es, for the magistrates, the senators, the priests
and the vestals. Thousands of Christians in this place suffered
martyrdom, by becoming the prey of wild beasts. The picture presents
the imposing spectacle of the interior of this monument at the
present day.]

[Illustration: PANTHEON, ROME, ITALY.--This is the only ancient
edifice at Rome which is still in perfect preservation, as regards
the walls and vaulting. The original statues and architectural
decorations have long since been replaced by modern and inferior
works, but the huge circular structure with its vast colonnade
still presents a strikingly imposing appearance. The walls are
twenty feet in thickness and were originally covered with marble
and stucco. The height and diameter of the dome are each one hundred
and forty feet. The opening of the dome at the top is thirty feet
in diameter, and through this aperture the ancients supposed the
gods to descend. The building is supposed to have been constructed
in the first century B. C.]

[Illustration: BRIDGE OF ST. ANGELO AND TOMB OF HADRIAN, ROME,
ITALY.--This bridge is of most ancient construction. It was built
by Hadrian in 136 A. D., to connect his tomb with the city. Ten
colossal angels, formerly much admired, and executed in 1688, testify
to the low ebb of plastic art at that period. The tomb was built
by Emperor Hadrian for himself and his successors. The massive
circular tower stands on a square basement on the banks of the
Tiber. The bronze statue of St. Michael, the Archangel, which is
seen on the summit, gives the tower its present name, Castello
S. Angelo.]

[Illustration: ST. PETER'S AND VATICAN, ROME, ITALY.--St. Peter's
is fronted by an elliptical piazza, enclosed by imposing colonnades,
and is the largest and most beautiful Catholic Cathedral in the
world; it was founded by Constantine and erected where St. Peter
is said to have suffered martyrdom. Its erection and improvements
cost over $50,000,000. The great Obelisk in the centre of the piazza,
having no hieroglyphics, was brought from Heliopolis. The Vatican
on the right is the Pope's residence, and is elegantly fitted up,
being adorned with paintings and statues by the world's greatest
masters.]

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF ST. PETER'S, ROME, ITALY.--This most
marvellous church in the world was built on the place where stood
the temple of Jupiter Vaticanus. The first church here is said to
have been built A. D., 90. It was a memorial chap