"On the top of the bier, in the nave, lay the body, dressed in royal
garb of gold brocade, with a mantle of crimson velvet, lined and edged
with ermine, a crown on his head, a sceptre in his right hand, an
orb in his left. The two Orders of SS. George and Andrew were fastened
to his breast.
[Illustration: FIG. 46.--_Funeral of his late Holiness Pope Pius IX.,
Feb._ 13, 1878. _The lowering of the body into St. Peter's._]
"Pope Clement regretted his inability to attend the funeral, owing to
the coldness of the morning, but he sent twenty-two cardinals to sing
mass, besides numerous church dignitaries.
"After the celebration of the mass, Monsignor Orazio Matteo recited
a funeral oration of great length, recapitulating the virtues of the
deceased, and the incidents of the life of exile and privation that
he had led. After which, the customary _requiem_ for the soul of the
departed was sung, and they then proceeded to convey his deceased
Majesty's body to the Basilica of St. Peter.
"The procession which accompanied it was one of those gorgeous
spectacles in which the popes and their cardinals loved to indulge.
Every citizen came to see it, and crowds poured in to the Eternal City
from the neighbouring towns and villages, as they were wont to do for
the festivals at Easter, of Corpus Domini.
"All the orders and confraternities to be found in Rome went in front,
carrying amongst them 500 torches. They marched in rows, four deep; and
after them came the pupils of the English, Scotch, and Irish College in
Rome, in their surplices, and with more torches.
"Then followed the bier, around which were the gaudy Swiss Papal
Guards. The four corners of the pall were held up by four of the most
distinguished members of the Stuart household.
"Then came singers, porters carrying two large umbrellas, such as the
Pope would have at his coronation, and all the servants of the royal
household, in deep mourning, and on foot. After them followed the papal
household; and twelve mourning coaches closed the procession.
"The body was placed in the chapel of the choir of St. Peter's, and
after the absolution, which Monsignor Lascaris pronounced, it was put
into a cypress-wood case, in presence of the major-domo of the Vatican,
who made a formal consignment of it to the Chapter of St. Peter's,
in the presence of the notary of the 'Sacred Apostolic Palace,' who
witnessed the consignment, whilst the notary of the Chapter of St.
Peter's gave him a formal receipt.
"The second funeral was fixed for the following day, when everything
was done to make the choir of St. Peter's look gorgeous. A large
catafalque was raised in the midst, on the top of which, on a cushion
of black velvet embroidered with gold, lay the royal crown and sceptre,
under a canopy adorned with ermine; 250 candles burnt around, and the
inscription over the catafalque ran as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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