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fubject of this famous monument of antiquity,

which he borrowed from a friend of his. But we returned it soon after; for, either through want of capacity, or of tafte, we were tired to death of it, without being at all informed.

the St.

The chapel of the Saint Suaire is curious, from Chapel of its fingular conftruction; it is quite round. Thirty Suaire. pillars of black marble, highly polished; their capitals and bafes, of gilt bronze, fupport fix great arches, which ferve as windows; these have niches between them, ornamented with pillars of the like marble. The cupola, which terminates the whole, has a very furprifing effect; being formed by a great number of hexagonal figures. in black marble, so contrived as to admit the light: they are placed, one over the other, in fuch manner as to produce many triangular lights (if I may be allowed the expreffion, for it is really very difficult to defcribe). Through these openings appears, at the top of all, a crown of marble in the form of a ftar, which feems fufpended in air, and supported by part of its rays. The fides of the chapel are all incrufted with the fame fort of marble. The pavement is grey, with feveral ftars of bronze inferted into it. In the middle rifes a lofty altar; upon which is placed, in a very high glass-cafe, a cafket of filver wrought, and minutely ornamented with gold and precious ftones, in which is inclosed, as they pretend, the Sainte Suaire, or winding-fheet in which the body of our Saviour was wrapped up by Jofeph of Arimathea.

VOL. I.

H

mathea. This precious relic is very rarely exhibited to the people. Above the casket a group of Angels fuftain a beautiful crofs of rock-cryftal, fhooting out gilt rays. At the four corners of the altar hang very large filver lamps; as do alfo feveral others between the columns. These are always kept burning. The fort of uncertain day that reigns here, is calculated to imprefs the mind with holy horror. The reflexion of the flames of the lamps on the high polished black marble, contrafted with the doubtful light admitted from the cupola, where nothing meets the eye but black and gold, ftrikes the mind of the spectator with a fort of momentary enthusiasm, that weak perfons might mistake for devotion. This chapel is built on to the cathedral; the entrance of which is through a great arch, supported by very large Corinthian pillars, fluted. Here the King often goes to hear mass; and they reckon this chapel particularly well conftructed for mufic.

St. Philip St. Philippe de Neri is esteemed one of the most de Neri. beautiful churches in Turin. It contains a fine picture of Solimene, representing the faint in extafy before the Virgin, furrounded with angels; but the colouring is too grey, and the light too partial: I mentioned to you before the faults of this mafter. This church is ornamented with feveral pillars of marble, enriched for the most part in a bad taste, with garlands of flowers and foliage of gilt bronze wreathed round the fhafts. The altar is in a fine style of architecture, and has a no

ble

ble effect, when feen from its proper point of view.

tions and

The Cabinet of Infcriptions and Antiques, Cabinet which we hear contains many curiofities, I fear I ofinfcrip fhall not have it in my power to give you any ac- antiques. count of; for Monfieur Bartoli, who has the care of this collection, is not now at Turin, nor expected to return hither before our departure. I am very forry for it; but there is no remedy. The cielings of the palace of Carignan are faid to be very finely painted; but as the princess of Carignan is lying-in, there is no poffibility of be ing admitted to fee them. I am furprised that neither Cochin nor Lalande make mention of these cielings.

St. Chri

ftine.

The Church of St. Chriftine is in the Place Church of St. Carlo, which is a very fine fquare, well built, with porticoes all round. The fronts of the houses are uniform, and richly decorated. This church is a great ornament to the fquare; the front is of hewn ftone, ornamented with pillars and ftatues. The infide is remarkable for two ftatues; one of St. Therefe, the other of St. Chriftine. They are the work of a Frenchman, one Le Gros. That of St. Therefe is the beft; but her extafy borders on distraction; and the tearing open her bofom to fhew her heart to God, is a ftrange extravagant idea of Monfieur Le Gros, which I do not think has fucceeded. These ftatues being the efforts of a Frenchman, Lalande does not fail to expatiate on their merits, and thofe of the sculptor. A church

H 2

Church

of St.

Charles

A church dedicated to St. Charles Baromée, is famous for containing a miraculous virgin. Her Baromée, chapel is almoft covered with votive pictures, fetting forth all the miracles this image has performed whilft at Turin; as wretchedly done as the fubjects are falfe. There are here fome good marble ornaments.

Church of
St. The-

refe.

In the church of St. Therese, the great altar is very high, and ornamented by two rows of twifted pillars, with ftatues of marble; the latter but indifferent. Here is a picture, remarkable for its fingularity of compofition. The infant Jefus, in the attitude of a Cupid, is drawing a bow to pierce with an arrow the heart of Saint Therefa, who faints away, and is received into the arms of feveral angels, who are very conveniently found ready to receive her. The Virgin and St. Joseph are admiring and obferving upon the addrefs of the little Jefus, who expreffes an archness in his countenance, extremely ill-fuited to fo fad and facred a fubject. A copy of this picture would be perhaps a welcome prefent to the Moravian chapel at B. In this church is a pretty chapel, built by order of the late Queen Christine Joanne de Hesse Reinsfeld. Six marble pillars fuftain a gilt cupola, ornamented with glaffes, which are difpofed in fuch a manner as make you fancy the fun always fhines into the chapel. In the middle is a statue of St. Jofeph, holding the infant Jefus; he appears in a kind of glory, borne upon clouds by angels. The whole is executed in white alabaster, and is

ingeniously

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ingeniously enough conftructed; the supports of the figures not appearing fo as to hurt the eye *.

The Arsenal appears more like a palace than a Arfenal, place for arms. There are only two fides of the fquare as yet completed. The proportions of the architecture please the eye at first fight. This building will bear the ftricteft examination. A noble fimplicity, the fource of true elegance, reigns throughout. There is no inconfiftency to be found here, but a propriety and juftness in every part adapted to the ufe for which it is affigned. Here are two great rooms, the roofs vaulted, and bomb-proof, fupported by ftrong brick pillars; each of these rooms are about ico yards long by 30 wide. Round each pillar are frames. of wood, in which the arms are placed; mufkets, with their bayonets, placed in fuch a manner as to resemble an organ, was it made in a circular form. There are about an hundred mufkets round each pillar; they are quite covered with red flannel bound with yellow; fo that they appear like tents. All these covers are to rife at the fame moment,

* I believe I have not mentioned the dome in the church of the Carmes, rendered famous by being the depofitory of a mi raculous picture of the Virgin. This dome is painted by the fame man who has decorated the theatre for the grand opera. He has represented a round dance of Cupids, capering and jumping about the Virgin, who is ftanding in the middle dandling the little Jefus in her arms. The painter was fo penetrated with ideas of the opera, that he could not avoid transferring a ballet of Cupids into the folemn reprefentation of the celestial Paradise.

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