The Pantheon, commonly called the Church de la Rotonda, because of its round Figure, is a Monument of the Magnificence of ancient Rome, which has been well preserved. Agrippa caused this Temple to be built, with an Intention to dedicate it to Augustus his Father-in-Law; but he afterwards devoted it to Jupiter Ultor, or the Avenger. Pope Boniface I. or, as others say, Boniface IV. consecrated this Temple to the True God, by dedicating it to the Holy Virgin and the Martyrs, with the Title of Sta. Maria ad Martyres. Nothing is more Majestic than the Portico of this Church, which is supported by sixteen Columns of oriental Granate, of a wonderful Height and Circumference, all of a Piece, and of the Corinthian Order. The Church, which is round, receives Light only by an Opening in the Middle of the Roof, which is built in Form of a Dome. The Walls are lined with Marble, even up to the Cornish which supports the Roof, and several little Chapels are cut out in the Wall. The Roof was heretofore covered with Brass, but Urban VIII. stripped the Church of that magnificent Covering, and employ’d the Brass partly on the High Altar of St. Peter’s Church, and of the rest of it he caused those Guns to be cast that are still to be seen in the Castle of St. Angelo. The Pope who did this, being of the Barberini Family, gave Occasion to the Romans, who take a Pleasure in criticising the Conduct of the Popes, to say, that the Barberini had done even more than the Barbarians; and really, it is worthy of Remark, that in the several Sackings of Rome the Rotonda was always spared.
St. Peter’s Church so astonished me, that I cannot pass it by in Silence. To tell you in few Words what I think of it; I believe, that though there were no other Building in Rome but this
Church, it would be worth while to make a Journey hither on Purpose to see it. The Area which lies before this superb Pile, can’t but be admired by all that see it. Pope Alexander VII. caused it to be laid out after the Model of my Hero in Architecture, Signior Lorenzo Bernini. The Form of this Area is round, and encompassed by a Peristyle of two hundred eighty-six Pillars, which leads all the way under Covert to the Church. These Columns support an Architrave adorned with a great Number of Statues, representing divers holy Martyrs. The Area is adorned with two magnificent Fountains, which continually throw out vast Sheets of Water, into three Basons, the lowermost whereof, being the largest, serves to let out the Water, which runs under Ground. An Obelisk of seventy-two Feet in Height, besides the Basis, stands up in the Middle of the two Fountains. Pope Sixtus V. who may justly be reckoned the Restorer of Rome, on account of the Ornaments with which he embellished every Part of it, caused it to be set up, after ’twas dug out of the Earth, near the Place where now stands St. Peter’s Sacristy. He ordered it to be erected on a very high Pedestal; and Signior Fontana, the famous Architect, was the Man by whose Direction so immense a Weight was raised to that Height. ’Tis said, that Pope Sixtus V. commanded that every Man who assisted in raising this Obelisk should keep Silence on Pain of Death, for fear lest Talking should distract the Workmens’ Thoughts, and take them off from a due Attention to the Orders of the Architect; and as they knew that Sixtus would be obeyed, not a Man spoke a Word. The Work went on very well, till when the Spire was almost raised, the Ropes happened to be too short. This Accident so confounded
Fontana, that he knew not what to do, when one of the Spectators took it in his Head to call out to him to throw Water upon the Ropes. Fontana followed his Advice with such good Success, that the Pope promised a Reward for the Person who would own that he gave it: But no body cared to trust Sixtus; the Adviser concealed himself in the Crowd, and it could never be known who he was. The whole Height of the Obelisk, including the Base and Cross, is one hundred and eight Feet. Sixtus V. caus’d some Timber of the real Cross to be set in the Cross of gilt Brass at the Top of the Spire, and granted ten Years Indulgences to any Person that shou’d salute it, and at the same Time repeat three Pater-nosters, and as many Ave Maries.
