SOME FACTS ABOUT TREVES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXV, Issue 243, 13 October 1891, Page 4

SOME FACTS ABOUT TREVES.

Once more, the attention of the world 18 direoted to Troves, ft German town of great interest to travellers in general, on aooount of its ancient ruins, but of more to the 11 faithful, " because its cathedral contains a treasured relic— the "holy coat of Treves, — believed by the devout to be the seamless garment worn by our Saviour at the cruoifixion, and said to have been presented to the town by the Empress Helena, the central figure in Treveran Christian legend. This relio was exhibited in 1844, and is reoorded to have attraoted a million and a half of pilgrims, It appears to be again on view. Already some 600,000 pilgrims have visited Treves, and propheoy whispers that the number will yet reaoh to 4,000,000. "We know not whether the devout ones who find their way to this modern Mecca will make a point ol oombin iog pleasure with pilgrimage, but those who are inolinad to do so will have ample opportunity, Tieves is a very pleasant place.to visit. The eeafc of a Roman Oatholio bishop, apd chief town of a governmental district in tha Prussian provinoe of the Rhine, it is situated on the River Moselle.^ bsautifully surrounded by low vine olad hills, and lies some 60 miles Bouth-westof Coblentz, and 86 south of Cologne, The town itself 10 very picturesque, in its irregular streets and quaint architecture, and in the orchards and gardens whioh now occupy much of the space enolosed within its walls. The popu» lation is about 26.000, four-sixths of whom are Roman Catholics, and the people are chiefly engaged in fruit-growing and vinedressing, though dyeing and tanning and other industries are practised on a Bmall scale . The town has one speciality however, namely, the preparation of stone for Gothic churches, which are prepared ready to be at once placed in position. Troves claims to be the oldest town in Germany, and contains more important Roman remains than any other place in Northern Europe. AmoDg thtssis a huge fortified gateway, lloft.long, 70ft to 90ft high, and 30ft deep, said to have been ereoted in the first century of the Christian era. During the Middle Ages the structure was converted into two churches, one above the other, but almost all the additions have now been removed. A very in« teresting sight lie 3 just outside the town, namely, the remains of an amphitheatre that would hold 30,000 spectators, where, at the command of Constantino several thousands of Franks and Bructeri were butchered for the pablio amusement* The amphitheatre was soooped out of the hill of the Maraberg, where the solidity of the rook has preserved entire the form of the arena, but n ) buiidiogß remain except two vaulthke passages, decorated in front with rows of Tnsoan columns, and presenting the massive simplicity of Roman structure. Amone the oldest of Roman remains in Troves are some of the piets of the bridge over the Moselle, dating from 28 bo. There are also numerous Roman antiquities in the neighbourhood of the town. A mediaeval legend preserved in. an inscription on an inn placos the foundation of Tieves 1,300 years before that of Rome, and asdribes it to Thebetas, son of Ninus, King of Assyria, The Roman element, however, is supposed to have been iotroduoed by the Emperor Claudius, after whioh the town bsoame so wealthy and important that the poet Außoniue, in the fourth century, desoribed it as the second metropolis of the empire, or "Rome beyond the Alps.' It beoame the capital of BeJgioa Prima, and the favourite residence of Constantino and other Roman emperors, Most of the palace a and public buildings of whioh the remains are Btill extant were* built at, this period, But its 1 Roman magnificence passed away, its importance waned, and in 451 Tzeves was laid in ruins by Attila, and a few years later was permanently taken possession of by -the franks, It, however, attained a second era of prosperity and importance, as an ecolesiastioal capita), and in the Middle Ages swarmed with religious orders of all kinds and grades. Art and science were fostered in its monastio schools, and a university founded in 1473 flourished for oyer 300 years. The importance of Tieves departed with the overthrow of the eaolesiaßtioal principality, In 1786 the last elector removed to Ooblenlz. From 1794 to 1814 Ti fives waa capital of the Frenoh department of the Barre, and since the latter date has belonged to Prussia.