The Olive Leaf: a pilgrimage to Rome, Jerusalem, and Constantinople, in 1867, for the reunion of the faithful

Front matter

THE OLIVE LEAF MOUNT OK OLIVES, FROM AKKA, 1 \ JERUSALEM. From a Ski tth by the Pi/g) im THE OLIVE LEAF: % IjHjgrimag* TO ROME, JERUSALEM, AND CONSTANTINOPLE, IN 1867, FOR THE REUNION OF THE FAITHFUL. BY WILLIAM WYNDHAM MALET, VICAR of ardeley. ' SDmss a&jutiet/ London: T BOSWORTH, 215 Regent Street. MDCCCLXVIII. + Tithes of all, and Incense to be offered to Christ. + •(Ebte IBoofe 10 2De&icateD to t\)t 3LouD of Hofce anD »>aUjation, TTjesus Cfjrist, tfre §>on of <$od, 3In tlje J!5ame of tlje ifatljer, »>on, ana l^olp spirit, on tljc altar of &t Haurtnce Cfjurcf), ar&elep, 2Dn tlje 23JCS of January, 1868. ' Œ&ou art a Priest for ebe?, afte? tfje 2Drne? of 8J9eIdbtjeuec.' Psalm ofthe day. See also, 6V«. xiv. 18, 20 ; A_z/. i. II, iii. 8-12 ; Heb. vii. 1-17. b TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS, ALBERT EDWARD, PRINCE OF WALES, 6-Y*.

Most noble Prince, Lt cannot be doubted but that an account of a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land will be accept able to that piety which induced your Royal High ness to go forth a7id walk on the paths made sacred by the feet of the holy Jesus, and which teaches you to esteem it a greater honour to be an obedient ' member of Christ ' than to be the heir-apparent of dominions whichi extend all over tlie world. To these religious principles it is owing that, as our Lord by His own most precious blood hath purchased to Himself an Universal Church, so your royal mother the Queen, out of her loving seal for the same, hath solemnly declared that nothing is dearer to lier heart than to preserve out true branch of it, the Church of England, in a safe and flourishing condition.

But, by the wonderful decree of Providence, VI Queen Victoria, holding the sceptre in one hand ajid the olive-bough in tlie other, over many millions of other brandies of the Church of Christ, and many millions of other faiths, her loving subjects believe that no prayers are offered up by Her Majesty more fervently than those which beseech the Almighty to inspire the holy Catholic Church ' with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord', that all who confess the name of Jesus ' may agree in the truth of His holy Word, and live in Unity and godly love' and that all who do not may be ' brought home to the flock of the blessed Lord, and made one fold under one ShepIierdY For my own part, as I have the honour of descent from a Baron who fought under William the Conqueror, and one who signed ' Magna Charta,' and lastly from a fatlier who received dignity from King George III., and in my own person enjoy a pension for serving the State in India, but for the last thirty years have served the Church in England, twenty-five of which in this poor but loyal village ; so I think tlie most proper way to express my gratitude and loyal attachment to my royal benefactors is by present ing to tlie heir of -my Sovereign this present evidence of my humble efforts, under God, to be serviceable in bringing about the end and object of those prayers, of which your Royal Highness must more particularly feel the great importance, from having so lately visited tlie Altar of the World, consecrated by Emmanuel Himself.

Preface

. ' I *HE title is chosen because the Pilgrimage was made to Jerusalem with the peaceful object of 'Reunion of Christendom;' that, like as the Dove sent out from the Ark by Noah, brought back ' an olive leaf plucked off,' to show that the waters were assuaged, so the leaf of the Pilgrim's diary brings facts to show that the flood of contention among the various Churches is subsiding. How the Pil grimage began THE OLIVE LEAF.

Chapter I

' By love, serve one another.' (~\N the 25th April, 1867, St. Mark's Day, the Society of St. Joseph held a Conversazione to bid farewell to one of its members going on Pilgrimage to Palestine, 'for the reunion of Christendom,' and for success of the said Society in its charitable works.* The school-room of the ' Street Crossing Sweepers' Brigade' f was crowded. Some thought sixty three years of age was rather old for a pilgrim, and some that he would find it too hot in the East * To raise the fallen, to prevent infanticide, and to restore the collegiate system in the Church of England. Founded in 1864. + The school was then at 25 East Castle Street, London ; it is now at Queen's Place, Hornsey Road. B : 2 A preliminary work of love. at that season ; but in his youth he had been inured to the heat of India, and recently during that terrible ' civil war,' to that of ' the Southern States' of America, and he was to be buoyed up by a cheerful and youthful comrade, in whose veins ran the blood of Bruce, the great African traveller, and of one of our bravest admirals, Dundas.

