Leon, Burgos and Salamanca: a historical and descriptive account

by Albert Frederick Calvert

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[Contents.] [List of Illustrations] (In certain versions of this etext [in certain browsers] clicking on the image will bring up a larger version.) (etext transcriber's note)

THE SPANISH SERIES

LEON, BURGOS
AND
SALAMANCA

THE SPANISH SERIES

EDITED BY ALBERT F. CALVERT

Goya
Toledo
Madrid
Seville
Murillo
Cordova
El Greco
Velazquez
The Prado
The Escorial
Royal Palaces of Spain
Granada and The Alhambra
Spanish Arms and Armour
Leon, Burgos, and Salamanca
Catalonia, Valencia, & Murcia
Valladolid, Oviedo, Segovia
Zamora, Avila, and Zaragoza

LEON, BURGOS
AND SALAMANCA

A HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE
ACCOUNT. BY ALBERT F. CAL-
VERT, WITH 462 ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD
NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY MCMVIII
Edinburgh: T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty
To
THE MARQUIS OF VIANA
The History of whose House
Is indissolubly connected
With the Grandest Traditions
of Spain
This Volume is Dedicated
With a Sincere Expression
Of the Author’s Esteem

PREFACE

In the plan of this book, as in the other volumes of the Series, the text has been made subordinate to and explanatory of the illustrations, which, I venture to hope, will be found to form a complete and useful panorama of the monumental glories of these grand old cities. I have not proposed to write a guide-book for the tourist, but rather to supply him with a souvenir, and to provide a manual for those interested in architecture and archæology. I have avoided technology as much as possible, as my appeal is not to the professional student, but to the amateur (in the true sense) of the arts. In order to supplement my own knowledge and revise the impressions derived from personal observation in the three towns, I have availed myself freely of the works of others who have laboured in the same field, and have been at much pains to consult all the writings I could find upon the subject. The lengthy list of authorities I have consulted need not be recited here, as they are duly acknowledged in the text.

As in the case of all the cities dealt with in this Series, I have prepared a brief historical sketch of Leon, Burgos, and Salamanca. Their early history is largely of a speculative and debatable character, and much of it has been learnedly discounted by modern writers. Let me explain at once, that while recounting incidents which may be suspected of merely traditional origin, I neither accept nor reject the criticism of these recent historians, and if I do not quote their conclusions, it is because they are often too conflicting to be embodied in so slight a work. I would also add, that a quotation is not to be taken as a blind acceptance of the accuracy of the dicta or as a recognition of the writer as an absolute authority.

In conclusion, I may explain that I have dealt more briefly with the architecture of these Gothic cities than with the Moorish monuments of Seville, Cordova, and Granada, my reason being that the general reader is more familiar with Gothic and Renaissance styles than with the rarer work of the Arabs.

To Mr. E. B. d’Auvergne I offer my grateful acknowledgment of the assistance he has rendered me in the compilation of the text, and my thanks are also due to Señor J. Lacoste and Messrs. Hauser y Menet for their permission to reproduce many of the photographs which appear in this volume.

A. F. C.

CONTENTS

CHAP.		PAGE
[I.]	[LEON]	[1]
[II.]	[BURGOS]	[33]
[III.]	[SALAMANCA]	[96]

