The old St. Augustine inhabitants are very regular in their attendance
at the cathedral exercises, which, during the Holy Days, appear to be
their sole employment. The first sound that greets us in the morning is
bells for mass. How those harsh tones, jingling like fire-bells run mad,
break in upon our soft repose! The alarming speed with which they are
rung attracts no attention, this being all the excitement we have in the
way of a noise. The earliest sunbeams shine upon groups of worshipers
going to offer oblations, while the shades of twilight deepen before
vespers are over, and the throng of satisfied penitents move to the
quietude of their homes. The most devoted are said "to live in the
church." Surely their lives must pass peacefully, "Mid counted beads and
countless prayers."
The cathedral is an object of interest on account of its ancient
architecture more than age, having been commenced in 1793. The church in
use previous to its erection was located on the west side of St. George
Street. The engineers and officers belonging to the Government--Don
Mariana and Don P. Berrio--directed the work, it being completed at a
cost of over sixteen thousand dollars. During the many improvements
made in the city, the main part of the cathedral has remained the same
for nearly the past century, while time has touched it lightly--thus
forming a link with the present in a useful state of preservation. The
walls are built of coquina of no modern thickness, but as if designed to
resist a siege. Its Moorish belfry with four bells, and the town-clock,
form a complete cross. One of these bells was taken from Tolemato
Chapel, it having been originally brought from Rome, as the lettering
indicates. It bears the following date and inscription: "_Sancte Joseph,
Ora pro nobis, 1682_." The cathedral also contains a crucifix, which is
brought into requisition once every year on Good Friday, it being a
relic from "_Nuestro Cano de la Leche_," which is all that remains. The
front doors of the cathedral are now kept locked, as it has been a
resort for so many inconsiderate persons, who went there smoking and
talking in loud, irreverent tones, as though it was a theater, where
some kind of daylight drama was being enacted, instead of a house
devoted to worship, and entered with purity of feeling, if not according
to prescribed rules, which the faith of everybody induces them to adopt.
To the minds of these Church-devotees all other pageant fades into
insignificance before the festivities and solemnities of the Holy Days
connected with their Church-services, and the veneration due to their
patron saints. Whatever vicissitudes or changes may take place with them
in other respects, their religion remains the same; it is, indeed, a
part of their being, without which their lives would be considered
incomplete, their existence blank as the brutes, which die that others
may live. Some of the worshipers rush to the cathedral with the rapidity
of an opera-goer, who is afraid the seats will all be taken before he
arrives, but enter with the same degree of veneration as the pilgrims
who visit and kiss the statue of St. Peter--still clinging to their
catechism and creeds firmly, as a part of their life, while their
well-learned prayers are repeated as a talisman against temptation and
violent death. These old cathedral walls have witnessed stately
ceremonials, heard the prayers and confessions of many penitents, whose
troubled consciences and sin-burdened hearts could find no relief except
at the confessional.
The bishop is regarded by the Catholics as the Vicegerent of Heaven. He
lives in the greatest seclusion and simplicity--never appearing in
public except amid the glitter and grandeur of a ceremonial, but always
accessible to those wishing the administration of Church-rites.
Many outsiders regard the adoration rendered to the priesthood as homage
to man. This conclusion is incorrect--"all this effort at splendor and
magnificence being wholly and purely a tribute of man to honor the
religion which God in his love and mercy has given, and no part of it
designed for man's honor." As evidence of this, none of the priesthood
ever approach the tabernacle, or other holy symbols, except with marked
demonstrations of the most profound reverence and uncovered head--thus
rendering the same veneration to Christ which he requires from the
people.
With an utter disregard for the fitness of things, on exhibition in this
cathedral are two frescoes--one representing the "Death of the Wicked,"
the other the "Death of the Good." The good man appears perfectly
composed, as though he were about to survey one of his Father's
mansions, well prepared for the coming change, only waiting for the
gates of glory to be opened for his entrance, when the words of welcome
would resound through the peaceful abodes of the just made perfect,
"Enter into the joy of thy Lord." "The Death of the Wicked!" Where the
idea of so much that is horrible could have been conceived is difficult
to be accurately determined. It has been conceded by all that there is
nothing like it in Rome or the Vatican. Dante, with his vision of
demoniac spirits, is not a rival. How these devils grin! How they stare
at the distorted features of the poor, dying man, who anticipates soon
taking a leap into the dark abode of these exultant beings, who are
delighted at the prospect of having one more victim to slake their
sleepless thirst, or on which to experiment with some newly-suggested
torture!