Imbued with that deep religious feeling which prevails now in so many of our English youth, he had first founded, on reaching his majority, St. Augustine's College at Bristol, and was its prior, under the name of ' Cyprian.' The more aged pilgrim had taken the name of his birthday saint, ' Michael.' Before this, on ' Manda-Thursday,' many Brethren of the Society of St. Joseph had washed the dirty feet of a dozen poor little, ragged, shoeless, Irish boys of the S. + S. J. Brigade, in their school room. ' Oh, how nice it feels, sir !' they said. Their feet, which leather or iron had never shod, were of perfect form. ' Ain't they pretty little feet, sir ?' said one, an eight-year-old, whose feet 'Father Michael' was washing. The sleek flunkey of an extreme, High-Church neighbouring Priest had peeped in and said, 'Ah !

I see what they're about ; ' and on telling his tale at head-quarters, A PILGRIMAGE. 3 it got about that there was a plan laid by this religious ceremony of ' feet-washing ' and cakes, to convert these poor Irish ' R. C.'s ;' but that was quite contrary to Father Michael's principle of ' non-intervention.' He had found these boys shivering in rags, and by the aid of that venerable 'friend ofthe people,' Lord Brougham, and others, he had got them jackets, and put them in a ' brigade of Street Crossing Sweepers,' at the same time communicating all he did to Charitable their own ' father in God,' the Rev. Mr. Barge, Roman of St. Patrick's, Soho, who, for this work of St. Catholics- Joseph's love to little children, without prose lytism, introduced Father Michael to his Arch bishop, who furnished him with letters to Rome, (which gained him a special audience of the venerable Patriarch thereof,) and to Jeru salem, which were most useful ; as will be shown by-and-bye.

At the end of the said lamb-washing room was a little chapel, fenced off by a curtained screen, after the form of the Greek Church, as being a convenient mode of constructing a a ' Chapel 'chapel-school' for this St. Joseph's College. Here, at its humble altar, a small company with the Pilgrims celebrated St. Philip's and St. James's Days, and implored a blessing on the work. Here were consecrated the ' Farewell Address ' of the Brethren of the third order of St. Joseph, and the illuminated credential for Father Michael, from the first and second Orders, in which last were these words: — Tradimus. JESU— MARIA— JOSEPH. ' I, Arthur, Priest of the Church of God, and Rec tor of the holy Society of St. Joseph, commend my well-beloved Brother and Father in Christ, William Wyndham Malet, Priest of Ardeley, in the diocese of Rochester, called in religion Father Michael, to the good will of all who love the holy names of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph ; and I humbly pray Almighty Credential of S. S.J. A PLLGRLMAGE. 5 ■I God to bless all those who will receive him kindly, and aid his holy pilgrimage to die city of Rome, and the holy places of Palestine consecrated by the Saviour of the world and the blessed Mother of God. ' Done at my house in Holloway, London, this 2nd day of May, Anno Domini 1867. ' FR- Arthur, Rector S.S.J. 'I have caused my seal to be affixed to this writing.' The original is in Latin, and beautifully en grossed on vellum.

From the Secretary of the 'Association for Credential of A.P.U.C. Promoting the Unity of Christendom,' the Rev. Dr. F. G. Lee, I received a gracious introduction in Latin, addressed to 'the pious and orthodox Bishops and Priests of the holy Catholic Church.' This credential was everywhere received with the most marked respect, and always procured me a brotherly reception. From the Archbishop of Canterbury I received the following letter commendatory : — Credential from the Archbishop of Canterbury. 'Lambeth Palace, April, 1867. ' I hereby certify that the Rev. William Wyndham Malet is an ordained Priest of the Church of England; and as he has informed me that he purposes travelling in the East, I hereby commend him to the care of all Christians, whether cleric or lay, whom he may meet, as one well worthy of such attention as they may please to bestow upon him.