ILLUSTRATIONS

LEON
SUBJECT	PLATE
[General View of Leon,]	[1]
[View from the Cemetery,]	[2]
[Cathedral: View from the North,]	[3]
[Cathedral: General View,]	[4]
[Leon Cathedral,]	[5]
[Cathedral: Door of the Cross-Aisle (restored),]	[6]
[Leon Cathedral,]	[7]
[Lateral Façade of the Cathedral,]	[8]
[Longitudinal Section of the Cathedral,]	[9]
[Cathedral: Stained Glass Window of the Thirteenth Century,]	[10]
[Cathedral: Stained Glass Window of the Fourteenth Century,]	[11]
[Plan of the Cathedral,]	[12]
[Cathedral: Central Gate of the Principal Porch,]	[13]
[Cathedral: Right Gate of the Principal Porch,]	[14]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Lower Part of the Principal Portico,]	[15]
[Cathedral: Arch of the Central Portico,]	[16]
[Cathedral: Arch of the Right Door,]	[17]
[Cathedral: Left Gate of Principal Porch,]	[18]
[Cathedral: Gate of the Coro,]	[19]
[Cathedral: Door of the Chapel of St. Andrew,]	[20]
[Cathedral: Painted Walls,]	[21]
[Cathedral: Statue of Our Lady La Blanca in the Principal Porch,]	[22]
[Cathedral: A Sepulchre,]	[23]
[Cathedral: Sepulchre of Don Ordoño II.,]	[24]
[Cathedral: Sepulchre of Martin, First Bishop of Leon,]	[25]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Door of the Chapel of St. Andrew,]	[26]
[Cathedral: The Cloisters. Our Lady Del Foro and the Offerings of the Kings,]	[27]
[Cathedral: Spandril of Central Gate. The Last Judgment,]	[28]
[Cathedral: Spandril of Central Gate. The Last Judgment,]	[29]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Right Gate,]	[30]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Gate of the Chapel of St. Andrés,]	[31]
[Cathedral: Various Statues from the Cross Aisle,]	[32]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Right-hand Portico,]	[33]
[Cathedral: The Back of the Choir,]	[34]
[Cathedral: The Choir Stalls,]	[35]
[Cathedral: The Choir Stalls,]	[36]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Choir,]	[37]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. The Guardian Angel of Paradise, and the Archangel St. Michael,]	[38]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. Noah, Adam and Eve,]	[39]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. The Archangel Gabriel and Abraham,]	[40]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. Isaac and Jacob,]	[41]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. Esau,]	[42]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. Samson,]	[43]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. St. Mathias and St. Mark,]	[44]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. St. Luke and St. Bartholomew,]	[45]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. St. Andrew and St. Peter,]	[46]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. Santiago Alfeo and St. Philip,]	[47]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. St. John the Evangelist and Santiago,]	[48]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. Saint Mary Magdalene and Santo Domingo,]	[49]
[Cathedral: In the Choir. St. Nicodemus and Valour,]	[50]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. St. Martha and St. Lucy,]	[51]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. St. Francis and St. Catherine,]	[52]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. St. Froylan and St. Nicholas,]	[53]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. San Vitorino and San Martin,]	[54]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. Santa Cristina and Santa Elena,]	[55]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. San Gregorio and San Geronimo,]	[56]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. San Silvestre and San Lupercio,]	[57]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. San Lorenzo and San Vicente,]	[58]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. San Celedonio and San Esteban,]	[59]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls. A Saint,]	[60]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Choir Stalls,]	[61]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Choir Stalls,]	[62]
[Cathedral: Statue of the Virgin,]	[63]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Cloisters,]	[64]
[Cathedral: Bas-reliefs in the Cloisters,]	[65]
[Façade of the Collegiate Church of San Isidoro,]	[66]
[Gate of Pardon: Collegiate Church of San Isidoro,]	[67]
[Collegiate Church of San Isidoro,]	[68]
[Principal Gate of the Collegiate Church of San Isidoro,]	[69]
[Panteon of the Kings in the Collegiate Church of San Isidoro,]	[70]
[Spandril of Gate of Pardon: Collegiate Church of San Isidoro,]	[71]
[Fresco of the Panteon of the Kings in the Collegiate Church of San Isidoro. End of Eleventh Century,]	[72]
[Sections and Details of the Panteon of San Isidoro,]	[73]
[Collegiate Church of San Isidoro: Painting on the Wall of the Panteon of the Kings,]	[74]
[Collegiate Church of San Isidoro: Paintings on the Walls of the Panteon of the Kings,]	[75]
[Collegiate Church of San Isidoro: Chalice and Paten of Doña Urraca, and Cross,]	[76]
[Collegiate Church of San Isidoro: Ivory Cross of King Fernando I. and Sancha his Wife,]	[77]
