A SACRED SPOT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IX, Issue 446, 28 October 1881, Page 13

A SACRED SPOT.

A^Cobbespondent thus writes to the editor of the London Times : . Referring to your notice in last Monday's review of the Royal Academy Exhibition of Mr. Carl Haag's water-color drawing, "The Holy Rock, Jerusalem," I think it might interest some of your readers to hear the history of its execution and certain particulars connected with the spot depicted. Since the Holy Rock, which occupies the centre of the area of what is popularly known as the Mosque of Omar, is, after the Kaaba at Mecca, the most venerated spot connected with the Mohammedan religon, the difficulty of obtaining a drawing of it is proportionally great. The interior of the Mosque has, I believe, never been painted before. Mr. Carl Haag could not obtain entrance into it only by a special firman of the Sultan, granted him at the request of Her Majesty the Queen, and though constantly attended by guards, ran imminent risk of losing his life. Never before has any artist dared to plant his easel on the sacred spot. The painting was begun and completed in the Mosque. The measurements given below were kindly furnished by Mr. Haag, and were taken by himself with great care. According to immemorial tradition, the Holy Rock is the threshing floor, oh Mt. Moriah of Araunah, or Omar, the Jebusite chief, which David bought of him for a place of sacrifice, and where Solomon afterwards erected the temple. There is much in support of this tradition. The Rock is the highest part of the temple platform, throughout Syria rock plateaus of high elevation are at the present day selected for threshing floors ; and the higher and more exposed the site, the more valuable it is for the purpose, as the wind needful for driving off the chaff can play upon it from a greater number of quarters.

The lofty situation of the Sakhrah, or Holy Rock, would have made it a most valuable threshing floor. Immediately beneath it is a natural cave, a fact which also lends support to the correctness of the tradition, since underneath the majority of the threshing floors of Palestine are similar caves, which abound in the lime-tone hills • .f the countryand afford to the labourers an invaluable retreat during the burning mid-day hours. In configuration, the Kock, as it juts up above the marble pavement of the Mosque, is very irregular From north to south it measures 56 feet and from east to west 35 feet. The highest point is 6£ feet above the floor On the top of rock, which can only "be seen by climbing upon the railing surrounding it, is a rough basin-shaped hollowing, and also a hole about three feet in diameter. This comnnicates perpendicularly with the oave beneath. Descending into the cave from the southeast corner of the Mosque, by a flight of fifteen step-*, we find a chamber 23| feet from north to south and 23$ feet from east to west At the end and on the two sides of the cave low stone walls have been built of height varying irregularly with the slope of the rock which forms the roof. Two lamps, suspended beneath the hole already mentioned, light the cave. On the tessellated pavement of the floor, and directly beneath the hole in the roof is a riadiating star in various colored marbles. On tapping this, t'e central part, consisting of aslabof white marble, not quite perp ndicularly beneath the centre of the orifice above is found to be hollow. The slab concealed the Bir-el-Arruah, or "Weil of Spirits, " a passage said to ltad out eventually into the valley of the Kidron. A hypothesis not unreasonable is that the hole on the top of the Holy Rock was made to conduct the blood of the sacrificial victims slain upon it in Jewish times down into the cavern, thence into the Bir-el-Arruah, and eventually into the Kildron near Siloam. If the Sakhiah is really the spot where the Jewish saedfices were offered, the Holy Place of the Temple must have stood immediately to the west of it, facing that side of the stone which is to the right and in shadow to Mr. Haag's painting. The promise made by Jehovah to Solomon, " Mine ear shall be attent unto the prayer that is made in this place," gives the rock its present sanctity for the Mohammedans. They guard it from the approach of any but Moslem, lest supplication for evil on themselves or on their religion should be made in such a place. The profound I interest of the rock, if the tradition coucering it is correct, hardly needs to be dwelt on. Mr. Haag's view is taken from the noithwest pier of the four supporting the noble dome, which rises to a height of 100 feet, roughly estimated, and has a diameter of 66 feet. On the left in the picture can be seen the double corridor (the inner corridor 23 £ feet wide, the outer 13£ feet) which surrounds the building, and is lighted by stained-glass windows. To thejright and somewhat in the background, ia seen the small, tall baldachin which stands over the southwest corner of the rock. For Mohammedans this is the point of greatest interest. At this point alone are they allowed to touch the holy stone. Thrusting their hands through a small circular opening on the west side of this structure, they can feel, but not see an indentation in the rock. That mark the faithful believe to have been made by the foot already in the stirrup of the white celestial steed sent to bear him hence, he for the last time pressed upon the soil Of this dim ipot Which men call e»rtb. This jealousy-guarded, mysterious Holy Bock, with it» proud traditions, extending so far back into the past, is, alike for the Mo* hammedan, Jewish and Christian world, one of the most profoundly interesting spots in Jerusalem.

Brother Fatianus, director of the Edinburgh houses of the teaching fraternity of Marist Brothers, has, we understand, been appointed Provincial of the Order of Britain, in room of the late Brother Alphonsus. Like his predecessor, the new Provincial is a native of Ireland. He will shortly take up bis residence at the Pro* vincial House, Dumfries.