Parker, John Henry: The archaeology of Rome (1,text): I. The primitive fortifications (Oxford [u.a.], 1874)

The Vatican.

169

follow the interior of the Wall of Aurelian without the shadow of
a doubt on all sides, even in the Trastevere, where it goes up to, and
round the Janiculum, from opposite the Emporium, and below the
remains of the wooden bridge on the south, to the Pons Janiculensis
(now called Ponte Sisto) on the north. In both cases it is just
far enough beyond the bridges to have protected them, and remains
of the four towers that projected into the Tiber can be seen when
the water is low.

The Vatican, p. 159.
The excellent “ Handbook of Central Italy,” by Octavian Blewitt
(published by John Murray in 1850), is so extremely useful and
valuable for some objects, that I have had occasion to make extracts
from it more than once. This is the more allowable, because the
passages that we want have generally been omitted in the late
editions of the “ Handbook of Rome,” edited by Mr. Pentland for
Mr. Murray.
“There is no palace in the world which approaches the Vatican in interest,
whether we regard its prominent position in the history of the Church, or the
influence exercised by its museums on the learning and taste of Christendom for
nearly three hundred years. It is an immense pile of buildings, irregular in their
plan, and composed of parts constructed at different times, without a due regard
to the general harmony of the whole. There seems to have been a palace attached
to the basilica of S. Peter’s from a very early period, probably as early as the time
of Constantine. It is quite clear that the palace was in existence in the eighth
century, for Charlemagne resided in it at his coronation by Leo III. In the
twelfth century this palace had become so dilapidated from age, that it was rebuilt
by Innocent III., who entertained Peter II., king of Aragon, in the new edifice.
In the following century it was enlarged by Nicholas III., whose additions occu-
pied the site of the present Tor di Borgia. The Popes for upwards of a thousand
years had inhabited the Lateran Palace, and did not make the Vatican their per-
manent residence until after their return from Avignon, in 1377- Gregory XI.
then adopted it as the papal palace, chiefly on account of the greater security given
to it by the vicinity of the Castle of S. Angelo. John XXIII. (a.d. 1415), in
order to increase this security, built the covered gallery which communicated be-
tween the palace and the castle from his time to May, 1849, when the Republican
Government partially destroyed it, and constructed barricades with its materials.
From the reign of John XXIII. the Popes seem to have vied with each other in
the extent and variety of their additions. Nicholas V., in 1450, conceived the
idea of making it the largest and most beautiful palace of the Christian world, but
he died before he could accomplish his design, and was only able to renew a por-
tion of the old palace. Alexander VI. completed this building nearly as we now
see it. The chapel of S. Lorenzo, the private chapel of Nicholas V., well known
from the frescoes of Beato Angelico de Fiesole, is considered to be the only part
of the edifice which is older than his time. The buildings of Alexander VI. were