Travelers, in coming here, must not imagine they can regulate the
standard of religion in all climates by their own.
The old, time-honored custom, in Catholic countries, of spending a
portion of Christmas Eve in prayer and praise to God for the unspeakable
gift of his Son Jesus Christ, is still observed here with all the
accompanying ceremonies of ancient times pertaining to the Holy Order of
St. Augustine, transmitted, through the priesthood, to the present
generation.
The high windows, which are nearer the roof than any other part of the
building, will never draw wandering thoughts from their devotions, as
their altitude would preclude any but angel eyes from looking through
them. The modernized, cushioned, upholstered seats, upon which
registered Church-members, with gilt-edged hymn-books in their hands,
expect to slide from into the portals of glory, are not found here, but
the genuine, old-time wooden benches, with a thick plank to sit on, and
another to support the shoulders. No velvet foot-stool to kneel upon,
but the bare floor for penitents to bend in their devotions, and the
sin-stricken to derive comfort and seek forgiveness for their misdeeds.
Outside the chancel, on the right of the altar, in a niche, is a statue
of the Madonna, life size, with the God-child standing beside her, both
looking very benignly. Beneath the niche is a representation of the
lamb, of which our Saviour is the antitype. On an altar below this was a
miniature stable, with an inside exposure, containing figures of the
infant Jesus in a manger with Mary and Joseph, the whole surrounded by
oxen, beasts of burden, and other things connected with the humble
furnishings of a stable, while bending in front of all were the wise men
worshiping.
In rear and above the grand "high altar" stands the figure of St.
Augustine, dressed in all the insignia of rank belonging to his holy
order, decked in azure, with gilt trimmings, above which is inscribed,
"_Sancte Augustine. Ora Pro Nobis!_" On each side of this are two other
saints with the same petition over them. The altars were all dressed in
an appropriate manner, with evergreens and flowers that never fade. The
choir made a fine exhibit of their musical skill, singing "_Miserere
Nobis_," "_Gloria in Excelsis_," very finely, with the organ
accompaniment. On this Christmas the cathedral was filled with a
remarkably quiet, well-deported audience, composed of citizens and
strangers. The services were conducted by Bishop Verot, who has
ministered to them in holy things for nearly twenty years. At this time
he was dressed with more than usual display, it being the crowning day
of all holy days--Christmas. His sacerdotal robes were of costly
materials, over which was worn the chasuble, elaborately embroidered
with designs of the finest needle-work, wrought in gold, and
interspersed with numerous precious stones, while upon his head rested a
miter of corresponding elegance; in his hand he held a crozier of costly
and curious pattern. He was assisted in the service connected with the
ceremonies by two other priests, also twelve acolytes. Bishop Verot made
some very appropriate remarks upon charity and the Redeemer's birth. He
said that no earthly king had ever made his appearance in so humble a
manner, and he was greater than all kings or princes in the world.
Softly fell the rays of light from six tall wax candles, supported by
metal of ancient date, surrounded by many lesser ones that lent their
luster to reflect the solemnity of the scene. Heavenly thoughts should
visit us when associated with so many holy emblems. Amid the stillness
of midnight, surrounded by the symbols of this most fascinating
religion, before the grand altar kneeled twelve nuns, draped and veiled
with the sable-hued garments, indicating their abandonment of all
worldly display. Before the tabernacle stood Bishop Verot, with a
massive golden chalice in his hand, while slowly and distinctly from his
lips were echoed the solemn words of the Lord Jesus, "_Hoc est enim
corpus meum_," as each communicant received the blessed wafer.
