Part 18 (2/2)

On the south is a fine pointed doorell-carved orna into a spacious hall, in which are ood arabesques Beyond this is a very large court surrounded by a cloister with pointed arches, which also have arabesques in their details The hall, the cloister, and the court, are now only used to shelter the camels and horses of the first comers; consequently they are in a filthy state, and their orna destroyed A spiral staircase in the north-east corner of the hall leads to the upper floor, where is a Gothicof two lights, with a ant arabesque capital After going over this floor andto the roof, we see the remains of a splendid apartment with all the requisites of a Mohammedan _Harem_[508]; but here care is necessary to avoid a fall The view fro; the whole _Haram es-Sherif_ is well seen, with a considerable extent of the central valley, the hill Acra (as placed by me) full in view, and also Bezetha, separated fro above it Here the student and the archaeologist will forraphy of the ancient city; and the descriptions of Josephus, especially with reference to Acra and Bezetha, will be readily understood

Opposite to S Helena's Hospital on the north is a Saracenic house, apparently of the same date, which is in a very unsafe state In the south facade is a great nu arabesques It is used by certain Moha to an order of Dervishes, who are very free froood When I speak of the convents belonging to the different sects, I will give a fuller account of them

To the south of the House of Dives is seen on the east side of the road the front of a Saracenic fountain[509], which (as is stated by an inscription) belongs to the age of Solyman To avoid repetition, I ards their orna to the same epoch It is now dry, because the revenues, destined to supply it ater and repair its conduit, have been absorbed by their for the valley towards the south we co this ard, we find on the left, after a few yards, a Saracenic doorway, the ornaant and well executed[510] It was the entrance to a boys' school for Mohammedans, founded by Omar, and afterwards enriched by Saladin; but aof their liberality

Near this gate on the west is a street; and at the beginning of this, an opening in the ground covered with a large slab, giving adin in the Kidron valley; of which I shall speak again at greater length

Opposite to the above-naate is an ancient edifice, which, from the masonry, may be attributed to Saladin or Solyman; it is called by the Mohammedan chronicle the Hospital of Omar I have exaement of some of the principal walls, to have been a church in the days of the Latin kingdom, most probably the Church of S Giles, mentioned by various writers of the time of the Crusades[511] The Saracenic architecture in its facade may have been the addition of one of the two above-nahbourhood of Jerusalem is in fine coloured stones, which take a polish like ether with lead without hly restored for a small sum of money; but it is involved in the sa to the Mohammedans in Jerusalem, and unless it be sold will soon be a heap of ruins

In a small street on the west of the above is an ancient edifice, which shews the hand of a skilful architect in the regularity of its facade, and the arrangement of its inner walls The wall of the former consists of small stones with deeply-cut rustic-work up to the level of the first floor; along which runs a very plain cornice beneath a row of square-headed s, also croith a projecting cornice The remainder of the facade is constructed of polished stones accurately laid In the ground-floor rooms, now converted into offices, are the shafts and capitals of colu we may infer that it has been a chapel Local traditions state that it once belonged to the Germans; and it is not impossible that it may have been a dependency of the establishhts Returning to the Hospital of O the s the central valley, at the spot on the western wall of the _Haram_, where the Jews (as we have already mentioned[512]) coer who visits the place when the unhappy sons of Israel are gathered together there, returns saddened by the sight of their grief Ceaselessly swaying their bodies fro chant, broken by sighs and sobs, as they kneel a remnant in their fatherland This continualof their ancestors, during the forty years that elapsed between their exodus fro easy access to the _Hara any person with me, I several times offered to take various Jews into the place, and shew them the true remains of the Temple of Solo reason When the Tereat number of holy vessels were buried in the ruins; therefore every Jew in the Holy City refrains fro upon their dust, and so confines hi outside the wall If one of them enters the _Haram_ (so they told me), he is excommunicated by the chief Rabbi, and expelled by the whole body as a sacrilegious person All rules, however, have their exceptions, and so has this; for Baron de Rothschild and Sir M Montefiore, on the occasion of their visit to Jerusalem, obtained perreatly displeased rumbled loudly at it in secret; but the excommunication was not fulentle them in times past, and were likely to do so for the future; and consequently thought it would be very foolish to offend the by the same street, ill now enter the Jewish Quarter and visit the synagogues The great ancient synagogue may be compared to a vaulted cave; the way into which is down a badly constructed and worse kept staircase Sos and gilding (of which soht traces still remain) sustain the roof of these subterranean chahted by the feeble rays that struggle through the broken panes of the closely grated s The place is always damp, both from its low situation, and fro the winter-rains by the staircase, the s, and the leaky vaulted roof Round the upper part of the chaalleries are built; but these are so separated one from another, and so patched from repeated repairs, that they look more fit to be fowl-pens than seats for the woerous position Below are shattered, rotten, worm-eaten benches, haunted by swarms of voracious fleas, which are occupied by the men At the end of each chamber is a kind of wooden cupboard, with more or less tasteless ornament about it, in the middle of which is the tabernacle, usually covered with a torn curtain, which on festival days only is replaced by another, given by so but a copy of the Scriptures, written on parchment rolls The tables of the law are kept with a holy veneration in the principal of these chaold