[Collegiate Church of San Isidoro: Relics, containing St. Martin’s Hand, St. John Baptist’s Jaw, one of St. Isidoro’s Fingers, and some of the Virgin’s Hair,]	[78]
[Collegiate Church of San Isidoro: Chalice and Crucifix in Filigree Gold,]	[79]
[Collegiate Church of San Isidoro: Ivory Coffer,]	[80]
[Collegiate Church of San Isidoro: Gothic Crucifix in Gold,]	[81]
[San Miguel de Escalada: General View of the Convent,]	[82]
[San Miguel de Escalada: Exterior of the Temple and Portico,]	[83]
[San Miguel de Escalada: Interior of the Church,]	[84]
[San Miguel de Escalada: Interior of the Church,]	[85]
[San Miguel de Escalada: Southern Façade, Plan, and Details(Town Hall, Gradefes)]	[86]
[San Miguel de Escalada: Longitudinal and Transverse Sections and Details. (Town Hall, Gradefes),]	[87]
[Details of San Miguel de Escalada. (Town Hall, Gradefes),]	[88]
[San Miguel de Escalada: A Capital in the Church,]	[89]
[Our Lady Del Mercado,]	[90]
[Our Lady Del Mercado: Barred Window in the Principal Façade,]	[91]
[Church of San Pedro de Los Huertos,]	[92]
[General View of the Convent of San Marcos,]	[93]
[Principal Façade of the Convent of San Marcos,]	[94]
[Detail of the Façade of the Convent of San Marcos,]	[95]
[Entrance to the Convent of San Marcos,]	[96]
[Detail of the Façade of the Convent of San Marcos,]	[97]
[Detail of the Façade of the Convent of San Marcos,]	[98]
[Detail of the Façade of the Convent of San Marcos,]	[99]
[Detail of the Façade of the Convent of San Marcos,]	[100]
[Detail of the Façade of the Convent of San Marcos,]	[101]
[Sacristy in the Convent of San Marcos,]	[102]
[Stalls in the Convent of San Marcos,]	[103]
[Church of San Marcos: Detail of the Choir,]	[104]
[Church of San Marcos: Detail of the Choir Stalls,]	[105]
[Church of San Marcos: Detail of the Stalls,]	[106]
[Church of San Marcos: Detail of the Choir Stalls,]	[107]
[Church of San Marcos: Detail of the Choir,]	[108]
[Provincial Museum of San Marcos: Tray, Crucifix, and Vase,]	[109]
[Provincial Museum of San Marcos: Cross of Santiago de Peñalva,]	[110]
[Provincial Museum of San Marcos: Christ in the Byzantine Style, and the Virgin in the Gothic Style,]	[111]
[Provincial Museum of San Marcos: San Francisco,]	[112]
[Don Ordoño II. presenting his Palace to the Virgin,]	[113]
[Standard of Alfonso VII., Emperor, now belonging to the Illustrious Families of Leon,]	[114]
[Tower of the Ponces,]	[115]
[Las Casas Consistoriales,]	[116]
[House of the Guzmanes,]	[117]
[Bastions of the Ancient Walls,]	[118]
[Calle de Santa Ana,]	[119]
[Corner of the House of the Guzmanes,]	[120]
[View of the Railway Station,]	[121]
[General View of Astorga,]	[122]
[Mountaineers of the Province,]	[123]
[Ivory Casket of the Ninth Century, from San Isidoro at Leon, now in the National Archæological Museum,]	[124]
[Two Statues in the Archæological Museum,]	[125]
BURGOS
[View of Burgos,]	[126]
[General View of Burgos,]	[127]
[La Plaza Mayor,]	[128]
[General View from the Castle,]	[129]
[Mansion of the Cid,]	[130]
[El Paseo del Espolon,]	[131]
[View from the Provincial Museum,]	[132]
[A View of Burgos,]	[133]
[The Cathedral,]	[134]
[Façade of the Cathedral,]	[135]
[Cathedral: Puerta de la Pellegeria,]	[136]
[Cathedral: View from the Cloisters,]	[137]
[Cathedral: Upper Part of the Tower,]	[138]
[Cathedral: The Constable’s Chapel,]	[139]
[Cathedral: Principal Front,]	[140]
[Cathedral: From the Cloisters Garden,]	[141]
[Towers of the Cathedral,]	[142]
[Cathedral: One of the Spires,]	[143]
[Cathedral: Bosses—Detail, Spire Windows—Angle and Crocket of Spire,]	[144]
[Cathedral: Interior of Spire—Doorway to Spire,]	[145]
[Court of the Cathedral,]	[146]
[General Plan of the Cathedral,]	[147]
[Burgos Cathedral,]	[148]
[Cathedral: View of the Principal Nave and High Altar,]	[149]
[Burgos Cathedral,]	[150]
[Cathedral: View of the Nave from the Gate of the Pellegeria,]	[151]
[Cathedral: Back Part of the High Altar,]	[152]
[Cathedral: Choir Stalls,]	[153]
[Interior of the Cathedral,]	[154]
[Details in the Cathedral,]	[155]
[Details in the Cathedral,]	[156]
[Details in the Cathedral,]	[157]
[Details in the Cathedral,]	[158]
[Details in the Cathedral,]	[159]
[Details in the Cathedral,]	[160]
[Cathedral: Exterior of the Constable’s Chapel,]	[161]
[Cathedral: Interior View of the Constable’s Chapel,]	[162]
[Cathedral: The Constable’s Chapel,]	[163]
[Cathedral: Details of the Constable’s Chapel,]	[164]
[Cathedral: Details of the Constable’s Chapel,]	[165]
[Cathedral: The Constable’s Chapel from the Altar,]	[166]
[Cathedral: Entrance to the Constable’s Chapel,]	[167]
[Cathedral: Details of the Constable’s Chapel,]	[168]
[Cathedral: Altar-piece on the Epistle Side of the Constable’s Chapel,]	[169]
[Cathedral: Windows of Sacristy, the Constable’s Chapel,]	[170]
[Cathedral: Doorway and Window in the Constable’s Chapel,]	[171]
[Cathedral: Santa Ana, in the Altar-piece of the Constable’s Chapel,]	[172]
[Cathedral: St. Margaret with the Monster at her Feet, in the Altar-piece of the Constable’s Chapel,]	[173]
[Cathedral: Details of the Principal Chapel,]	[174]
[Cathedral: Details of the Exterior of the Principal Chapel,]	[175]
[Cathedral: Exterior of the Principal Chapel,]	[176]
