Chapter 28 Summary

The Capuchin Convent is the place that finally sparks some interest from Mark Twain and his friends. In a vault beneath a small church, they find rooms decorated with the bones of deceased monks. The bones date back thousands of years, some with romantic stories attached. Twain has seen more than enough paintings and more than enough statues to hold him over this lifetime. Rome has decorated herself with them. He makes a comment that, in Rome, there seems to be a hierarchy of deity worship, based on the art throughout the city. At the top of the rank is the Virgin Mary. Next is the Deity. Peter falls next in rank, followed by a dozen or so popes and martyrs. Jesus Christ — only as an infant — comes last in rank, according to Twain's observation. The churches are named for Peter...