca¬ pitol. Tire first church to the right of the Cafrarelli-palace, having a dome covered with yellow scolloped tiles, is THE CHURCH OF St. MARIA, IN CAMPITELLI. The front is deemed very handsome : to enter into a dqtail of all the interior and its chapels would be useless. Above this church, but more distant, rises the small doom of THE CHURCH OF THE TRINITY; To which is attached an hospital, or house of charity, for receiv- ing pilgrims of both sexes, and of-all conditions in life, during their visitation to Rome in the year of the jubilee. Opposite this church is the MONTE DELLA PIETA ; A bank, established, from pious and charitable motives, by a number of Roman gentlemen in 1539, who lent money to the necessitous, on a small premium, to stop the usury of the Jews. THE GREAT CORSINI PALACE Is a little intercepted by this last-mentioned church : it stands on the opposite banks of the Tyber, and is one of the most con¬ siderable and splendid of Rome, where there is still a large col¬ lection of pictures. The Villa Pamphili, belonging to the Prince d’Oria, stands on the summit of the Janiculum-hill: the Hat-headed pine-trees, which we see, belong to it. The city walls are partly seen along the top of the hill, extending nearly to St. Peter’s, and again appear behind this vast building. The next large church with a dome, is that of St. CARLO AI CATENARI. It is so called, because it stands on the spot where, in ancient times, they had a great pottery, and made pans, vases, dishes, 16 &c. which catini, in Italian, implies. The large yellow build¬ ing to the left is THE FARNESE PALACE. This large palace is built of materials robbed from the great amphitheatre, and the theatre of Marcellus; a sacrilegious theft. The famous Farnese Hercules, by Glycon, the Athenian; and the group known by the title of the Farnese-bull, stood formerly in the court or vestibule. The dome to the right, on a line with the last, belongs to THE CHURCH OF St. ANDREA DELLA VALLE. This church takes its name from the Palace Valle, which is near it. The front is esteemed one of the handsomest, and the cupola the most beautiful, of ali the churches in Rome. St. PETER’s. This temple appears noble in the present view, but is certainly not so imposing in its aspect, or so elegant, as our church of St. Paul’s; nor does it look so large, though actually much larger. The place before it, with its grand circular colonnade, is so vast, that it robs the church very considerably of its majestic appear¬ ance : the front is so high, that much of the circular base of the cupola is hid in approaching the building. In the centre of the colonnade there stands a great obelisk, and on each side a magni¬ ficent fountain: the obelisk stood in Nero’s circus, where the present church is built. Pope Nicholas the Fifth began this church about the year 1450, and it was continued under the reign of eighteen other popes, and twelve architects : it took one hundred and thirty-five years in building. The comparative size of St. Peter’s with St. Paul’s is as follows: height of St. Peters, to the top of the cross, four hun¬ dred and thirty-seven feet and a half; that of St. Paul’s, three hundred and forty; length of St. Peter’s, seven hundred and twenty-nine feet; that of St. Paul’s, five hundred; greatest breadth of St. Peter’s, three hundred and sixty-four feet; that of St. Paul’s, one hundred and eighty. • THE VATICAN PALACE Joins to St. Peter’s church ; it is rather an assemblage of palaces, irregular in form and style, having been enlarged and greatly 37 added to by different popes. The foundation of it is very an¬ cient, but no very great certainty of its origin is to be relied on. Within this famous building are the celebrated paintings of Ra¬ phael, and Michael Angelo Buonaroti, who have immortalized themselves by these works. The Vatican serves for the residence of the Pope during winter and spring: in the month of June he retires to the great palace of Monte Cavallo. Between St. Andrea della Valle and St. Carlo ai Catenari, but nearer to the Capitol, rises a curious steeple or tower belonging to THE CHURCH OF St. CATERINA ALLE FUNARI. It is built in the middle of the Flaminian circus. Rope-makers used to work on this spot before it was built on, which gave the name to the church. THE CHURCH OF St. AGNES, Which rises to the right of the Vatican, has a dome and a steeple on each side, and is situate in the Piazza Navona. This church is the work of several architects, and is one of the most splendid and richest of Rome. The Piazza Navona was anciently the Agonal circus, the form of which is still preserved by the houses being built on the foundations. To the right of St, Agnes we see THE CASTLE OF St. ANGELO, Now a strong fortress. Adrian built this