[Cathedral: Chapel of St. Anne,]	[177]
[Cathedral: Details of the Altar-piece in the Chapel of St. Anne,]	[178]
[Cathedral: Chapel of Santa Tecla,]	[179]
[Cathedral: Staircase leading to Puerta Alta de la Coroneria,]	[180]
[Cathedral: View of the Cloisters,]	[181]
[Cathedral: Gate of the Old Sacristy in the Cloisters,]	[182]
[Cathedral: The Cloister Gate, 183]	[183]
[Cathedral: Puerta Del Sarmental,]	[184]
[Cathedral: Gate of Pardon,]	[185]
[Cathedral: A Doorway,]	[186]
[Cathedral: A Doorway,]	[187]
[Cathedral: Porch of the Pellegeria,]	[188]
[Cathedral: Puerta Alta de la Coroneria,]	[189]
[Cathedral: Puerta Alta de la Coroneria,]	[190]
[Cathedral: The Famous Coffer of the Cid,]	[191]
[Cathedral: Central Dome in the Cross-aisle,]	[192]
[Cathedral: Processional Door in the Cloisters,]	[193]
[Cathedral: Entrance to the Cloisters,]	[194]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Door leading to the Gothic Cloisters,]	[195]
[Cloisters of the Cathedral,]	[196]
[The Lower Cloisters. Eleventh Century,]	[197]
[Cathedral: The Cloisters,]	[198]
[Cathedral: The Cloisters,]	[199]
[Cathedral: The Cloisters,]	[200]
[Cathedral: Detail of the Cloisters,]	[201]
[Cathedral: Bas-relief in the Lower Cloisters. Eleventh Century,]	[202]
[Cathedral: Bas-reliefs in the Lower Cloisters. Eleventh Century,]	[203]
[Cathedral: Soffits of Cloister Arches and Ornaments from Doors,]	[204]
[San Fernando and Doña Beatriz of Swabia in the Cathedral Cloisters,]	[205]
[Cathedral: Longitudinal Section of the Cloisters. Eleventh Century,]	[206]
[Cathedral: Details of the Sepulchre of Don Fernando Diez de Fuente-Pelayo,]	[207]
[Niches with Tombs in the Cathedral Cloisters,]	[208]
[Cathedral: Puerta Del Sarmental,]	[209]
[Cathedral: Sepulchre of Don Fernando Diez de Fuente-Pelayo, Abbot of St. Martin,]	[210]
[Details of Screens in the Cathedral,]	[211]
[Cathedral: El Cristo de Los Huevos,]	[212]
[Cathedral: Sepulchre of Archbishop Luis de Acuña,]	[213]
[Cathedral: Sepulchre of the Founder of the Cathedral,]	[214]
[Cathedral: Our Lady la Mayor, Statue of Silver,]	[215]
[Cathedral: Processional Crucifix in Silver Gilt, the Work of Juan de Arfe in 1592,]	[216]
[Cathedral: Gold Enamelled Vase with Cover and Antique Medallions, two Silver Gilt Goblets, and Jug,]	[217]
[Cathedral: Double-handled Vessel with Cover, the Work of Dom. Urquiza de Madrid, in 1771,]	[218]
[Cathedral: Statues of Saints and Ecclesiastics,]	[219]
[Cathedral: Details of Balconies,]	[220]
[Cathedral: Remains of Altar—Relievo from Portal. Eleventh Century,]	[221]
[Cathedral: Compartment of Apsis,]	[222]
[Cathedral: Part of the Open Gallery or Triforium,]	[223]
[Cathedral: Details of the Choir Stalls,]	[224]
[Altar-piece of the Church of San Nicolás,]	[225]
[La Cartuja: General View of the Church,]	[226]
[La Cartuja: Gate of the Church,]	[227]
[La Cartuja: Sepulchre of the Infante Don Alonso,]	[228]
[La Cartuja: Interior View of the Church,]	[229]
[La Cartuja : Sepulchre of the Infante Don Alonso,]	[230]
[La Cartuja: Sepulchre of the Sovereigns John II. and Isabel of Portugal,]	[231]
[La Cartuja: Sepulchre of the Sovereigns John II. and Isabel of Portugal,]	[232]
[La Cartuja: Statue of San Bruno,]	[233]
[La Cartuja: Details of the Sepulchre of the Sovereigns John II. and Isabel of Portugal,]	[234]
[La Cartuja: Details of the Sepulchre of the Sovereigns John II. and Isabel of Portugal,]	[235]
[La Cartuja: Details of the Sepulchre of the Sovereigns John II. and Isabel of Portugal,]	[236]
[La Cartuja de Miraflores: Details of the Choir Stalls, and Stall of the Officiating Priest,]	[237]
[La Cartuja de Miraflores: Stalls of the Lay Brothers,]	[238]
[La Cartuja de Miraflores: A Side Door,]	[239]
[La Cartuja de Miraflores: Detail of the Choir,]	[240]
[La Cartuja de Miraflores: Choir Stalls,]	[241]
[La Cartuja de Miraflores: Detail of the Choir Stalls,]	[242]
[La Cartuja de Miraflores: The Prior’s Stall,]	[243]
[La Cartuja: Detail of the Sepulchre of Don Juan II. and his wife,]	[244]
[La Cartuja: Sepulchre of the Infante Don Alonso, brother of Isabel I.,]	[245]
[La Cartuja: Tomb of the Infante,]	[246]
[La Cartuja: Compartment of King’s Tomb,]	[247]
[La Cartuja: Portions of Cornice, King’s Tomb,]	[248]
[La Cartuja: Ornament from the Infante’s Tomb,]	[249]
[La Cartuja: King’s Effigy—Infante’s Robe—Infante’s Prie-Dieu Cloth,]	[250]
[La Cartuja: Panelled Wall—Alabaster Crown and Tassels,]	[251]
[La Cartuja de Miraflores: A Sixteenth-Century Chimneypiece,]	[252]
[Cathedral and La Cartuja: Effigies from Tombs,]	[253]
[La Cartuja: Ceiling Ornaments—Cathedral: Details from the Constable’s Monument,]	[254]
[Convent of Las Huelgas: View of the Temple,]	[255]
[Convent of Las Huelgas: Façade of the Monastery,]	[256]
[Convent of Las Huelgas: Patio de San Fernando,]	[257]
[Convent of Las Huelgas: Entrance to the Church,]	[258]
[Convent of Las Huelgas,]	[259]
[Church of Las Huelgas,]	[260]
[A Sepulchre in the Convent of Las Huelgas,]	[261]
[Details of the Exterior of Santa Maria La Real commonly called de Las Huelgas,]	[262]
[Cloisters and Sepulchre in the Convent of Las Huelgas,]	[263]
[A Sepulchre in the Convent of Las Huelgas,]	[264]
