The Scala Ferjia, the great staircase by Bernini, con- sists of two flights; the lower decorated with Ionic col- umns, and the upper with pilasters. It leads from the extremity of the right-hand portico of Bernini to the Sala Rer/ia built during the pontificate of Paul III, as a hall of audience for the ambassadors, and covered with frescos illustrating various events in the history of the
popes. It also serves as an ante-hall to the Sixtine and Pauline chapels.
Tiie Captlla Sisfina. or Sixtine Cluqwl, is a lofty ob- long hall, 146 J feet long by 50i wide, and decorated with a series of frescos representing the principal events in Scripture history. It also contains, on the end wall op- posite the entrance, the great fresco The Last Judgment. Near the Sixtine Chapel is the Capella Paolina, which is onl}^ used in great ceremonies, chiefly during Holy Week, It is noted for two frescos by Michael Angelo, The Con- version of St. Paul and the Crurifixion of St. Peter. The great hall leading from the Sala Regia to the Loggia of Bramante is called the Sala Ihicale, formerly used by the popes for giving audience to princes, now used for holding the public consistories when the newly created cardinals are admitted into the sacred college.
The Museum is entered at the extremity of the lower Loggia, to the left on leaving the Sala Ducale. It con- tains numerous apartments. The Gallery of luscrij)- tioris is a corridor 690 feet in length, containing up- wards of 3000 specimens of ancient sepulchral inscrip- tions and monuments. At the extremiiy of this gallery is the Museo Chiarumonti, which constitutes the second division of the gallery, and, exclusive of the Braccio Xuovo, or new wing, contains more than 700 specimens of ancient sculpture, arranged in thirty compartments. The Braccio Nuovo was erected by Pius VII in 1817, and is a fine hall 260 feet in length, and well lighted from the roof. In this hall are to be seen the famous statue of A uf/ustus the A Ihlt-te and many others. The Museo Pio-Clementi)w, so called from Clement XIV and Pius VI, from whom it received its most important acces- sions, is the most magnificent museum of ancient sculpt- ure in the world. It contains the collections formed by .Julius II, Leo X, Clement VII, and Paul IIL In this museum may be named, among others, the following apartments: Round Vestibule, Hall of Meleager, Cortile di Belvedere, Hall of the A nimals, Gallery of Statues, Hall of the Jifuses. The Gallei-y ef the C<indelahra is a fine hall about 300 feet long, erected by Pius VI, and derives its name from several ancient candelabra placed in it. It is situated on the upper floor. The Etruscan Museum, or Museo Gregoriano, so called from its found-
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er, Gregory XVI, is devoted to the preservation of the Etruscan antitiuities accumulated by his predecessors, and is very rich in specimens belonging to this depart- ment. The Egyptian Museum is entered from the i\[ii- seo Chiaramoiiti, and contains Egyptian antiquities of great interest. From the Gallery of the Candelabra we reach the .1 razzi, or TapestrifS of RaphaeL Then comes the Galkry of the Maps, a tine hall 500 feet long, and celebrated for .its series of maps of Italy and its isl- ands, painted for Gregory XIII (1572-85). The Sfaiize of Raphael are a series of four chambers opening out of the second range of Loggie, so called from the fact that the great life-work of Raphael was the decoration of their walls. The chambers are called respectively. Stan- za of the Incemlin del Borgo, Camera della Seynatura, Stanza of //eliodonts, Sala of Cotistantine.
The Capella di San Lorenzo, built by Nicholas V as his private chapel, is interesting for its frescos by Fra Angelico da Fiesole; it is also interesting as being the only decorated portion of the Vatican older than the time of Alexander VI. The Pinacoteca, or Gallery of Pictures, contains a small number (less than fifty) of pictures; but they are among the rarest treasures of art to be found in the world. The Transfgiiration, the Madonna da Follyno, and the Communion of St. Jerome mav be mentioned as examples of these rare works.
The Library was founded by Nicholas V (1447), by transferring to his new palace the MSS. which had been collected in the Lateran; and, at his death, it is said to have contained 9000 MSS. In 1(500 there were 10,(500 MSS., of whicii 8.500 were Latin and 21 GO Greek. It received important accessions in 1621, presented Jay duke ]Maximilian of Bavaria; in 1658, the library of Urbino; in 1690, the collection of Christina, queen of .Sweden ; in 1740, the library of the Ottobuoni family. The Vat- ican Liljrarv is one of the most valuable in the world, though not very large as compared with many others. There are 2;;,5S() :\ISS. and 30,000 volumes.
Vatican Council, the nineteenth and last oecu- menical council of the Roman Catholic Church, assem- bled in the Vatican at Rome Dec. 8, 1869, and continued nearly a year. It was called by pope Pius IX, in the twenty-third j'car of his pontiticate, by an encyclical dated June 29, 1868. The attendance was larger tlian on any previous council. At the opening there were 719 prelates from all parts of the globe, including 49 cardinals, 9 patriarchs, 4 primates, 121 archbishop.s, 479 bishops, 57 abbots and generals of monastic orders. This number afterwards increased to 764; but after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war it dwindled down to less than 200. The whole number of prelates invited and entitled to a seat in the coimcil was 1037. Of those present a large majority were Italian, while the French and (Jerman were least in number, although strongest in learning and importance of the dioceses they represented. The deliberations of the council were conducted in strict secrecy, and the results sol- emidy proclaimed in four pidjlic sessions. The pro- ceedings were made public oidy through information obtained from members of the council by their friends.