Valerio Vicentino, — presented to the Church of San Lorenzo,
are seen at Florence. The old Cathedral of St. Paul, London,
contained offerings of costly gifts, in the form of reliquaries
studded with gems, and shrines covered with gold and precious
stones ; while Croyland Abbey became the repository of many
royal gifts, comprising a globe covered with gems of " dazzling
lustre," from the King of France, aud an altar-cloth embroidered with pearls, the offering of Pope Leo IV.
The Roman churches and monasteries were far surpassed in
costly endowments by those of the Greek Church, whose numerous chapels, convents, and other religious houses on Mount
Athos afford an example of the opulence of this sect in church
decorations. One of the monasteries on this mount claims
the honor of possessing the girdle of the Virgin ornamented
with diamonds and pearls ; another contains the veritable cross,
set with diamonds and emeralds of remarkable size ; a third
cherishes with great veneration this emblem of the Christian
faith, garnished with diamonds only ; while a fourth is endowed
with two magnificent crosses covered with gems.
The churches, monasteries, and other religious buildings of
the Russian Empire are all profusely decorated with precious
stones. The centre of every door in the Hall of St. Elizabeth,
in Moscow, says Bayard Taylor, is ornamented with a Maltese
cross of large diamonds ; and the Cathedral of the Archangel
Michael, in the same city, writes Mr. Hamlin, contains ancient
reliquaries enriched with a profusion of splendid gems, including a large number of magnificent emeralds and diamonds,
while the sacerdotal robes are loaded with jewels of the costliest nature. The patriarchal mitre is all ablaze with brilliant
diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and pearls, constituting
a diadem exceeding five pounds in weight. The convents are,
many of them, mines of precious stones, and depositories of