[A Sepulchre in the Convent of Las Huelgas,]	[265]
[Sepulchres in the Choir of Santa Maria La Real de Las Huelgas,]	[266]
[Convent of Las Huelgas: View of the Choir,]	[267]
[Convent of Las Huelgas: The Cloisters,]	[268]
[Convent of Las Huelgas: Cloisters of San Fernando,]	[269]
[Convent of la Huelgas: Entrance to the Nave of St. John,]	[270]
[Convent of la Huelgas: Door in the Chapel of San Salvador,]	[271]
[Convent of la Huelgas: The Cloisters,]	[272]
[Convent of la Huelgas: Flag taken by Alfonso VIII. at the Battle of Las Navas,]	[273]
[Gate of the King’s Hospital,]	[274]
[Façade of the Church of the Hospital of the King,]	[275]
[Interior View of the Courtyard of the Hospital of the King,]	[276]
[Cloisters in the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos,]	[277]
[Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silas (Silos),]	[278]
[Caskets and Chalice in the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos,]	[279]
[Reliquary, Details, and Paten in the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos,]	[280]
[Detail of an Altar: Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos,]	[281]
[The Arch of Fernan Gonzalez,]	[282]
[Gate of the Hospital of St. John,]	[283]
[Monastery of San Juan de Ortega: Sepulchre of the Founder,]	[284]
[Gate of the House of the ‘Cordon,’]	[285]
[House of the ‘Cordon,’]	[286]
[Church of San Gil: Chapel of the Nativity,]	[287]
[Altar-piece of the Buena Mañana in San Gil,]	[288]
[Church of San Gil: Altar-piece of the Chapel of the Kings,]	[289]
[Gate of the Church of San Lesmes,]	[290]
[Altar-piece in San Lesmes,]	[291]
[Porch of the Church of San Estéban,]	[292]
[Entrance to the Parish Church of San Nicolás,]	[293]
[Altar-piece in San Nicolás de Bari,]	[294]
[Archway of Santa Maria, Sixteenth Century,]	[295]
[Gate of Santa Maria,]	[296]
[The Arco de Santa Maria,]	[297]
[Provincial Museum: Arabesques of the Arco de Santa Maria,]	[298]
[Exterior View and Detail of the Arch of Santa Maria,]	[299]
[Provincial Museum: Sepulchre of Don Juan de Padilla in Fresdelval, Fifteenth Century,]	[300]
[Provincial Museum: Sepulchre of Don Juan de Padilla,]	[301]
[Interior View of the Provincial Museum,]	[302]
[Provincial Museum: Front of an Altar in Enamelled Bronze, Eleventh Century,]	[303]
[Provincial Museum: Visigothic Sepulchre of Sixth Century, found at Briviesca,]	[304]
[Coffin of Briviesca: Preserved in the Provincial Museum,]	[305]
[Provincial Museum: Roman Statue found in the Ruins of Salonica,]	[306]
[Transverse Section and Details of the Church of San Juan (Baños),]	[307]
[Church of Gamonal,]	[308]
[Interior of the Church of Gamonal,]	[309]
[Portal of the Church of the Villa de Sasamón,]	[310]
[Tower of the Church of the Villa de Santa Maria Del Campo,]	[311]
[Chapel of Our Lady of the Valley in the Rodilla Monastery, General View of the Exterior,]	[312]
[Chapel of Our Lady of the Valley in the Rodilla Monastery, Porch—Interior,]	[313]
[Monastery of Fresdelval: Portal,]	[314]
[Monastery of Fresdelval: Hospice,]	[315]
[Monastery of Fresdelval: Cloisters,]	[316]
[Monastery of Fresdelval: Window in the Ruined Temple,]	[317]
[Monastery of Fresdelval: Window in the Ruined Temple,]	[318]
[Olmillos Castle,]	[319]
[A Courtyard,]	[320]
[Lerma: The Duke of Lerma’s Palace and the College,]	[321]
[Lerma: The College,]	[322]
[Lerma: Interior of the Collegiate Church,]	[323]
[Lerma: Sepulchre of the Cardinal Duke of Lerma,]	[324]
[Lerma: Details of the Sepulchre of the Cardinal Duke of Lerma,]	[325]
[Lerma: The Magdalene. (Copy of a Picture by Leonardo Da Vinci),]	[326]
[Lerma: Our Lady of the Silla. (Copy of a Picture by Raphael),]	[327]
[Bridge of Horadada,]	[328]
SALAMANCA
[Cathedral, from the East,]	[329]
[General View from the School,]	[330]
[General View of Salamanca,]	[331]
[General View of Salamanca,]	[332]
[A Portion of Salamanca,]	[333]
[Roman Bridge over the Tormes,]	[334]
[Bridge of Bejar,]	[335]
[View of the Ancient Wall,]	[336]
[Principal Nave of the Old Cathedral,]	[337]
[Nave of Cross-aisle of the Old Cathedral,]	[338]
[Sepulchres in the Old Cathedral,]	[339]
[Longitudinal Section of the Old Cathedral,]	[340]
[Sepulchres in the Old Cathedral,]	[341]
[Sepulchres in the Cross-aisle, Old Cathedral,]	[342]
[Sepulchre in the Cloisters of the Old Cathedral,]	[343]
[Sepulchre in the Cloisters of the Old Cathedral,]	[344]
[Sepulchre in the Cloisters of the Old Cathedral,]	[345]
[Capitals of the Sepulchres in the Cloisters of the Old Cathedral,]	[346]
[Capitals of the Sepulchres in the Cloisters of the Old Cathedral,]	[347]
[Capitals of the Sepulchres in the Cloisters of the Old Cathedral,]	[348]
[Capitals and Effigies in the Old Cathedral,]	[349]
[Capitals in the Old Cathedral,]	[350]
[The Old Cathedral,]	[351]
[Details of the Outside and Plan of the Cupola of the Old Cathedral,]	[352]
[The Cathedral,]	[353]
[View of the Cathedral from the ‘Seminario,’]	[354]
[Cathedral: East Façade,]	[355]
[Tower of the Cathedral,]	[356]
[Cathedral: The Tower del Gallo,]	[357]
[Principal Façade of the Cathedral,]	[358]
[Principal Nave in the Cathedral,]	[359]
[Cathedral: View of the Cross-aisle,]	[360]
