Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Roman Traditions of Peter and Paul - 7. The Death of the Apostles
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
2/2 ROMAN DA YS.
hardly mentioned by the ordinary handbooks of travel,
it doubtless arrests but seldom the attention of strangers
driving and riding by. But a pedestrian, who is not a
niggard of his time, and is no slave of the stars in his
guide-book, will certainly stop before the lonely building,
if that happens to him, which happened to the writer of
these lines : that just as he arrives there, the sun breaks
forth from a cloud and casts a magic light upon the only
adornment the outside of the chapel displays. This
adornment is a sculpture, representing the apostles Peter
and Paul falling into each other’s arms. The sheaf of
sunbeams which rested upon them, while the wall around
them lay in a subdued and dusky shadow, seemed to
issue from their own faces. An inscription explains more
definitely the meaning of the sculpture, and shows what
place the Chapel of the Farewell takes in the wreath of
traditions woven around the memory of the apostles.
The inscription is as follows :
" Oil this spot, Peter and Paulparted, when they went
to martyrdom. And Paul said to Peter : ’
Peace be zvith
thee, thou founder of the church, thou shepherd of all the
lambs of Christ !
’
And Peter, to Paul
:
’
Go in peace, thou proclaimer of good tidings, thou
guide of the righteous to salvation ,’
’
"
The words are quoted from an epistle to Timothy,
in the supposed writings of Dionysius, the Athenian
senator.
Tradition tells that, when Peter and Paul were taken
out of the Mamertine prison, to be put to death—Paul
on the place of execution outside the Ostian gate, Peter
on Janiculus—Peter asked leave to go with his friend a
little distance upon his way, and that this was granted
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
