HOLY FAMILY. 159 HOLY LEAGUE. that time was the adoring Virgin on her knees before the Infant ( Filippo Lippi ) . The scene of the Holy Family must be distinguished from the more elaborate scenes in which the Virgin and Child, similarly portrayed, are accompanied by several large figures, saints and fathers of the Church, which are not mere accessories of the sacred group; this is usually termed a Sacra (or iSaiita) Conversazione, and was a popular scene, especially with the I'mbrian, Venetian, and northern schools of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. HOLY GHOST, or Holy Spirit. In orthodox theology, the third person of the Trinity (q.v.), "proceeding from the Father and the Son," yet of one substance, majestj', and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God. That the Holy Spirit is God is attested by passages of Scripture a.scribing to Him the same names and attributes as to God (II. Cor. iii. 10, 17: II. Tim. iii. 10; II. Peter i. 21). He is distinct from the Father and the Son (Matt, xxviii. 19; II. Cor. xiii. 14; I. Peter i. 1-4), and this distinction is of a personal nature, similar to that between the Father and the Son, proved by many passages, such as John xv. 20: But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which pro- ceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of jMe." The "procession" (q.v.) of the Spirit is the sub- ject of one of the chief differences between the Eastern and the Western churches. The Holy Spirit is essentially a spirit of holiness, and His grand function is to apply to the hearts of men the benefits of Christ's death, to regenerate them, and then to sanctify them by the truth. HOLY GHOST, Order of the (Fr., I'Ordre di( Saint-Efipril } . The name of an order of knight- hood founded in 1.578 b_y Henry III., King of France, because on Pentecost, 1573. he had been elected King of Poland, and on Pentecost, 1574. had succeeded to the French throne. The grand master of the order was always to be the King of France. The insignia were a green cross with eight points, on the obverse of which was a dove turned downward, on the reverse the representa- tion of the archangel Michael; the chain, after Henry IV., bore the lilies of France ;ind the mono- gram 'H.' There were one hundred kniglits, without counting foreigners. The order was definitely dissolved on February 10, 1831, by Louis Philippe. HOLY GHOST FLOWER, or DovK Flower. See Holy Sriinr Plaxt. HOLY GRAIL. See Grail, Holy. HOLY GRASS (Uierochloc borealis). A grass about a foot high, with a brownish glossy lax panicle. It is found in the Xorth of Europe, and throughout North America. It has a sweet smell, like that of .'iweet vernal grass; and in Iceland, where it is plentiful, it is used for scent- ing apartments and clothes. In some countries it is strewn on the fioors of the places of worship on festival days, whence its name. Its stems are used by Xorth American Indians to weave into their baskets, mats, etc. It is of little value for forage, as stock seem to dislike it. This grass is knoTi liy many other names, as vanilla grass, seneca grass, sweet-scented grass, etc. HOLY GROTTO. The traditional scene of the . nunciatinn, at Nazareth. Over the grotto stands a monastery, occupying the site of the Santa Casa, the house in which Mary was born, and which was carried by a miracle to Loreto. The grotto is marble-lined and is lighted by nine silver lamjjs. It is 20 feet square and 10 feet deep. HOLYHEAD, hol'i-hwl. A seaport of Angle- sey, North Wales, situated on the little island of Holyhead, 24"/; miles west-northwest of Bangor (Map: England, B 3). It is the terminus of the London and Northwestern Riiihvay, and the port for the mail steamers to Dublin, 00 miles distant. It has 'a celebrated breakwater, 7800 feet long, which forms a harbor of refuge of 400 acres. It has three lighthouses. Coasting trade, ship-building, and rope-making are carried on. The town possesses assembly rooms and baths and a picturesque old embattled church. Inter- esting Koman and early English remains exist in the neighborhood. The United States is rep- resented by a consular agent. Population, in 1801, 8745; in 1901, 10.072. HOLYHEAD ISLAND. A small island of North Wales, west of the island of Anglesey^, forming part of the county of that name (Map: Wales, B 3 ) . Its area is about 6000 acres. Popu- lation, in 1891, 10,000; in 1901, 11,414. _' HOLY ISLAND, or Lindisfarxe. .-V small island belonging to Northumberland. England, in latitude 55° 40' N., longitude 1° 47' W., 10 miles southeast of Berwick-on-Tweed and 3 miles north of the Fame Islands (Map: England, El). It is about 4 miles long and 2 miles broad, and is connected with the mainland at low water by sands 3 miles in extent. On the south coast is the village of Holy Island, much resorted to by summer visitors. On the island are several ruins, the chief of which are the extensive and sombre-looking remains of the famous Abbey of Lindisfarne, originally a Saxon edifice, founded in 635 by .idan, the disciple of Saint Columba. There is also an ancient castle, now fortified. Holy Island fioiirished under Saint Cuthbert. who died here in 087. In 793 the abbey was de- stroyed by the Danes. Consult Wilson, Lindis- farne Churches (1870). Population 700. HOLY LANCE. The lance with which the Saviour's side was pierced, and according to one account, found at Jerusalem by Saint Helena, carried to Constantinople, and sent from there in 1492 to the Pope; now preserved in Saint Peter's. According to another account, it was lost until discovered by the Crusaders at .Vntioch, .June 14. 1098. This discovery encouraged them so that they won a great victory. In 1104 this l.ance was present<>d to the Byzantine Emperor. The holy lance plays a pnnninent part in the legends of the Holy Grail (q.v.). HOLY LAND. See Palesti.ne. HOLY LEAGUE. The name given to a num- ber of i>c)litical alliances in Europe. Of these the princip;il were the leagues formed ( 1 1 in 1511, by the Pope, Spain, and Venice against France; (2) in 1527, by the Pope, Francis I., and Henry VIII. against "the Em[)eror Charles V.: (3) in 1538. by Charles V. and the Catholic princes of Germany against the Schnialkaldic I^eague; (4) in 1571. by the Po]ie. Spain, and Venice against the Turks; (5) most important of all, the one formed in 1570 by the Guises, the Pope, Spain, and the Parlement nf Paris against the Huguenots. In 1009 a Holy League (known as the Catholic League) was organized
