The Seattle Post Intelligencer

CLOSING OF HOLY DOOR
OF ST. PETER'S.

Pope Performed the Ceremony With the Gorgeous Forms Usual to Such Functions.

ROME, Dec. 24.—The pope today performed the ceremony of closing the holy door of St. Peter's cathedral, with the gorgeous forms usual to great functions of this kind. It was a magnificent spectacle. There was a great gathering of the princes of the church, who participated in the ceremony, which was witnessed by enormous crowds.

The pope left his apartments at 11:45 a. m., borne in the sacred chair, and preceded by clergy with lighted candles, archbishops, bishops and cardinals, and escorted by the pontifical noble guards. On his arrival at the portal of St. Peter's he alighted and entered the church through the holy door. As he appeared on the threshold the solemn and silvery tones of the trumpet echoed through the edifice. The chapter of the Vatican met him and presented to him holy water, which he sprinkled upon the congregation. Applause being forbidden, a religious silence was observed, which heightened the grandeur and impressiveness of the moment.

Borne on the Sedia Gestatoria to the high altar, he stepped to the ground and knelt before the most precious relics of the Catholic church, which were displayed on the altar. Then the procession re-formed and proceeded to the chapel of the Sacrament, where the pontiff again knelt for some time, while the choir of the Sistine chapel chanted psalms.

The pope was then borne to the holy door, where he alighted from the Sedia Gestatoria and waited until the entire procession had passed out through the door, he leaving the church last and walking to the throne, where he seated himself. A number of sacred songs were sung by the papal choir, after which Leo rose and blessed all the material employed in closing the door.

Then he descended from the throne, knelt before the dome, and laid with the golden trowel a layer of cement, on which he placed three gilt bricks, bearing commemorative inscriptions. Beside the bricks he placed a casket containing gold, silver and bronze medals, and bearing the head of Leo and inscriptions recording the opening and closing of the holy door.

The pope having ascended the throne, Cardinal Bishop Serafino Vannutelli and four other cardinals performed a similar ceremony of laying cement and three bricks, after which the masons employed by the Vatican closed the doorway with a canvas screen painted to represent marble, with a cross in the center.

The candles borne by the clergy were extinguished, the Te Deum was sung, and the pontiff, having given solemn benediction, was immediately carried back to his apartments.

It is estimated that 50,000 persons were spectators of the ceremony.