(Signed) ' C. T. Cantuar. 'Metropolitan, and Primate of all England.' Passport. The style in the passport signed by Lord Stanley was — ' a Priest ofthe Anglican Church, travelling in Egypt and Palestine. A PILGRIMAGE. 7

Chapter II

s T was determined that we should travel the May 2. -*- whole Way in our religious habits. Some T ravelIms* ° dress. years ago I had asked, through the ' Church Times,' 'Why the clergy should be always in black ?' No reason can be given. There is no canon or rule for it. In our Society a dark-brown colour has been fixed upon. Brother Cyprian's was that of a theological student. We reached Calais on the 2nd of May; Paris at 6 p.m. ; left at The Route. 8 p.m. ; 320 miles to Bale at 8.30 a.m. On the 3rd, Lucerne at I p.m.; steamer on that beautiful Ma>' 3- Lake to Flvelen by 4.30 p.m. Actual going, deducting stoppages, twenty-seven hours ; doing 645 miles, at total cost, for two, 12/. The Swiss Swiss rail- .,..,, carriages better open-car style of rail-carnage is decidedly the than English best and safest.

We put up at Altdorf, near ones' the Lake ; went to the church ; office of ' Bene- First Church. diction ' going on at 7, about 200 children at tending and singing a charming hymn. When May 4. St. Gothard. Italy + May 5 Como. we came out of church they kissed hands to my cross, and held out their hands for me to shake, clustering round, some kissing the cross. The first boy's name that I asked, was ' Joseph.' We left Altdorf on the Diligence at 7.30 a.m. Over the Alps on the Pass of St. Gothard ; across the rushing Reuss on the Devil's Bridge, reaching Andermatt about 12 o'clock for dinner. At 1.30 p.m. the passengers were transferred to sledges, two and two, the driver seated on the knee-board, one horse each ; the path four feet wide ; about sixteen miles dazzling snow ; hot sun, cold wind ; parties of men with blinds over their eyes repairing the way with lumps of snow.

The descent brought us to Airolo, in Italy, where we again took coach at 4.30 ; road by the river Tessin to Bellinzona at 1 1 ; on all night ; at Maroggia by daybreak. A chant was heard in the distance, and nightingales were singing close to us from shrubberies and gardens, amid nature's most beautiful scenes ; all like a Para dise on the border of the Lake of Como. At last the religious procession met and passed us; all were clad in red garments, in memory of St. Katharine (whose day it was the 5th of May), led by a woman bearing a cross ; in all full 100, A PILGRLMAGE. 9 A good omen, Milan, The Dom. The 'Sacred Nail.' the men following the women, and a priest the last, with a banner borne before him. Their chant was that glorious Gregorian 7th tone, ist ending ; the very one, in Helmore's Psalter, for the psalm of the day, xxivth, so that we joined in the praise ; a good omen for unity !

At the south end of Como is ' Camelatra ' station for the rail to Milan, which we reached about 8 o'clock, and were in the splendid Cathedral, the ' Dom ' as they call it, for the service at 11. Some thousands of people were there, for the vast space was covered ; it was a grand fete since Thursday, one of the nails which pierced our Lord on the cross, and which was presented to this church by St. Ambrose, had been exhibited, enshrined in a large open worked cross, and now it was to be placed again in its resting-place, which is in the cieling over the high altar ; when in grand procession it had been carried round the church, it was lifted up to the height under a canopy, having on each side a light ; it is so high up you cannot see how these are extinguished, nor how the nail is taken from its shrine and replaced ; the door is marked by a large cross of gold colour; it was originally put here for safety when the country was in- : 10 Curious candelabra The Milan Liturgy.

May 6. Rome. May 7, Rome. May 8, vaded ; the cross descends empty, and the function is over. On the floor of this church is a wonderful candelabra, made of brass brought from the Holy Land by the Crusaders, the pedestal of which, in four compartments, was worked by Benevenuto Cellini ; first, Abraham offering Isaac, the angel withholding the knife ; second, Judith cutting off Holofernes' head ; third, Adam eating the apple, while Eve holds a pig by the tail; fourth, Herodias carrying John Baptist's head in a charger. The Liturgy of this diocese is ' the Ambrosian use,' and varies from the Roman use. We left Milan at 8 p.m., reached Florence, 250 miles, at 8 a.m. on the 6th May; rail five -foot guage; left Florence at 8.40 p.m., and entered Rome at 9.30 a.m. on the 7th, about 250 miles, exactly five days from Dover.

