BURGOS
66
BURGOS
damp towards the north. Although this section has
few industries, the transportation of its fruit and
minerals is greatly facilitated by the numerous high-
ways and by the railroad between Madrid and France
which crosses the eastern side of the diocese from
south to north. There are also some secondary rail-
way lines for the operation of the mines.
Religious Edifices. — Burgos possesses more re- ligious monuments than any other Spanish diocese, not even excepting Toledo — evidences of the piety of the counts and kings of Castile and Leon. In addi- tion to the collegiate churches of Lerma, Villadiego, Plampiega, Palenzuela, Cobarrubias, and others, there are in Burgos alone many magnificent build- ings. The cathedral, with its chapel of the Condes- table, the monastery of l^as Huelgas, and the Car- thusian monastery of Miraflores, are museums of really permanent value.
The Cathedral . — As an architectural monument this structure displays the best features of the art of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries. It was commenced by Bishop Mauritius in 1221, in
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Facade, the Cathedkal, Btjbgos
the reign of Ferdinand III and Beatrice of Swabia, and is Gothic in style. The principal facade, Santa Maria la Mayor, faces west, and on either side rise two towers about 262 feet in height, terminating in oc- tagonal spires covered with open stonework traceries. The facade is composed of three stories, or sections. The first, or ground story has three ogival entrances with rectangular openings; the second has a gallery enclosed by a pinnacled balustrade and a rose win- dow as delicately carved as a piece of lace, which admits some light into the church. In the upper- most story there are two double-arched windows of ogival style, with eight intercolumnar spaces, in each of which there is a statue on a pedestal. The whole is finished with a balustrade of letters carved in stone and forming the inscription: Pulchra eset decora (Thou art beautiful and graceful), in the centre of which is a
statue of the Blessed Virgin. In the lateral sections
(the towers) the windows are enclosed by stone
balustrades, and the top is surmounted by balconies
of stone surrounded by balustrades formed of Gothic
letters in various inscriptions; needle-pointed pinna-
cles finish the four corners. The spires, as already
said, are octagonal in shape; a gallery runs around the
eight sides near the top, upon which rest the graceful
points of the conical finial.
The north portal is known as the poriada de la Coroneria. In the lower portion of this are statues of the Twelve Apostles, the windows in the central section being of the primitive ogival style, and in the upper story there are three double-arched windows with statues joined to the shafts of the columns; two small spires, conical in shape like the main ones and decorated with balustrades, rise on either side of this facade. From the portal of the Coroneria one can descend to that of the Pellejeria, which faces east and is of the Renaissance style known as the Plateresque. It is divided into three sections, the two end ones being alike, with the centre different in style and dimensions. The former are composed of pilasters minutely carved, between which four statues are placed. The middle section, which serves for an entrance, has three alabaster pilasters, the intercolumnar spaces bearing panel-pictures rep- resenting the martyrdom of saints. The facade as a whole gives the impression of a gorgeous picture, and the ornate and fantastic devices sculptured all over its magnificent surface are simply innumerable.
The octagonal chapel of the Condestable, of florid Gothic and very pure in design, is the best of the many chapels of the cathedral. Its roof is finished with balustraded turrets, needle-pointed pinnacles, statues, and countless other sculptural devices. In the lower portion coats of arms, shields, and crouch- ing lions have been worked into the ensemble. The exterior of the sacristy is decorated with carved traceries, figures of angels and armoured knights. The tabernacle is of extraordinary magnificence and is composed of two octagonal sections in Corinthian style.
Las Huelgas. — Next to the cathedral in magnifi- cence is the famous Monasterio de las Huelgas on the outskirts of the city. It dates from the year 1180, and architecturally belongs to the transition period from Byzantine to Gothic, although in the course of time almost every style has been introduced into it. This convent has two remarkable cloisters, one a very fine example of the earlier period and of the use of semi-circular arches and delicate and varied columns; the other of the ogival style of the transition period. The interior of the church is in the style of the latter, enormous columns supporting its magnifi rent vault; the entrance is modern. This convent is celebrated for the extraordinary privileges granted to its abbess by kings and popes.
Miraflores. — The Carthusian monastery of Mira- flores, celebrated for the strict observance of its rule, is situated about one mile from the city. A very beautiful and life-like statue of St. Bruno carved in wood is one of the treasures of the monastery; the stalls in the church also display exquisite workman- ship. The mausoleum of King John II and of his wife Isabel, in this monastery, is constructed of the finest marble anil so delicately carved that portions seem to be sculptured in wax rather than stone. Around the top are beautiful statues of angels in miniature, which might be the work of Phidias. The French soldiers in the War of Independence (1814) mutilated this beautiful work, cutting off some of the heads and carrying them away to France.
Celebrated Churches. — Burgos has other important churches. That of Santa Agueda, commonly called Santa Gadea., is chiefly celebrated for its antiquity and for the historic fact that it was in this church
