SIXTINE CHAPEL,
erected by, and containing the tomb of, Sixtus V. It was lately restored by Pius IX., who was to have had his temporary resting-place here, behind the altar. The altar is a representation of the tomb of our Saviour at Jerusalem, and is a splendid piece of workmanship. Beneath it is preserved part of the manger. Opposite the lower altar is a statue of S. Gaetano, by Bernini. The frescoes of the dome, representing the hosts of heaven, are beautifully executed by Podesti. The monument to Sixtus V. is by Valsoldo; that to Paul V. by L. de Sarzana. The bas-reliefs represent historical subjects of the two pontificates.
Leaving the church by the end opposite to that by which we entered, we find ourselves in the piazza, which contains a handsome column, taken from the Basilica of Constantine by Paul V. It is surmounted by a figure in bronze representing the Virgin. The column is forty-seven feet high, without the base and capital. On the left of the church is the