Page:Three Years in Europe.djvu/376

332 The extreme length of the St. Peter's church within the walls is 607 feet and its width 445 feet, and the height from the pavement to the cross is 458 feet. Outside the church is the obelisk of the Vatican, one of the most remarkable monuments of antiquity. It is said to be one of the two obelisks mentioned by Herodotus as having been erected by Phero, the son of Sesostris, on his recovery from blindness. From Egypt it was transferred by the Emperor Caligula to Rome,—a vessel having been specially built for conveying it. The length of this obelisk including the apex is 77 feet, and it is said to be the largest wrought stone in Europe.

Close to St. Peter's church is the Vatican, the palace of the Popes who had a real kingdom until 1871 when it was annexed and united with the kingdom of Italy. There are some very fine pictures in this palace which visitors are allowed to see. The most celebrated is the Last Judgment of Michael Angelo, covering an entire wall of the Sistine chapel. On the ceiling are other pictures of Michael Angelo on sacred subjects. In a gallery above are some remarkable paintings, among which the Transfiguration of Raphael and St. Jerome by Domenichino are considered the best.

Adjoining to the palace is the magnificent museum of Vitican [sic] containing the finest collection of ancient sculptures in the world. One might spend years in studying the immortal works of Phidias, Praxiletes and a host of other sculptors of ancient times,—men who worked in the very