While the services are going on, each Israelite has upon his head a piece of striped blue and white woollen cloth, edged with a cord, which hangs down from each corner Many also wear a little box on their foreheads in which a copy of the ten coes of Scripture is enclosed[513] When the Rabbins unroll the parchment before the worshi+ppers, each draws near to touch it reverently with the end of one of the cords of his veil The sad and solemn psalmody of the Doctors of the law, answered by verses of the Bible recited by all the people, with sighs and everyof compassion for this unhappy re and heavy a burden seem to deserve a better fate

What I have said of this synagogue may also be applied to the rest, which, as they are smaller, so are they more inconvenient, and in a still ogue was built on the eastern slope of Sion, called the Polish It rises e portion of the city, but I know too well that it will not last long, as its foundations are bad; because the master-mason who directed the work had not sufficiently exaround, and so reat norance of their existence, as from a mistaken economy, were not properly examined

Therefore when the nealls were finished, and the greater part of the dome co the building Consequently it becathen the foundations and toup arches and s, and using iron tie-rods At present it see period, as its

A Ger a labyrinth of dirty lanes, is now being repaired Those in charge of the work have begun to restore the facade, over which they have wasted a great quantity ofit with useless ornament; and have paid no attention to the interior, which, in my opinion, should be the first consideration: consequently they are now at a standstill for want of funds There are other sues in the Jewish Quarter, but these are not worth notice, being only roo the Jewish Quarter by its south side in order to reach the Sion Gate, we come upon the Armenian property, and stop a little to examine their churches In the outer wall of the Convent, close to the Gate of David, is a small chapel, said to occupy the site of the house of Annas the High-Priest, father-in-law to Caiaphas[514], whither our Saviour was brought after he had been made prisoner at Gethsemane The tradition is not very old, and is of little value, because, after so large a part of the city towards the south has been destroyed, and the whole greatly changed by the ravages of titus's arhly improbable that the site of a house can be exactly fixed

Adrichomius[515] says of this chapel, ”the house of Annas, father-in-law to Caiaphas, where afterwards the Church of the Holy Angels was built”

It is small, but divided into a nave and two side aisles by two pillars, which sustain the vaulted roof

Outside this chapel, near the wall, is a very old olive-tree, which gives rise to the Arab name _Deir-Zeitun_ (Convent of the Olive) It certainly is not so old as the ties of the Ro upon a thick mass of rubbish The Armenian ht to the High-Priest's house; and in consequence of this legend, the Christians (especially those of the East) hold the tree in great veneration, and think themselves happy if they can procure a little piece of it On this point I may adopt the words of the Abbe Mariti[516] ”In order to check the rush of devotees upon this tree, and to preserve the advantages resulting from it, the Armenians have surrounded it with a wall to prevent the faithful fro near to it Of its fruit they riifts In order to increase the fervour of devotion they keep a la near the tree, the oil of which is said by the monks to have workedthe credulous

The Church of S Jas to the Armenians Its founder is not positively known, but it was certainly built after the departure of the Crusaders froht that it was one of the Spanish Kings, probably Peter of Arragon, who in 1362, being on terifts to the Holy Land The name of the church (after the patron Saint of Spain), and tradition, are in favour of this supposition After the Mohammedan conquest of the city, the Ar convents, but it is stated in Jerusalem (by the Franciscans) that in the time of Ibrahied to prove their title to certain parts of the convent and church by producing documents, they had none in their archives, and, under false pretences, came to the Franciscans to see if they had preserved any This would shew that they had soht to the property they enjoy However, one of their members (a respectable Ar him whether it were true, asserted that they had, besides firmans of Omar Kotab, of Saladin, and others, one froesticulations, and with every sign which an Oriental uses to impress his hearer with a belief in his veracity He promised to shew me this document, but soh, unquestionably, the rims The church is orth notice It is said to stand on the spot where the Saint was martyred[517], but it would be difficult to prove the truth of the tradition The facade[518]

is very plain, and of later date than the rest of the building It has a porch where the Easterns leave their shoes before entering the doors; both fro the marble pavement and rich Persian carpets In the upper part of the porch is a gallery, occupied by the wo service, so that they are separated from the men