[Cathedral: Entrance to the Chapel of the Bishop of Seville, Don Diego de Anaya,]	[361]
[Cathedral: View of the Sacristy,]	[362]
[Cathedral: Chapel in the Cloisters,]	[363]
[Chapel of St. Barbara in the Cathedral Cloisters,]	[364]
[Cathedral: Dome of the Tower of the ‘Gallo,’]	[365]
[Cathedral: General View of the Puerta del Nacimiento,]	[366]
[Cathedral: Gate of the Nativity,]	[367]
[Cathedral: Gate of St. Clement,]	[368]
[Cathedral: Gate of the ‘Ramos,’]	[369]
[Cathedral: Gate of the Patio Chico,]	[370]
[Cathedral: Right-hand Gate; or, Gate of the Bishop,]	[371]
[Cathedral: The Beheading of St. John Baptist. (By Jac. Geronimo Espinosa),]	[372]
[Cathedral: The Virgin holding the Dead Body of her Divine Son. (Pietá in wood, by Salvador Carmona),]	[373]
[Cathedral: Wooden Crucifix with which the troops of the Cid were harangued. The Smaller Crucifix the Cid carried beneath his Armour,]	[374]
[Cathedral: Chair and Table in the Chapter Hall,]	[375]
[General View of the Church of Santo Domingo,]	[376]
[Detail of the Façade of Santo Domingo,]	[377]
[Façade of the Church of Santo Domingo,]	[378]
[Detail of the Façade of Santo Domingo,]	[379]
[Cloisters of Santo Domingo,]	[380]
[Interior of the Church of Santo Domingo,]	[381]
[Arches in the Choir of the Church of Santo Domingo,]	[382]
[Interior View of the Sacristy of Santo Domingo,]	[383]
[Door of the Conference Hall of Santo Domingo,]	[384]
[General view of the Cloisters of Santo Domingo,]	[385]
[Cloisters of Santo Domingo,]	[386]
[Fresco in the Church of Santo Domingo, by Palomino,]	[387]
[Door of the church of St. Martin,]	[388]
[Gate of the Church of St. Martin,]	[389]
[Door of the Church of San Justo,]	[390]
[Church of the Augustines: The Conception of the Virgin, by Ribera,]	[391]
[Gate of the Church of San Benito,]	[392]
[Parish Church of the Holy Spirit,]	[393]
[Portal of the Parish Church of the Holy Spirit,]	[394]
[Church of the Third Order of St. Francis,]	[395]
[View of the Seminary from the Irlandeses,]	[396]
[View of the Seminary,]	[397]
[Chapter Hall in the Seminary,]	[398]
[The Seminary: Abraham offering Melchisedech Bread and Wine,]	[399]
[The Seminary: The Queen of Sheba visiting Solomon, by Rubens,]	[400]
[The Seminary: Christ scourged. Statue in wood by Salvador Carmona,]	[401]
[General View of the University,]	[402]
[Façade of the University,]	[403]
[Upper Part of the Façade of the University,]	[404]
[Lower Part of the Façade of the University,]	[405]
[University: Medallion representing the Catholic Sovereigns over the Principal Entrance,]	[406]
[Façade of the University,]	[407]
[Library in the University,]	[408]
[University: Altar of the Chapel,]	[409]
[Gallery in the University,]	[410]
[Portico of the University,]	[411]
[Details of the Porch of the University,]	[412]
[Details of the Porch of the University,]	[413]
[Door of the Library of the University,]	[414]
[Court of the College of the Irlandeses,]	[415]
[Façade of the College of the Irlandeses,]	[416]
[Porch of the College of the Irlandeses,]	[417]
[Portico of the Chapel of the College of the Irlandeses,]	[418]
[Court of the College of the Irlandeses,]	[419]
[Details of the Court of the Archbishop’s College, now of the Irlandeses,]	[420]
[Gate of the Santa Maria de las Dueñas,]	[421]
[Provincial Museum: Model in wood for an Altar for the Cathedral, by Manuel Rodriguez,]	[422]
[Provincial Museum: Arm-chair of Fr. Antonio de Sotomayor,]	[423]
[Provincial Museum: St. Michael overcoming Satan. Silver Statue. The work of John de Arfe,]	[424]
[Cloisters in the Ruins of the School of the Vega,]	[425]
[Capitals in the College of the Vega,]	[426]
[Statue of Our Lady of the Vega,]	[427]
[The House of Salinas,]	[428]
[Courtyard of the House of Salinas (Upper Part),]	[429]
[Detail of the Courtyard of the House of Salinas,]	[430]
[General View of the College of Calatrava,]	[431]
[Staircase in the College of Calatrava,]	[432]
[Tower of the ‘Clavero,’]	[433]
[General View of the School,]	[434]
[Façade of the School,]	[435]
[Interior Gate of the School,]	[436]
[Entrance to the School,]	[437]
[Porch of the Archivos of the School,]	[438]
[Courtyard of the School,]	[439]
[Back of the School,]	[440]
[Courtyard of the School,]	[441]
[Principal Façade of the House of the Shells,]	[442]
[Grated Window of the House of the Shells,]	[443]
[Triple Grated Window of the House of the Shells,]	[444]
[Balcony and Triple Grated Window of the House of the Shells,]	[445]
[Doorway in the House of the Shells,]	[446]
[Courtyard in the House of the Shells,]	[447]
[House of Monterey,]	[448]
[Tower of the House of Monterey,]	[449]
[House of Monterey,]	[450]
[La Plaza Mayor,]	[451]
[The Town Hall,]	[452]
[Patio de la Gobernación,]	[453]
[Ancient College, now the House of the Provincial Deputation,]	[454]
[River Gate through which Hannibal entered,]	[455]
[House of Doña Maria the Brave,]	[456]
[Avenue of the Campo of San Francisco,]	[457]
[Statue of Fr. Luis de Leon,]	[458]
[The Pacification of the Factions of Salamanca. A Relief by Don Aniceto Marinas,]	[459]
[Market, Province of Salamanca: ‘A Bad Bargain,’ by J. Aranjo,]	[460]
[Peasants’ Dance, by D. Fierros,]	[461]
[Charro, or Peasant of the Province,]	[462]

