hospital for poor bathers at the place now called after her, Caldas da
Rainha, or Queen's hot baths. Beside the hospital was built a small
church, now a good deal altered, with simple round-headed windows, and a
curious cresting. Attached to it is a tower, interesting as being the
only Manoelino church tower now existing. The lower part is square and
plain, but the upper is very curious. On one side are two belfry
windows, with depressed trefoil heads--that is the top of the trefoil
has a double curve, exactly like the end of a clover leaf. On the outer
side of each window is a twisted shaft with another between them, and
from the top of these shafts grow round branches forming an arch over
each window, and twining up above them in interlacing curves. The window
on the east side has a very fantastic head of broken curves and straight
lines. A short way above the windows the square is changed to an octagon
by curved offsets. There are clock faces under small gables on each
cardinal side, and at the top of it all rises a short eight-sided spire.
Probably this was the last part of the church to be built, and so would
not be finished till about the year 1502, when the whole was dedicated.
[Sidenote: Jesus, Setubal.]
More interesting than this is the Jesus College at Setubal. Founded by
Justa Rodrigues, Dom Manoel's nurse, in 1487 or 1488 and designed by one
Boutaca or Boitaca,[106] it was probably finished sooner than the church
at Caldas, and is the best example in the country of a late Gothic
church modified by the addition of certain Manoelino details.
Unfortunately it was a good deal injured by the great earthquake in
1755, when it lost all pinnacles and parapets. The church consists of a
nave and aisles of three and a half bays and of a square chancel.
Inside, the side aisles are vaulted with a half barrel and the central
with a simple vault having large plain chamfered ribs. The columns,
trefoils in section, are twisted, and have simple moulded caps. The
chancel which is higher than the nave is entered by a large pointed
arch, which like its jambs has one of its mouldings twisted. The chancel
vault has many ribs, most of which are also twisted. All the piers and
jambs as well as the windows are built of Arrabida marble, a red breccia
found in the mountains to the west of Setubal; the rest is all
whitewashed except the arches and vaulting ribs which are painted in
imitation of the marble piers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account