The interior is divided into a nave and two side aisles, of different diraceful dome On the walls are pictures, which are very re; for exaatory, the artist seems to have had before his mind one of Dante's divisions of hell There is a profusion of gilding andcomposed of the different breccias abundant in the country The design of the inlaid work of ood; and, in a word, the whole church is kept in such excellent order, that it is an honour to its owners On the right hand we find, on entering, a small chapel richly ornamented with marble and inlaid work, where the supposed spot of the Saint's martyrdom is shewn The Latin monks are permitted by the Armenians to celebrate mass here on the festival of the Saint On the same side, but nearer the entrance, is the treasury, which is worth a visit, not so e which the s, and a staffA piece of the true Cross, three inches long and as thick as the third finger, enclosed in a casket enriched with precious stones, is preserved a the nus to them, and was appropriated by the Armenians when they were exposed to persecution In the Chapel of S

Miazie stones, which thethat one came from Mount horeb, another from the Jordan, and the third from Mount Tabor Thus far I can believe them; but, in order to render them more marvellous, they say that they formed part of the twelve stones which the children of Israel set up in the Jordan[519] The Armenians had discovered this fact before AD

1628, because it was related to and believed by a certain Alberto Follesi, a Florentine of that date They have the property of foretelling rain and wind

On leaving the Church of S Ja the street to the north, we find, on the right, a s so this, we see, on the left, a ruined chapel, which, at the time of the Crusades, was the traditional site of S Peter's prison[520]

Keeping along the street which turns to the north we reach the Syrian convent, in which is a church said to stand upon the site of the House of S Mark, whither S Peter went on his release from prison[521] Here a font is shehich is asserted to be the one used for the Virgin Mary Besides this there is nothing else re how the Christians at Jerusalem have preserved all the traditions of the most ordinary localities, and been able to discover the exact spots after all the changes and injuries the city has undergone! Behind the English church and near the English hospital is the s of 32 feet by 19 The choir, with a cornice running round it on the inside, is still to be seen It is said to occupy the site of the ancient House of S Jalish church was built in 1841 It is a cruciforether out of place in Jerusalem The interior is not remarkable The services are performed with propriety, and it is the only church free froues of Jerusalem, and in which the visitor can pray undisturbed by noise or laughter; because the number of worshi+ppers is small, and the Eastern Christians are not attracted there by any pomp or ceremony I may venture to add, that perhaps this latter circumstance is the reason why the number of proselytes does not increase in proportion to the benevolent exertions of the Jews' Society Both its members, and the zealous missionaries who fronorant of the nature of the spirit hich they daily have to deal in the East, and should know that the greatest obstacle to their success is the severe for, and is averse to hearing sermons, which he either does not understand or is wearied by

He is ained over by the eye than by the ear, and is with difficulty persuaded that a priest in a black gown or plain white surplice can be as inificent vestment in the church, shouts and chants loudly, and enuflexions More cerereatly to the success of the English anization and conduct deserves all praise

Nearly opposite to the above is the citadel of Jerusalem, called the Castle of David, or of the Pisans I have already spoken[522] of all the objects of antiquarian interest which are to be seen there; and have nothing to add beyond expressingevery part of it to fall into decay The garrison of the city is not quartered there, but only a guard is posted at the entrance, to prevent any one fro inside who is not furnished with an order from the Commandant of the place The reason of this strictness is that part of it is used as a powder azine; and besides, some cannon are kept there, most of which are useless, as they have been spiked or battered Formerly various pieces of armour of the tihbourhood of the city and in other parts of Palestine, were preserved here, but the collection has been dispersed Soht fit to represent to the departood plan to dispose of them, as they were articles of no value The requisite order was quickly given, and then, according to the usual custoovernment, the money was kept back from the exchequer and used for private purposes The traveller who eneral view of the surrounding country The scenery is unattractive and ales of arid hills enclose the city, white with bare faces of heated rock, whereon no herbage grows Both near and far these are dotted over with ruined Arab cottages, with little e over the intervening fields, it finds nothingon which to repose Everywhere is barrenness, everywhere desolation; below there see; around, a land of to the street toward the north-e arrive at the Latin Convent of S Saviour, within which is the parish-church of the sa the very low vaulted roof divide the nave froh altar rises a little slightly-depressed dome, and opposite to it is the choir ell-carved stalls The size of the building in length and breadth is also very s it Forit; but they have always been prevented fron into effect by the prohibition of the authorities; and so the Latins have to suffer fro to the season of the year It is therefore to be hoped that the place will soon be made more commodious