huge edifice for his mausoleum: he rendered it the most superb sepulchral monu¬ ment ever raised in Rome. After the fall of the Roman empire, this great edifice was converted into a fortress, which was taken and retaken by the Goths and Belisarius : it is mentioned that the besieged broke the statues, and threw the fragments on the besiegers. About the year 593, during the pontificate of Gregory the Great, Rome was afflicted with a plague, it was then pre¬ tended that an angel was seen on the top of this castle sheathing a sword, which was considered as a mark of the cessation of it. In consequence of this vision, the Pope named it the Castle of St. Angelo. To the right of the castle is the remarkable spire belonging to the COLLEGE OF LA SAPIENZA. Revolutions, and the misfortunes that afflicted Rome for a C 18 length of time, entirely destroyed the fine arts and sciences. Pope Innocent the Fourth, about the middle of the thirteenth century, began to restore them, by re-establishing the study of canonical and civil law, in the year 1295. Boniface the Eighth built in this place an university for public use, to which Clement the Fifth added four oratories of languages. Near the Capitol rises the great CHURCH OF JESUS, Having a flattish octagon dome, and the body in the form of 3 cross. It formerly belonged to the order of Jesuits, was deco¬ rated by them, and is one of the handsomest and richest churches in Rome. The great house of a brown colour, joining the church, but nearer to the Capitol, was built at the same time for the Jesuits. The Altieri palace stands on one side of this church, celebrated for its fine collection of pictures. The noble PANTHEON Is half hid by this church of Jesus, the pride of Rome, and now generally known by the name of the Rotunda : it still remains the most magnificent and most complete of all the ancient tem¬ ples in Rome. The Pantheon was given by the Emperor Phocas to Boniface the Fourth, elected pope in 608, who converted it. into a Christian church, and dedicated it to the Virgin Mary an 4 all the Martyrs. The CAMPUS MARTIUS Had been the field of the Tarquins, and after their expulsion was dedicated to the god Mars. It became the place of military exercise for the Romans, for races, combats, and shows of diffe¬ rent kinds, as well on the Tyber as on the plain, and was also used for assemblies of the people : it extended from north to south, viz. from the foot of the Capitoline-hill to the mausoleum of Augustus, and the bridge of St. Angelo; it included the Circus Agonalis, now the Piazzi Navona, and in breadth was bounded by the Via Flaminia, now the Corso. MONTE MARIO Rises over the church of Jesus, and extends a considerable way ; on the summit stands the Villa Mellini; and half way down, the Villa Madama, built by Clement the Seventh, who was of the 19 Medicis family. It belongs to the King of Naples. The Tyb«r is seen in the plain, at the foot of Monte Mario. THE PORTA DEL POPULO Is between the two churches with domes ; the one on the right, entering the city from this gate, is St. Mary of the Miracles; the other, St. Mary of Holy Mount. In the open place before these churches, called Piazza del Populo, and opposite the gate, thvre is a famous obelisk, but it is not seen in the view from the Capitol. This entrance to Rome is considered as splendid and magnificent. The Corso commences from the two churches, and is about a mile long; it terminates near the Venetian palace. This street was anciently the Via Flaminia : those who triumphed passed through it. When horse-races were for the first time performed in the Via Flaminia, during the Carnival, about the year 1464, it changed its name to that of the Corso. The church of St. Carlo, near the Porta del Populo, has its front in the Corso, and a dome rising from the body : the celebrated Pietro de Cortona had the finishing of this church, which, on the whole, is magnificent. To the left of St. Carlo rises the great PALACE OF MONTE CITORIQ, Having a belfry and dial of a clock in the center of the front. This palace has three sides towards the place of the same name, three great gate-entrances, and a balcony, where they draw the lottery publicly nine times every year. THE ROMAN COLLEGE Intercepts the palace of Monte Citorio. It has a balustrade at top, with a belfry in the center, and a small turret on each side; below the belfry there is a dial : this college is esteemed the greatest and handsomest in Rome—indeed in the whole world, by some authors. It was built by Gregory the Thirteenth, after the design of Ammanati. The Father Clavius belonged to this col¬ lege, and there carried on his work of the reformation of the calendar, which Gregory had so much at heart. To the right of this building we see the ANTONINE