Leon, Burgos, and Salamanca

I
LEON

There is something cold and forlorn about the little city of Leon, that one-time capital of Spain; something chill and wintry, not explained even by the snowy peaks of Asturias bounding the horizon on the north. It is the chill of age. Other cities there are, even in Spain, older than Leon, but with them time has dealt more gently. It was but natural that this town should wither and grow old. Very much out of the world it lies, in as remote a situation as could be found in southern Europe. It has long outlived its destiny—and that was an honourable one. The blood of no new race has ever been infused into its veins. Founded by S. Sulpicius Galba in 70 A.D. as the headquarters of the Seventh Legion (Legio Septima), when it grew into a town, doubtless its first inhabitants were the unconquerable Celts of the Cantabrian Mountains. When the wild Suevi took refuge in this north-western corner of the peninsula, Legio, as it was then called, was nominally subject to them. Leovigild added it to the dominions of the Visigoths in 540, but despite this change of masters it probably remained Celtic to the core. The Moorish yoke endured here but twenty-five years. So near to the great mountain barriers, where the new Spain was born, which contained the nucleus of the new monarchy and nation, it was naturally among the first prizes of the kings of Pelayo’s line. Issuing from those passes which had proved a death-trap to the Moorish hordes, the Christians of Asturias wrested this city from the invader in the year 742, and with a very brief interval it was henceforward to know none but a Spanish yoke. We do not hear of much effort on the part of the Saracens to recover or to hold it. We can fancy that the spirit and resolution of those children of the South were numbed in these wintry plains, within sight of the everlasting snows, almost within reach of the tempests of the northern seas. But it was a place that suited well the temper of the champions of Christendom in Spain. It was grim, it was stern, it was rude and simple. Behind was the glorious cradle of the nation, the citadel of Spanish freedom; before were the plains whereon to do battle with the Moor, the streams that flowing south pointed the way for the Spanish knight. Leon was the first stage of a journey which was to end only at the Pillars of Hercules. Every town in the peninsula marks a forward step of the Christian, a backward step of the Moslem. Leon was outpost first, capital after. It seems to have been attacked and perhaps destroyed by the enemy during the ninth century, for we read that Ordoño I. rebuilt it. Under Alfonso III. the frontier of the nascent kingdom was carried forward to the Douro. At Leon men slept more peacefully. Alfonso, upon his abdication in 912, pursuing the policy afterwards so harmful to Spain, divided his dominions among his children. Leon was allotted to Garcia; and two years later, on the death of that prince and the accession of his brother Ordoño II., it became the capital of the united realms of Galicia and Leon, to which in 923 with the crowning of a third brother, Froila II., was added the ancestral province of Asturias.

In the Middle Ages, where the Court was the scaffold was not far away. And the new capital was soon to see something of the darker side of regal authority. Ordoño II. attributed his defeat at Val de Junqueras to the defection or mutiny of the Counts of Castile, the wardens of the eastern marches. Summoning four of them into his presence at his palace at Tejares, he placed them under arrest, and sent them in chains to Leon, where after a painful captivity they were put to death. This was not the last tragedy to cast a shadow over the little capital. Meanwhile, under Ramiro II., the name of the town began to be applied to the whole kingdom. It was the scene of the imprisonment of the aspiring Fernan González, Count of Castile; and by him and a Navarrese army it was besieged during the reign of Ordoño III. Under the terrible Al Mansûr, the Moslem tide swept up to the very peaks of Asturias. Leon was submerged, the city taken and burned, and Fernando II. was glad to find an asylum in the mountain fastnesses of his ancestors.

