The first that claims the attention of the traveller after St Peter's, is the church of St John Lateran which is the oldest church in Christendom, and was the metropolitan of Rome and of the Christian world before the building of St Peter's. It lies very nearly in a right line with the Piazza di Spagna, and on a prolonged line, forming an obtuse angle with the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which, as I first visited, I shall first describe and afterwards resume what I have to remark on the subject of St John Lateran.
Santa Maria Maggiore is the third church in importance, but the second in magnificence in Rome. Before its façade stands a single column of granite of the Corinthian order. The façade of this church is beautiful but it would be far better without the campanile, which I think always disfigures a church of Grecian architecture; besides it is not in the centre of the building. The church is richly adorned with mosaics and its several chapels are admirable from the execution of their architecture and sculpture and the value of the different rich marbles and precious stones with which the monuments therein are made and incrusted. Among these Chapels are those of Sixtus V, Paul V. The grand altar is of porphyry. But the most striking beauty of this church and which eclipses all its other ornaments, are the forty columns of beautiful Grecian marble on each side of the nave. The ceiling, too, is superb and richly gilt; the gilding must have cost an immense sum and was done, it is said, with the first gold that was brought from America. Nothing can be more rich than this plafond. The above forty columns belonged formerly to the temple of Juno Lucina. It is singular that the ceremony of the accouchement of the Virgin and the birth of Christ should be performed here. On the 24th December this pantomime is regularly acted, and crowds of all sorts of people attend, particularly women. At the moment that the Virgin is supposed to be delivered a salve of artillery announces the good tidings. This is singular, I say, when one recollects the peculiar attributes of Juno Lucina and the assistance she was supposed to give to persons in the same situation.
You cannot expect me to detail to you all the riches in precious stones and gifts of pious princes that adorn the several chapels of this and other churches; but they appear to contain every stone and jewel mentioned in the Arabian Nights as being to be found in the cave where Aladdin was left by the magician; and it must be allowed that the Popes have been remarkably adroit inchanters in conjuring to Rome all the riches of the Earth.
The church of St John Lateran is larger and more striking as to its exterior and as to its architecture than that of Santa Maria Maggiore, but it is not so charged with ornament and there is scarce any gilding. There is a simple elegance about it that I think far more pleasing than the magnificence of Santa Maria.
St John Lateran contains several beautiful pieces of sculpture in white marble, rather larger than the usual size of man, of the twelve Apostles, six on one side of the nave and six on the other; and above them are bas-reliefs, also in marble, representing the various scenes from the history of the Old and New Testament. These twelve statues are admirably well executed and they give to this temple an air of simple grandeur. In this church are very few paintings on mosaics, but little gilding and no superfluous ornaments. Sculpture is, in my opinion, far more appropriate to a place of worship than paintings or dazzling ornaments. Another very striking beauty of this noble and venerable temple are the columns it contains some of which are in granite and others of the most beautiful verd-antique. There are besides two superb Corinthian columns of bronze which adorn one of the altars. Among the chapels of this Cathedral is one belonging to the Corsini family, which is probably the richest in Europe, and contains more precious stones and marbles than any other. Yet as this and the other chapels are in recesses and separated from the aisles of the church by large bronze gates, you cannot see their contents till you enter the said chapels; and thus your attention is not diverted by them from the contemplation of the simple grandeur of the columns and statues which adorn the body of the temple.
The bronze columns above mentioned were taken from the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. On one side in front of the church of St John Lateran stands an immense Egyptian Obelisk 115 feet in height, brought from Egypt to Rome in the time of Constantine.
I think the placing of these Obelisks in front of the façade of the most remarkable edifices is an excellent arrangement, as they are never-failing landmarks to distinguish from afar off the edifices to which they belong. This Obelisk was found in the Circus Maximus, from which it was removed and placed on this spot by Sixtus V. A large Orphan establishment is close to this church; and close to it also the Battisterio of Constantine, which rests on forty-eight columns of porphyry, said to be the finest in Europe. Another church in the vicinity contains La Scala Santa or holy staircase of marble which, according to the tradition, adorned Pontius Pilate's palace at Jerusalem, and on which identical staircase Jesus Christ ascended to be interrogated by Pilate. The tradition further says that it was transported to Rome by Angels. This staircase has twenty-eight steps, and no one is allowed to mount it except on his knees. Nobody ever descends it, but there are two other escaliers parallel to it, one on the right hand, the other on the left, by which you descend in the usual manner. Not being aware of this ceremony, I, on entering the edifice, began to ascend the escalier which was nearest to me, which proved to be the Scala Santa, for no sooner had I begun to ascend it as I would any other flight of steps than two or three voices screamed out: "Signore! O signore! a ginocchia; o'è la scala santa!" I asked what was meant and was then told the whole story, and that it was necessary to mount this staircase on one's knees or not at all. This I did not think worth the trouble, being quite contented with beholding it. The marble of this staircase is much worn by the number of devout people who ascend it in this manner, and this ceremony, aided by a quantum suff of faith is no doubt of great efficacy.
The fourth church in estimation, and I believe the next ancient in Rome to St John Lateran, is the church of San Paolo fuor della mura, so called from its being situated outside the gates of the city. It is of immense size, but out of repair and neglected. The most striking object of its architectural contents are the 120 columns of Parian marble which support its nave.
St Pietro in Vincoli is chiefly remarkable for its being built near the dungeon where, according to the tradition, St Peter was confined and from whence he was released by Angels; its chief ornament is the colossal statue of Moses. Somewhere close to this place are shewn the ruins of the Mamertine prison where Jugurtha was incarcerated and died.
There are in Rome about three hundred other churches, all of which can boast of very interesting and valuable contents. One in particular called the Portuguese Church is uncommonly beautiful tho' small; another, that of St Ignazio, or the Jesuits' church, is vast and imposing, and very fine singing is occasionally to be heard there.