If the blood of ' martyrs ' be ' the seed of the Church,' Rome is one of its most fruitful fields. Our visit was not to look into the old stones of Rome, but to commune with the ' lively stones,' to see if the 'free-trade' system may not be extended to the heavenly as well as the earthly food. No time was lost in presenting, on the next day, Archbishop Manning's introduction to Monsignor Talbot at the Vatican ; he recognised Visit to , . , . - „ , M. Talbot at in our habits evidence of the Catholic revival the Vatican. in England; he remarked the term in the Foreign Office passport, 'Priest of the Anglican Church ;' he was shown the spiritual passport of our Patriarch — the Primate of all England, and the credential of the ' Pilgrim — to Rome,' as well as ' to Jerusalem,' in the other credentials ; he observed that lately devotion to the memory of St. Joseph of Nazareth had greatly increased, and seemed pleased at the foundation of our Society of St. Joseph ; there was now no danger of the heresy which at one epoch questioned the miraculous Conception of the Blessed Virgin.

I explained that the object of our pilgrimage was ' union,' not ' fusion,' we hoped for reconciliation and recognition. The Church of England being Catholic rights b " & of England as Catholic and orthodox, had just claim to be a Catholic recognised by the Church of Rome ; the time of separation had been long enough ; Cardinal Wiseman had written fifteen years ago, that the excommunication from Rome against England had died with Queen Elizabeth. I could not help allowing that bitter words had crept into our formularies in that age which kept up separation and nourished lukewarmness hateful to : 12 May 8. The 'Primus inter Pares.' God; but these were excrescences which the spiritual warmth of the present age is fast knocking off, and there are thousands in Eng land who partake of this reanimation, but who still claim her right to be a National Catholic Church, free from foreign interference ; and this was no new thing, for it is what our forefathers stood up for in ' Magna Charta ;' and yet they never thought of being cut off from the great Christian Tree as a separate or protesting branch.

The term ' Protestant ' does not once appear in our Liturgical books, but ' Catholic ' frequently does, and it is high time to act up to it and to enjoy all the blessings of Catholic — i.e., universal — communion with other Christian coun tries, in common with whom we in England look upon the Patriarch of Rome as the First Bishop, the President of the General Council of the Church of Christ ; this would be acknowledging his jurisdiction to a certain extent, still pre serving to our branch of the Universal Church perfect freedom. People of various languages, habits, and temperament, must surely ' agree to differ,' and so still enjoy communion with each other. Monsignor Talbot is Chamberlain, and a confidential secretary of His Holiness the Pope ; May 8. he became quite interested in our work : the open demonstration of a pilgrimage from Eng land seemed quite new to him ; he replied that if a representation came from numbers in Eng- Overtures from England to land asking for his support in the Catholic Rome. movement, and offering to acknowledge his 'jurisdiction,' no doubt the Pope would make great concessions, and he would ask His Holiness to give us an audience.

We descended from his chambers, which are very high up in the Vatican, and entered the glorious Sanctuary of St. Peter; a mid-day mass was going on at one of the side Mass in St. Peter s» altars, and many soldiers were worshipping there ; no cross was on the priest s chasuble of Priest's vestments. white and gold. We next visited and presented another letter from the Archbishop to the Rev. Father O'Callaghan, Superior of the College of the Oblates of St. Charles Borromeo College of ,_. _ _T. , . . . , . , , . , Oblates of Via St. Nicolo-in-Arcione, in an old convent, st. Charles. — this College, founded by Archbishop Man ning, was first at Bayswater, and lately moved to Rome ; several young men are here from England, training to be ' Missionaries ;' there were some from the families of our greatest statesmen.

Charles Borromeo, in the days of : 14 St. Charles Luther, was Archbishop of Milan ; he was com- Reformerwithmissioned by a committee, appointed by the out Schism. Council of Trent; t0 reform the Church, as he had declared Reformation was needed in many things, especially in preaching the Gospel ; he His institution abolished many abuses, preserving Catholic for Preachers . , of the Gospel, discipline; inter aha, he established the order of ' Oblates,' i.e., youths offering themselves to Christ in His Church ; as their motto has it, E/'s ra, irefsara Trie o'r/.tsssiiYtii]i to, prj/j,ara ahrussi (Rom. x. 1 8). These collegians are under strict rule ; and are trained to do without tobacco or snuff; they have all separate rooms, a chapel and hall, live comfortably, and seem very happy; they may leave Rome when it gets very hot, and go to their friends in England ; some bring money, some do not ; when ordained to go forth on missions, they are at the command of the Bishop of the diocese, who stations them where he sees they are wanted, without regard to the cures or incumbents, who no doubt are glad to get their aid.

