That cupboard contains also the sword of King Ferdinand, the crown and sceptre of Isabella, a missal and some other ornaments of the king and queen.
We entered the chapel. Between the altar and a great iron chancel that separates it from the remaining space stand two great mausoleums of marble adorned with statuettes and bas-reliefs of great value. Upon one of them lie the statues of Ferdinand and Isabella in their royal robes, with crown, sword, and sceptre; on the other the statues of the other two princes of Spain, and around the statues lions, angels, and arms, and various ornaments, presenting a regal appearance, austere and magnificent.
The sacristan lighted a flambeau, and, pointing out a sort of trap-door in the pavement between the two mausoleums, asked me to open it and descend into the subterranean chamber. With the cicerone's aid I opened the trap-door; the sacristan descended, and I followed him down a narrow little staircase until we reached a little room. There were five caskets of lead, bound with iron bands, each sealed with two initials under a crown. The sacristan lowered the torch, and, touching all five of them, one after another, with his hand, said in a slow, solemn voice,
"Here rests the great queen Isabella the Catholic.
"Here rests the great king Ferdinand V.
"Here rests the king Philip I.
"Here rests Queen Joanna the Mad.
"Here rests Lady Maria, her daughter, who died at the age of nine years.
"God keep them all in his holy peace!"
And, placing the torch on the ground, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, as if to give me time for meditation.