stanza attests to his deep reflection and rich imagination; detail and general effect are equally studied, resulting in a perfect harmoni ous whole. In the Sistine Chapel, the (Last Judgment) is Michelangelo's chef crceuvre.
S. Giovanni in Lateran, on a lonely site near the south wall, was built by Constantine, but has since been rebuilt, altered and by Giotto and others under various popes, and the high church councils are held there. Other churches are S. Maria Maggiore, . in' whose construction antique bronzes, gold and marble from pagan temples were largely used, also beautiful mosaics of the bth century. S. Croce, erected by Saint Helena, the nave of which was borne by eight antique columns; Saint Clem ente, the most perfect specimen of old basilica, contains frescoes by Masaccio; the principal church of the Jesuits, with the facade and cupola by Giacomo della Porta, and whose interior is rich in marbles ,• S. Maria degli Angel, originally a part of Diocletian's Baths, transformed into a church by Michelangelo, an imposing church, contains an altar-piece by Muziano, and a fine fresco by Domenichino, and the tomb 'of Salvator Rosa; S. Maria in Ara Cali, remarkable for its architecture and very old; S. Maria' in Cosmedin at the north base of the Aventine, remarkable for its Aleit andrine pavement and its lofty and beautiful campanile of the 8th century; S. Maria supra Minerva, notable as the only Gothic church in Rome; S. Maria in Dominica or della Navicella on the Caelian, with 18 fine columns of granite and two of porphyry, and whose frieze. of the save was: painted in Camiean by Giulio Romano and Perino del Vago; S. Maria della Pace, in teresting for its paintings, particularly the four sybils, considered among the most perfect works of Raphael, and S. Maria del Popolo, notable for its sculptures and paintings by Ra phael, eeil rig frescoes by Pinturicchio, and mo saics from Raphael's cartoons by Aloisio della Pace), In S. Pietro in Vincoli is the celebrated • of Michelangelo, by some critics re garded his best work of sculpture.
The Catacombs are subterranean passages, ex tending many miles by winding passages under ground, used as sepultures and meeting places by the early Christians; niches in the walls of Lida were used to bury their dead. The pas -sages are narrow, except occasionally when they open. into wider spaces used for chapels of worship, and, often frescoed. The decoration is characteristic and significant, senting Christian hope and doctrine. Pictures ace frequently symbolic. A large collection of .sarcophagi, pictures and inscriptions from the are preserved in the Lateran Mu seum. The catacombs extend around the city in
a wide circle; the most important are the C,ata of Calixtus. on the Via Appia ; those of Domitilla, or Saints Nereus and Achillens; Saint Prmtextatus, Via Appia; Saint Pris cilla, beyond the Porta Salara; Saint Via Nomentana; Saint Sebastian, beneath the church of that name; Saint Alessandro; and the Jewish Catacombs and those of Mithras of the Via Appia. Among the finest sepulchral monuments, the chief were the Mausoloum of Augustus Campus Martins, and that of Hadrian on the west bank of the Tiber, now the fortress of modern Rome, known as the .Castle of San Angelo.
• Schools, Libraries, etc.—The state con .trols public instruction. There are four grades : ,Elementary; secondary, classical; secondary, technical and higher education. Elementary instruction is provided with religious tuition, if the parent request it; otherwise, without. Great Britain, America, Germany and Austria maintain schools of history, art and 'France's Academy of Art is in the Villa Medici. The University of Rome or Collegio della Sapienza is an ancient institution; canon law and civil law, medicine and philosophy and philology are included in its curriculum. It possesses extensive laboratories, botanical gar dens and an astronomical observatory. It is attended by nearly 1,000 students. The Collegio de Propaganda Fide is situated in the Piazza di Spagna; the Collegio Romano, adjacent to Saint Ignazio, is a lyceum, and now contains the Archeological Museum and the recently established library, Biblioteca Vittorio Eman uele. The Accademia de' San Luca, for the pro motion of the fine arts, is composed of painters, sculptors and architects, and was founded in 1595. Connected with it are a picture gallery and schools of fine arts. There are numerous other institutions connected with art, music, science or learning, one of which the Acca demia de' Lincei, founded in 1603 by Galileo and his contemporaries, is the earliest scientific society of Italy. The American College. founded about half a century ago, is a school for priests and is composed of students who desire a post-graduate course in divinity, phi losophy, rhetoric, metaphysics, etc. The students enjoy enecial privileges in the' Vatican Librasy and museums and at all great church functions. There is also an 'American school of .claSsical studies, under the auspices of the hutting° of Archaeology, whose work consists. of ardour irigical. research and study, and whose •nvest'. gations often lead the students as far as Greece or Egypt, accompanied by the faculty. The Irish College is the oldest in Rome.