This is what we want in England ; our red-tape system has brought seclusiveness Wesley. into the holiest things. The spirit of Wesley should never have been quenched as it was by Bishops and incumbents in the Church of Eng- A PLLGRLMAGE. 15 land, to which he would have been a Charles Borromeo. On the 9th of May Monsignor Talbot called ; May 9* . ,. . , _-. _ , __ ,_. Visit from we were residing with Mrs. Dundas, No. 63 Via Mons. Talbot. St. Nicolo-Tollentino (our host being Signor Mattuezzi, and a very good one too) ; he spoke with great desire for unity — ' one flock under one Shepherd ;' he assumes as a fact that all other churches, as well as the Roman, denied the validity of our Apostolic succession in Eng- Validity of English orders lish orders, and thinks that this is the great questioned. barrier to our being recognised as part of the Catholic Church; he acknowledges that Rome reckons all Eastern orders valid; he says that about a hundred years ago a Scotch Bishop came to Rome desirous of union, when inquiry was made, and it was decided that present British orders were not valid.

The pilgrims, notwithstanding, believe in the English succession, and that the proof of it may be found at Lambeth, not at Rome. The Archbishop's signature as ' Metro- Their validity supported. politan of All England ' can not be a sham ; Cranmer, who received the Pallium from Rome, and under whom the Church of England became free from Roman government, kept up the Apostolic succession, and the whole British : ' Reform needed. ' Conserva tism.' No open pro test against English orders Episcopacy is a living witness of it. Owing to undue political influence and State interference, doubtless the mission or Apostolicity of our home Bishops has been enfeebled, but the 'congd d'elire' may in a moment become a truth. The pressure of ' the English Church Union,' is already felt ; Magna Charta has never been re pealed; 'Conservatives' are bound to follow their old exemplars the ' Baronial Conservatores ; ' * they are the true patriotic Liberals, and they have now got the opportunity to restore the rights of our Church in 'franchise ' and ' representation' (for Convocation must recover its being as one of the Estates of the Realm), so as to enable her to fulfil her heavenly mission, and to extend the saving influence of her Divine Head to the multitudes of our poor, and thus to prove 'the succession' by the fruits — 'by their fruits shall ye know them.' As for ' all other churches ' denying the English orders, when did they do so ? in what Synod ? and in what Synod did the Roman Church disclaim them ?

In 1846, when Cardinal Wiseman answered the Pilgrims' questions as to * Among whom was my lineal ancestor, William Malet. A PILGRIMAGE. 17 recognition, he said not a word against their orders, he only protested against the doctrinal innovations of the Protestants in Queen Eliza beth's time. If the Roman Synod had protested, the English Bishops would have answered the protest and proved the succession. France, 'the France ac- Elder Son' ofthe Roman Church, does not deny |£™Iedges it, for this same Pilgrim was there introduced, some years ago, by 'an influential Priest, as a Priest of the Catholic Church, and spiritual ruler over a flock of the faithful — ' des fide les.' Talking of a Diplomatic Minister from England being here, he had understood that Lord Beauchamp intended to bring the matter before Parliament again.

The United States of America have one, why not England, with Good for Eng whom they have stronger relations, both in land tohavea Church and State ? It was not for the Pope to PXive'ofo'u urge it ; indeed, the result might be that an Sovereign at 53 ' ° Rome. English Government would then seek to curtail his present freedom in appointing Bishops, &c, in Great Britain and Ireland ; but it would be certainly to the advantage of the British nation, especially to Ireland, which would be much conciliated by such a measure. He repeated that if a large body of the c THE OLLVE LEAF : 18 English Church Members would send a deputa tion to the Pope of Rome, with proposals for reunion, stipulating to the British Church free British Liturgy use of her own Liturgy, restored to its Catholic and ' Conces- . . , sions.' and Apostolic purity, and having her 'elections free, as laid down in ' Magna Charta,' no doubt the Pope would make ' great concessions.' To-day we visited some ruins of ancient Rome — the Gate of Romulus, the Palaces of the Cæsars, Clodius and Caracalla, (in which are Christian seen numerous 'fleurs-de-lis in mosaic) ; the emblem in old .