This was but a temporary check to the Christian fortunes. In 1002 the announcement was made from every pulpit in free Spain, ‘Al Mansûr is dead and buried in Hell.’ Emerging once more from their retreat, the Leonese recovered their capital, which was henceforward to remain uninterruptedly in Christian hands.

Alfonso V., the Restorer of Leon, mindful of the precedents set by Visigothic kings, held an ecclesiastical council at his capital in the year 1020. There was a great concourse of prelates and nobles from all parts of Christian Spain. The conference took place in the cathedral church of St. Mary, founded by Ordoño II., and King Alfonso and Queen Elvira presided in person. Of the fifty-eight ordinances and resolutions, thirty-one embodied the municipal constitution of the town of Leon—the first town in Spain to receive a charter. Indeed, it was probably the first town in mediæval Europe to obtain the privilege of self-government.

The history of the city thenceforward becomes merged in the history of the kingdom and in that of Spain generally. But here and there in the annals of the time certain events stand out as specially associated with it. In the year 1029 the young Count Garcia of Castile came hither to espouse Sancha, the sister of King Fernando III. His movements were watched by the three sons of the Count of Vela, whom his father had put to death. Their manner towards the young Count implied rather friendship than enmity. But one morning, as he entered the church of San Isidoro, they fell upon him and slew him. The assassins were burned to death; but their deed served to intensify the bitter rivalry of Castile and Leon.

There were other ecclesiastical councils held here in 1106, 1114, 1134, 1228, and 1288. And in 1137 the church which had been defiled with the young Garcia’s blood was the scene of the impressive coronation of Alfonso VII. as Emperor of all Spain—a title which no Spanish king could justly bear, till Charles came from Flanders in 1517 to rule over a Spain for ever united.

For a hundred years longer the little city by the northern hills posed from time to time as an imperial capital, but with the union of the crowns under San Fernando the headship of the kingdom passed to Burgos and Toledo. For a century more the court of the Spanish kings was in the ever-moving camps, on the ever-shifting battlefield. The claims of Leon to rank as capital were forgotten. The echoes of warfare far away on the banks of the Jucar and Guadalquivir hardly reached her walls. She fell asleep. She had harboured the founders of national independence; she had borne the brunt and stress of battle, had been in the van in the fierce strife between Christian and Moslem. Everything that happened to Leon happened a very long time ago; and it might all have seemed a dream if the genius of the architect had not bequeathed to our own day great memorials of the glory made by kings and prelates.

Leon, as we know, does not derive its name from ‘the lions introduced by the Carthaginians,’ as some old chroniclers believed, but from the legion quartered here in the first century of the Christian era. The old name of the place was Urbs Legionis. Remembering the peculiar pronunciation of the Spanish G, the modification of the Latin word into its present form is easily explained.

The legion which preserved the pax Romana in this remote corner of the empire may have varied in strength from six to seven thousand men of all arms. The camp was rectangular, and measured 380 by 570 metres. It was confined by the wall, of which the northern, eastern, and part of the western sides remain,—or rather the bases, for the masonry of the upper part reveals the handiwork of various subsequent ages. Walking round the city, you notice the stout round bastions outcropping between the houses which frequently obscure the trace of the wall. Of the four Roman gates, faced with marble slabs and inscribed with the names of the commanders of the legion, two remain—the eastern, or Bishop’s gateway, behind the cathedral, and the low semicircular arch in the Plazuela del Conde de Luna.

Embedded in or against these walls many profoundly interesting relics of the Roman domination have been discovered. These are now to be seen in the Provincial Museum. There is the white marble altar dedicated to Diana by the legate Tullius Maximus, as the inscription on one side records. The three other faces bear respectively these inscriptions:—

(1)	‘Aequora conclusit campi, Divisque dicavit, Et templum statuit tibi, Delia virgo triformis, Tullius è Lybia, rector legionis Hiberae, Ut quiret volucris capreas, ut figere cervos, Saetigeros ut apros, ut equorum silvico lentum Progeniem, ut cursu certare, ut disice ferri, Et pedes arma gerens, et equo jaculator Hibero.’
(2)	‘Cervôm altifrontum cornua Dicat Dianae Tullius, Quos vicit in parami aequore Vectus feroci sonipede.’
(3)	‘Dentes aprorum quos cecidit Maximus Dicat Dianae, pulchrum virtutis decus.’

This Tullius Maximus seems to have loved the chase, and elsewhere we find him dedicating a bear’s skin to his favourite goddess. The people of the Urbs Legionis were probably mighty hunters. On a sepulchral monument the son-in-law, daughter, and grandson of the founder are represented as a boar, a hind, and a fawn. The Provincial Museum also contains an altar consecrated to the genius of the legion.

Where the cathedral now stands were the Roman baths, which are said to have been converted into a castle or palace by the kings of Asturias. The building was utterly destroyed by Al Mansûr, and on its site arose the basilica of Ordoño II. The royal residence then seems to have been situated near where the monastery of San Salvador del Palaz del Rey was built by Ramiro II. (930-950). Another palace occupied the square in front of the church of San Isidoro. Rebuilt by Berenguela, the mother of San Fernando, it was pulled down in the time of Isabel the Catholic. It was no doubt from this building that Count Garcia passed to his death in the opposite church.