When you have passed over the great Square, there’s an Ascent of some Steps to a grand Platform or Terras, that leads into the Portico which is before the Church. The Roof of it is supported by Columns of the Corinthian Order, adorned with Basso Relievos of Marble. The Cieling is of Stukoe, divided into several Compartments in the Mosaic Taste, which form the Arms of Paul V. of the Borghese Family; the whole gilt all over. As one turns to the Right in this Portico, one sees the Statue of Constantine the Great, carved in Marble by Bernini, who has represented the Emperor on Horseback, in a Posture of Astonishment at the Appearance of the Cross. Over-against this Statue, on the Left-side of the Portico, is Charlemaign’s Statue, likewise on Horseback, done by Augustin Cornicchini, a Native of Peschia in Tuscany; but ’tis not near so bold a Figure as that carved by Bernini. At the Entrance of the Church, we leave on the Right-hand the holy Gate, which the Pope opens and shuts every twenty-five Years, at the Time of the great Jubilee.
I must confess that the inside Decoration of St. Peter’s did not strike me at first View; for I imagined that every thing there must be Gold and Azure, but I was mistaken; tho’, after having examined Things closely, I was, as it were, in an Ecstasy at the Variety of Beauties I there saw. The High Altar, which is almost in the middle of the Dome, is of a Magnificence not to be parallelled. It stands by itself, and is on all Sides open, consisting of four wreathed Columns of Brass, of an immense Height and Bulk, which support a Canopy of the same Metal, surmounted by Angels holding Festons of Flowers, so completely carved, that one would naturally imagine the Whole to be the Work of a Goldsmith. At this Altar none can celebrate Mass but the Pope himself, and the Cardinal Dean, by his Holiness’s express Permission; and underneath, in a Chapel richly adorned, there lie some Parts of the Holy Bodies of the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. There’s a Descent into this Chapel by a Stair-case of fine Marble, consisting of two Flights, in Form of a Horse-shoe, and surrounded by a Balustrade of Brass, supporting a great many Silver Lamps, which never cease to burn, except on Good-friday, when the Church is hung in Mourning, in Memory of the Death of our Saviour.
At the Bottom of the Church stands, highly elevated, St. Peter’s Chair, a very fine Piece of Work, all of Brass, gilt, and supported by the four Fathers of the Church, St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and St. Gregory, of a gigantic Size, with a Glory of Brass, gilt, over them, raised as high as the Roof. Under the Chair is an Altar, on both Sides of which there are stately Tombs of Brass and Marble, of incomparable Workmanship and Beauty. The Mausoleum of Urban VIII. on the Right Hand, has two admirable Statues of white
Marble, representing two Virtues, of such exquisite Beauty, that there was a Necessity of covering their Nudities to prevent the like Scandal which a certain Spaniard gave, in whom a Statue of this sort kindled an unruly Passion. These two Tombs are not the only ones which adorn this Church; for there are many others altogether as superb; particularly, the Mausoleum of the Countess Matilda, and that of Christina Queen of Sweden, to whom the Popes granted Burial in St. Peter’s Church, where, except the Successors of that Apostle, none can be interred. These two Princesses were of such high Birth, and had done so much for the Church, that they well deserved to be honoured with this Distinction; for the first defended the Church, at the Head of her Army, against the Emperor Henry IV. the other even abdicated her Crown, and abandoned her Dominions, to embrace the Roman Religion. Christina’s Tomb is nobly designed, without being overcharged with Ornament; and there is her Picture in a great Medal of Brass, which is perfectly well executed.
Tho’ every thing in St. Peter’s Church is worthy of the particular Observation of a curious Traveller, I think nothing deserves it more than the noble Pictures of Mosaic Work, wherewith the Altars are decorated, than which there can be nothing more complete; for it surpasses any thing that was ever done by the Ancients. ’Tis but a few Years that the Artists have arrived to the Perfection we now discover in Works of this kind. One of these Pictures, which is just finished, represents the Story of Sta. Petronilla, St. Peter’s Sister, so excellently designed, and so nicely coloured and polished, that nothing in the Art of Man can out-do it. One would swear ’twas a Picture behind a Glass; yet it consists only of little Glass Squares, exactly cemented together by a certain Gum that is extremely astringent.
’Tis a Piece of Work of the more Value, because it is Proof against the Injuries of Weather, and nothing can damage it. They design to remove out of this Church all the Pictures painted in Oil, which grow mouldy by Time and Moisture, and to put Pictures of Mosaic Work, in their place. If this Project, which is in a good Forwardness, and carried on apace, be ever finished, St. Peter’s Church will be possessed of a Treasure the more precious because there will be none like it.