DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29899#0514
494
SPANISH ARCHITECTURE.
Paet II.
exuberance of fancy that it is impossible to avoicl admiring, though we
feel at the same time that it would be heresy to the principles of
correct criticism to say that such a style was legitimate.
Among the minor examples of the age, perhaps the most remarkable
is the church or chapel of San Juan de los Reyes at Toledo, built by
Ferdinand and Isabella as a sepulchral chapel for themselves, though
not used for that purpose. It is thus the exact counterpart of our
Henry YII.’s Chapel, and of the church at Brou in Bresse. As its
founders were at the time of its erection among the richest and most
prosperous sovereigns in Europe, all that wealth could do was lavished
on its ornamentation. It is as rich as our example, and richer than
the French one. But, on the whole, the palm must be awarded the
English architect. There is more constructive skill, and the con-
struction is better expressed, at Westminster, than either at Toledo or
Brou ; though it is difficult not to feel that the money in all these
cases might have been better expended on a larger and purer style
of art.
Some parts of the church of San Miguel at Xeres exceed even this
in richness and elaborateness of ornament, and surpass anything found
in Northexm cathedrals, unless it be the tabernacle-woi’k of some tombs,
or the screens of some chapels. In these it is always applied to
small and mei'ely oi’namental parts. In Spain it is frequently spi’ead
over a whole church, and thus, what in a mere suboi’dinate detail
would be beautiful, on such a scale becomes fatiguing, and is decidedly
in vei’y bad taste.
It would be tedious to attempt to enumerate or describe the other
cathedrals of Spain, or the numerous conventual or collegiate churches,
many of which are still in use, with their cloisters and conventual
buildings nearly complete. In this respect Spain is nearly as rich as
France ; while she possesses, in proportion to her population, a larger
number of important parochial churches than that country, though
inferior in that respect to England. The laity seem during the
Middle Ages to have been of more importance in the Spanish Church
than they were noi’th of the Byrenees, and the tendency of tbe
ai'chitecture therefoi’e was to pi’ovide for their accommodation. If,
however, any such feeling then existed, it was carefully stamped out-
by the Inquisition after the fall of Granada. It would be intei’est-
ing, however, to ti’ace it back,' and try to ascertain the cause whence
it arose. Was it that the Aryan blood of the Goths was then
moi’e prevalent, and that the Iberian l’ace has since become more
clominant 1 Whatever the cause, it is one of those problems on which
architecture may hope to throw some light, and to which, conse-
quently, it is most desirable that the attention of architects should
be turixed.
SPANISH ARCHITECTURE.
Paet II.
exuberance of fancy that it is impossible to avoicl admiring, though we
feel at the same time that it would be heresy to the principles of
correct criticism to say that such a style was legitimate.
Among the minor examples of the age, perhaps the most remarkable
is the church or chapel of San Juan de los Reyes at Toledo, built by
Ferdinand and Isabella as a sepulchral chapel for themselves, though
not used for that purpose. It is thus the exact counterpart of our
Henry YII.’s Chapel, and of the church at Brou in Bresse. As its
founders were at the time of its erection among the richest and most
prosperous sovereigns in Europe, all that wealth could do was lavished
on its ornamentation. It is as rich as our example, and richer than
the French one. But, on the whole, the palm must be awarded the
English architect. There is more constructive skill, and the con-
struction is better expressed, at Westminster, than either at Toledo or
Brou ; though it is difficult not to feel that the money in all these
cases might have been better expended on a larger and purer style
of art.
Some parts of the church of San Miguel at Xeres exceed even this
in richness and elaborateness of ornament, and surpass anything found
in Northexm cathedrals, unless it be the tabernacle-woi’k of some tombs,
or the screens of some chapels. In these it is always applied to
small and mei'ely oi’namental parts. In Spain it is frequently spi’ead
over a whole church, and thus, what in a mere suboi’dinate detail
would be beautiful, on such a scale becomes fatiguing, and is decidedly
in vei’y bad taste.
It would be tedious to attempt to enumerate or describe the other
cathedrals of Spain, or the numerous conventual or collegiate churches,
many of which are still in use, with their cloisters and conventual
buildings nearly complete. In this respect Spain is nearly as rich as
France ; while she possesses, in proportion to her population, a larger
number of important parochial churches than that country, though
inferior in that respect to England. The laity seem during the
Middle Ages to have been of more importance in the Spanish Church
than they were noi’th of the Byrenees, and the tendency of tbe
ai'chitecture therefoi’e was to pi’ovide for their accommodation. If,
however, any such feeling then existed, it was carefully stamped out-
by the Inquisition after the fall of Granada. It would be intei’est-
ing, however, to ti’ace it back,' and try to ascertain the cause whence
it arose. Was it that the Aryan blood of the Goths was then
moi’e prevalent, and that the Iberian l’ace has since become more
clominant 1 Whatever the cause, it is one of those problems on which
architecture may hope to throw some light, and to which, conse-
quently, it is most desirable that the attention of architects should
be turixed.