A visit to Tolemato Cemetery, situated at the north end of Tolemato
Street, is in reality going to a "garden of graves," on account of the
large number of interments which have been made there. It was the
Sabbath when we went, and, contrary to the usual custom in most towns
and cities, there were no loafers prowling about the grounds, or sitting
on the tablets reading novels, thus committing an act which in itself
partakes so much of daring desecration. The custodian of the gate was a
lizard, that lives in the lock, and crawls with astonishing rapidity to
his hiding-place on application of the key. When the gates are open we
enter "God's acre," where rest the remains of those who have lived and
died for the past three centuries--priests and people, all sleeping side
by side, awaiting that summons of which Gabriel will be the herald.
Since the settlement of St. Augustine this cemetery has been the scene
of a tragic event, which occurred in 1567, when Father Corpa,
influenced by a desire to rescue the souls of the savages from the lurid
flames which he imagined would hover around the delinquents in
purgatory, rebuked them for their hostile and polygamic customs. His
pearls were cast before swine, as the untamed red men had no prescribed
rules from the Great Spirit in regard to their conduct. They could not
adopt this new _régime_, and the propagator must be silenced. A council
was called--the Sanhedrim of the savage--when a yell of triumph which
penetrated the portals of prayer rang out upon the stillness of
midnight. It was then the edict went forth, irrevocable and sanguinary
as the laws of Draco, Father Corpa must die; and who should strike the
fatal blow? Whose unflinching arm can rid us of this our
peace-destroyer? The athlete of his tribe replied, "It is I!" Stealthily
and silently they stole into Tolemato Chapel, where, kneeling before the
altar, with a lone taper, whose feeble rays served as a guide, was
Father Corpa. A single flash from the warrior's steel gleamed through
the darkness; a single stroke sufficed.
Tolemato Cemetery now marks the spot where this act was perpetrated,
baptized with the blood of its first missionary. The remains of this
chapel have long since disappeared, except the bell, which hangs in St.
Augustine cathedral.
Another chapel stands within the cemetery now, erected to the memory of
Father Varela by his beloved pupils in Cuba. The architecture is
Corinthian, while above the doorway is the following inscription:
"_Beati mortui qui in Domino morientur_." This vault, when opened, is
in reality a dark, chilly, awe-inspiring place, where service is held on
"All Souls' Day," when Catholic devotees are assembled to repeat prayers
for the repose of the souls whose bodies lie buried here. The following
Spanish register is made upon the marble tablet which covers his
remains: "ESTA CAPILLA, FUE, EREGIDA, POR, LOS, CUBANOS, EL ANO 1853,
PARA, CONSERVAR, LAS CENIZAS DEL PADRE VARELA." Hanging over the
emblematical representations standing upon the mahogany altar is a copy
from Raphael's sublime painting, "The Ascension." The ravages of time
have destroyed all the inscriptions upon the tombs which were placed
here previous to 1821. One of the tablets being moved back from the top
of the vault, a portion of the coffin was exposed. We concluded it might
be the perpetuation of a time-honored superstition, which favored the
idea that the soul visited the body, and watched over it after death.
"_Vida Robles_"--a life of troubles--was inscribed on another tablet.
From this epitaph a stranger would naturally suppose life had very few
charms for the body deposited beneath it, and death a welcome messenger,
that gave the care-worn frame a blessed rest.
A few years since, some workmen being employed to dig among the ruins
where Tolemato Chapel once stood, discovered a medal, or medallion, in
_basso-rilievo_, bearing the inscription, "_Roma_." This sacred relic is
supposed to have been attached to the rosary worn by the priest at the
time when he was victimized before the altar. On one side of this medal
is a kneeling figure, with an infant in his arms, around which is
engraved, "SANCTUS JOANNES DE DEO"--St. John of God. C--who was born in
1495, a founder of the Order of Charity, and father of the eminent
saints that flourished in Spain during the sixteenth century. His motto
was, "Lord, thy thorns are my roses, and thy sufferings my paradise." On
the opposite side is engraved "S. CHRISTOFORUS"--St. Christopher--represented
bearing the Christ-child. This ancient relic comes to us blessed by the
Pope, and in a remarkable state of preservation.
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