Rome. Forum; the Temple of Jupiter btator ; the Coh- Temple of seum ; the circular Temple of Vesta, with its Vests.. beautiful columns all standing, except one fallen down — it might be restored at small cost, the pillar lies on the ground — inside is an altar, but never used. It was shown by a beautiful Italian damsel, who seemed to love it and its character, and lament over its neglected state. Then we went to the fine church of St. John Lateran, where the head of St. John the Baptist is kept Font for imas a relic. Here is the font of Constantine for mersion. . . immersion ; and the 'Santa Scala' brought from Pontius Pilate's house in Jerusalem. May io. May ioth. We visited St. Clement's, beyond the Coliseum. Here is a convent of the Do- A PLLGRLMAGE. 19 minicans, under the priority of the Rev. Father Burke, who showed us the original church, which St. Clement had been the villa of Clement when consul.

Till churcha few years ago, all thought that the present church was the original one, but we had to descend many steps, with tapers in our hands, and there we saw the reality. Clement had been converted by St. Paul, and held secret worship in his house. He afterwards became Bishop of Rome till the persecution by Trajan, when he was banished to Sebastopol, and finally drowned in the Euxine, whose waters receded so that a tomb was raised over his body, and Constantine, the first Christian emperor, made his house into a church, and erected a tomb to his memory, on which are these words : — M E Prece querentes estote male Caventes. But in the eleventh century the Norman, Robert Now de- Guiscard, under pretence of aiding the Popes stroyed■ against the Goths, was a 'robber of churches;' and this one being rich in ornaments and trea sures, was pillaged and pulled down.

The present one was built on the ruins many years after, but before the plan of the former fabric was forgotten. Excavations have been made with great suc cess to more than twenty feet, and many fresco paintings have been exposed. There is one of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, one of a Baptism by Immersion, one ofthe Crucifixion of St. Peter, &c, &c. The present altar is five feet Ancient church long, of marble ; the Bishop's throne is behind arrangements. the altar, in the apse. The shape of the choir (which is some five or six steps above the nave), the pillars, &c, are, by the excavations, proved to be exact copies of the original church. To-day read in papers that our beloved Queen had interceded and appeased the warlike murmurs in France and Prussia ; may not Eng land's influence be used to appease the hostile feelings of Christians ! May ii St Peter and St. Paul, martyrs. St Paul's church.

Chapter III

/^\N the nth of May we went out of Rome to the south, and passed, about a mile out, a small hospice and chapel, having on it this inscription : ' Cappella Hospitalis Smæ- Trinitatis covalescentiu et Peregrinorum fudata suit Ano mdlxviil' And, on a tablet over the door, in Italian, is written : — 'In this place St. Peter and St. Paul going to martyrdom were separated ; and Paul said to Peter, "Peace be wdth you, the foundation of the Church and Pastor of all the lambs of Christ" — And Peter said to Paul, " Go in Peace, thou preacher of good things and guide of the Salvation of the just." ' — From Dionysius' Epistle to Timothy. We then came to the Church of St. Paul ; most of this church had been burnt in 1823; the apse escaped. Here, as in all the churches, we kneel and offer up the Prayer for Unity : " O Lord "Jesus Christ, who said to Thine Apostles, My ' Prayer for Unity.' Tre fontana.

" peace I give unto you, My peace I leave to " you, regard not my sins, but the Faith of "Thy Church, and grant her that Peace and " Unity which is agreeable to Thy will who livest " and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen." The restoration of this Church is now com plete; the canopy, ' Baldechino,' over the high altar, is supported by beautiful alabaster columns from Egypt, the gift of a Mahomedan, Mehemet Ali ! And these columns stand on high square plinths of malachite, given by the Emperor of Russia ! This church, if I paced rightly, is 1 75 yards in length, and has double aisles; under the clerestory are portraits of the Popes of Rome in mosaic ; the ' high altar ' is on the nave side of the transepts, which of themselves would make a large church; there is another altar in the apse.