PLATA
158
PLATINA
the twenty-fourth bishop, another cathedral was be-
gun in Late Ciothic, and completed in Renaissance.
The high altar is the work of Gregorio Hernandez, a
famous sculptor of \'alladolid; the choir grille was
made by Juan Bautista Celma in 160-i; the stalls are
noteworthy, rivalling those of the cathedral of Bada-
joz. In the sanctuary, on the Gospel side, is the tomb
of Bishop Pedro Ponce de Le6n, inquisitor general,
who died at Jaraycedo, IS January, 1573. In the
winter chapter house are a "XatiWty" by VeMzquez
and a "St. Augustine" by Espanoleto. The adjoining
college was founded in 155-1 bj' Bishop Gutierre de
Varagas de Carvajal, a native of Madrid, one of the
most notable occupants of the see. The parish Church
of St. Xicolas, also at Plasencia, contains the tombs of
Hernan Perez de Monro)', the champion of King Pe-
dro I, and Pedro de Carvajal, Bishop of Coria. The
Church of S. Juan Bautista, outside the walls, has been
converted into a match factory. The noteworthy
church of S. Vicente formerly belonged to the Do-
minicans; in its chapel of St. John is the magnificent
tomb with kneeling efhgy of Martin Xieto, knight
commander of the nine towns, in the Order of St.
John, and comendador of Yebenes.
The episcopal palace was rebuilt at the expense of Bishop Francisco Laso de La Vega (1737), on the site of one that dated from the fifteenth centur)'. Besides the almshouse already mentioned, there are the hos- pital of Sta. Maria, popularly known as Doiia Engra- cia de Monroy, which was restored by Bishop Laso; and the hospital of La Merced, known as Las Llagas (The Wounds), intended for persons suffering from ■wounds or accidental injuries. The conciliar seminary of PurlsimaConcepci6n was founded in 1670 bj' Bishop Diego Sarmiento Valladares and, later on, reorgan- ized by Bishops Antonio Carillo Mayoral and Ci- priano \'arela. In 1S53 Bishop Jose Avila y Lamas in- stalled it in the convent of S. Vicente.
The Diocese of Plasencia was formerly suffragan of Santiago, but under the last concordat (ISol) it be- came sutfragan of Toledo. In this diocese is the fa- mous Hieronymite monastery of Yuste, to which Charles V retired after his abdication. The ancient monastery itself has been destroyed, but the dwelling built for the emperor is preser^-ed, as well as the church. In 15-17 the Count and Countess of Oropesa caused this monastery to be rebuilt in Renaissance architecture. The vaultings of the church were recon- structed in 1860; above them are white-washed walls with the emperor's arms, on one side, and on the other, a black wooden casket which contained the body of Charles \", in a leaden case, until 1574, when it was re- moved to the Escorial. Plasencia has had many dis- tinguished sons; among them Juan de Carvajal, cre- ated a cardinal by Eugene IV, filled many important posts under the Holy See and rendered important ser- vices at the Council of Basle and in the war against the Turks, while his cousin, Bernardino de Carvajal, presided in the conclaves which elected .\drian \'I and Clement VII (see Carvajal). Among others were the jurists, Alfonso de Acevedo and Juan Gutti^rrez; the chroniclers Lorenzo Galindez de Carvajal and Alon.so Ferndndez; and Diego de Chaves, confessor to PhiUp II. Within this diocese is the native home of the conquerors of America: Hernando Cortes, a native of the village of Medellln; and the Pizarros, natives of Trujillo. The bishops of Plasencia were lords of Jaraycejo, the town of Miajadas, and other domains.
FernAxdez. Htsl. y Analeade . . . Plasencia (Madrid, 1627); PoNZ, Viaje de Espafia, VII (2nd ed.. Madrid, 1784) ; Alderete, Guia eclesiAslica de Espafia (Madrid. 1888): Crdnica general de EipaHa (Madrid. 1870) : Diaz t Perez, Ezlremadura in Espafia, sus monumentos y artes (Barcelona, 1887).
Ram6n Ruiz Am ado Plata, La. See La Plata, Diocese op. Platlna, Rartolomeo, originally named Sacchi,
b. at Piadena, near Mantua, in 1421; d. at Rome,
14S1. He first enlisted as a soldier, and was then
appointed tutor to the sons of the Marquis Ludovico
Gonzaga. In 1457 he went to Florence, and studied
under the Greek scholar ArgjTopulos. In 1462 he
proceeded to Rome, probably in the suite of Cardinal
Francesco Gonzaga. After Pius II had reorganized
the College of Abb^e^^ators (1463), and increased its
number to seventy, Platina in iMay, 1464, was elected
a member. 'When Paul II abohshed the ordinances of
Pius, Platina with the other new members was de-
prived of his office. Angered thereat, he wrote a
pamphlet insolentl)- demanding from the pope the
recall of his restrictions. When called upon to justify
himself he answered yrith insolence and was im-
prisoned in the Castle of Sant' Angelo, being released
after four months on condition that he remain at
Rome. In Februarj', 1486, with about twenty other
Humanists, he was again imprisoned on suspicion of
heres)' and of conspiring against the life of the pope,
but the latter charge was dropped for lack of evidence
while they were acquitted on the former. But not
even Platina denies that the members of the Roman
Academy, imbued with half-pagan and materialistic
doctrines, were found guilty of immorality. The
story about his constancy under trial and torture is
unfounded.
After his release, 7 July, 1469, he expected to be again in the employ of Paul II, who, however, de- clineil his services. Platina threatened vengeance and executed his threat, when at the suggestion of Sixtus IV he wrote his "Vitse Pontificum Platins historici liber de vita Christi ac omnium pontificum quihactenusducenti fuere et XX" (Venice. 1479). In it he paints his enemy as cruel, and an archenemy of science. For centuries it influenced historical opinions until critical research proved otherwise. In other places party spirit is evident, especially when he treats of the condition of the Church. Notwith- standing, his "Lives of the Popes" is a work of no small merit, for it is the first systematic handbook of papal historj'. Platina felt the need of critical re- search, but sliirked the examination of details. By the end of 1474 or the beginning of 1475 Platina offered his manuscript to Sixtus IV ; it is still preserved in the Vatican Librarj'. The pope's acceptance may cause surprise, but it is probable he was ignorant of its contents except in so far as it concerned his own pontificate up to X'ovember, 1474. After the death of Giandrea Bussi, Bishop of Aleria, the pope ap- pointed Platina librarian with a yearly salarj- of 120 ducats and an official residence in the Vatican. He also instructed him to make a collection of the chief pri\-ileges of the Roman Church. This collection, whose value is acknowledged by all the annalists, is still preserved in the ^'atican archives. In the preface Platina not only avoids any antagonism towards the Church but even refers with approbation to the pun- ishing of heretics and schismatics by the popes, which is the best proof that Sixtus l\, by his marks of favour, had won Platina for the interests of the Church. Besides his principal work Platina wrote se\eral others of smaller importance, notably: "Historia inclita urbis Mantua> et serenissiniffi famili;r Gonzaga>". The new Pinacotheca Vaticana contains the magnificent fresco by Melozzo da Forti. It rejiresents Sixtus IV surrounded by his Court and appointing Platina prefect of the Vatican.
As a paragraph from Platina's "Vita? Pontificum" first gave rise to the legend of the excommunication of Halley's comet by Callistus III, we here give the legend briefly, after recalling some historical facts. After the fall of Constantinople (1453), Xicolas V appealed in vain to the Christian princes for a cru- sade. Callistus III (1455-58), immediately after his succession, sent legates to the various Courts for the same purpose; and, meeting with no response, pro-