Besides the churches and chapels which I have already noticed, many others are indicated either by ruins, or tradition, or history (especially by the chronicles of the time of the Crusades[523]); but as they are now destroyed, or at least no longer used for worshi+p, and their remains are not of any interest, I pass them over in silence It is stated[524] that at the time of the Crusades the Christians possessed as many as three hundred and sixty-five churches and monasteries in Jerusale to the different religious communities, the number of which is far below that just mentioned

The Latin Convent of S Saviour is the chief and greatest of those belonging to the Guardians of the Holy Land Here dwell the Superiors of the Friars Minor of the Order of S Francis; and consequently from it orders and instructions are issued to all the rest of the convents, which are dependencies of the Holy Guardianshi+p, in Constantinople, Egypt, Cyprus, Syria, and Palestine The site of the building is one of the best in Jerusalehest part of Mount Gareb, near the north-west corner of the city-wall, and there looks down upon the greater part of the city It resembles a castle rather than a convent; but this is due to the additionsthe three centuries it has been in their hands, rather than to its original design The first abode of the Franciscans was on Mount Sion (which I will describe in speaking of the 'Coenaculu dispossessed by the Mohaed to occupy a place on the same hill, called fro assisted by contributions froians the Convent of S Saviour (then called _Deir 'Amud_, Convent of the Colu inside the city This they afterwards purchased from the proprietors, AD 1559, by the favour of the Sublime Porte, who iround was 1000 sultanins (about 120), and that of the buildings 1200 Venetian sequins; but as the property was much too small they obtained perain on other occasions, and so gradually brought it to its present condition The earliest part of the convent is that which is round the church There are two entrances, a large door on the south side, and a sthened and defended with iron, a necessary precaution in a country where the power of self-defence is requisite in case of popular tu the great door we can visit the ground-floor of the convent, in which we find e cisterns, hewn in the rock, and supplied by the rains When there is a drought in the country, the poor Latins, and not seldom the Mohammedans, draw their supplies of water froreat convent that entertains and supports a large nuardens and courts, stables, extensive cellars, storehouses for food, wood, and charcoal, horse-es; shops for carpenters, turners, shoemakers, and wax-candles; a dispensary well supplied with medicines, and zealously and efficiently served, always liberally open to all coh sed, and annually publishes books on religious subjects in Arabic, Latin, Italian, and other languages; the type being cast on the premises In the upper story are the monks' cells, the apartment of the Guardian of the Holy Land, and that of the Procurer General, an infirmary, reserved for the brethren, workshops, in so of the monks; a shop where the manufactures of the Holy Land are sold, such as rosaries, shell-work, crosses, and the like[526]; a library containing some most valuable manuscripts and many excellent books; and finally, the Church of S Saviour ( sacristy In this a very great number of objects are preserved, valuable not only for the intrinsic worth of the precious metals and jehich they contain, but also for the work of the artists who made them These are but rarely shewn, and the ht for years They are the gifts of many of the European courts in past and present times, and of countries which have had a love for the Holy Land The convent ordinarily contains about fifty inreater number; as in fact it does at the Easter festivals

The Latin Patriarchate is a house belonging to the Franciscans, which was intended for a hospice In 1859 the foundations of the new Patriarchate were laid near the north-west corner of the city It is not yet finished, but before long Jerusaleood new house, which, while convenience is not sacrificed to vain shoill be internally well arranged M Valerga himself drew the plan

Opposite to the Latin Convent of S Saviour on the south, is that of the Sisters of S Joseph, who have been lodged in two native houses, altered to receive them The interior is very confined and damp, and in consequence unhealthy The poor nuns, in nu until it please Heaven to grant them a better abode, and with that a wider field for their benevolent labours in the instruction of poor girls