COLUMN, Which stands in an open handsome place, called Piazza Colonna. This magnificent historic column of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus C z 20 is constructed in imitation of that of Trajan. On it are repre- sented, in bas-relief, the two wars he carried on in Germany against the Marcomania and Quadi, assisted by the Vandals, Sarmatians, and other nations. THE CHURCH OF ARA CCELI; (The Altar of Heaven;) A mass of building that interrupts much of the city. It belongs to the Cordeliers, or Grey Friars, near two hundred in number. It is believed to stand on the spot where the Temple of Jupiter Feretrius stood. This was the first temple raised in Rome, and was founded by Romulus after he had defeated the Caninenses, and killed Acron their king, whose arms he consecrated to Jupi¬ ter Feretrius. The Ara Cceli stands on THE CAPITOLINE HILL. This hill was anciently the citadel, and fortified all round : here Romulus had his asylum, which stood on that part where the noble statue of Marcus Aurelius now stands. This famous hill was covered with temples; that of Jupiter Capitolinus was of great celebrity; and, in digging for the foundation, a human skull was discovered, which the augurs immediately pronounced a happy omen, and gave the name of Capitolium to this place : afterwards the whole hill was called Mons Capitolinus. The modern place of the Capitol is said to be from the designs of Michael Angelo Buonaroti. The wing on the left is the mu¬ seum, and that on the right, the palace of the conservators. In the centre of this place stands the superb equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, in bronze, which was once gilt, but is worn off: it stood formerly before the Lateran palace, where it was found. Pope Paul the Third had it removed to the Capitol in 1538, and placed it on a pedestal, designed by Michael Angelo. This is esteemed the finest specimen of an equestrian statue in bronze that is preserved of ancient art. The statues at the top of the steps, holding each a horse, are those of Castor and Pollux: they were found in the time of Pius the Fourth, in that part of Rome called Ghetto, occupied by the Jews: on each side are trophies, said to be those of Marius. The statues next to them represent the sons of Constantine. At the foot of these noble stairs are two lionesses, which serve for fountains. Over the convent of the Ara Cceli— <21 THE TRAJAN COLUMN Makes a conspicuous figure in the View, and forms a group, with a church dedicated to the name of Mary, Trajan caused part of the Quirinal-hill to be levelled, in order to extend his forum, which is said to have been the most elegant in Rome. It tood between the Capitol and Quirinal-hills and Nerva’s forum: it was ornamented with sumptuous buildings, a basilic, a gymnasium, the Ulpian library, an historical co¬ lumn, porticos, a triumphal arch, &c. which last was taken down to procure handsome materials for Constantine’s arch. The only object of all the magnificence of Trajan’s forum which has escaped the destroying hand of time and barbarians, is this beautiful historic column : it was erected by the senate and people to the emperor after his Dacian conquests. The pro¬ gress of both these wars are the subjects represented in basso- relievo on the column : it stood in the centre of the forum, and a statue of the emperor was placed on the top. It is gene¬ rally supposed that his ashes were put into a ball of metal, which he held in his hand. Thus it served for his sepulchral monument. But Pope Sixtus Quintus placed the statue of St, Peter in its stead—a huge absurdity ! as it has no connexion or relation to the history of Trajan’s wars. There is nothing remarkable to relate of the handsome church so near to Trajan’s column, dedicated to the name of Mary. To the left rises another church, having also a dome, named St. MARY OF LORETTO. It belongs to a fraternity of bakers : it was begun in 1507, by Antonio da Sangalio : the church is octagon, and has a double cupola. This is the first of that form built in Rome. On a rising ground in the distance, to the left of St. Maria di Loretto, stands THE CHURCH OF THE TRINITY, (or the TrinitadeMonte); Having an obelisk before it. This handsome edifice overlooks the Piazza de Spagna, which is lost in the confusion of so many crowds of houses in the low part of the city. There are few objects better known than this church, and the whole place, as most foreigners inhabit this quarter: it commands a fine view of Rome, The Egyptian obelisk, which stands in front «f the church, was raised by Pius the Sixth in 1789: it is covered with hieroglyphics, and is forty-four feet high, without the pedestal. It stood anciently in the gardens of Sallust, on the same hill. Further to tfi