Toledo: an historical and descriptive account of the "City of generations"Calvert, Albert Frederick
History
Toledo: an historical and descriptive account of the "City of generations"
Calvert, Albert Frederick
Art -- Spain -- Toledo; Toledo (Spain) -- Description and travel; Toledo (Spain) -- History
Passing down a corridor between this chapel and that of Santa Leocadia
we reach the Capilla de los Reyes Nuevos, lying quite outside the
original plan of the Cathedral. It was founded by Enrique II. of
Trastamara, and contains his tomb, his wife’s, and the sepulchres of
Enrique III., his Queen, Katharine of Lancaster, Juan I. and Queen
Leonor, and the effigy of Juan II., who is buried near Burgos. The
chapel is a fine specimen of the Renaissance style, reconstructed by
Alfonso de Covarrubias in 1534. The portal is fine, and is guarded by
two kings armed and bearing escutcheons. During Mass, a gorgeously
apparelled functionary holds upright a mace, crowned and jewelled, and
with the arms of Spain.
The side-chapels of the Cathedral are not, on the whole, as interesting
as one would expect in a building of such antiquity and associations. To
the south of the Capilla de San Ildefonso is the Capilla de la Trinidad;
next comes the entrance to the Chapter House or Sala Capitular, an early
sixteenth-century work with an artesonado ceiling in red, blue, and
gold, excelling anything of the kind in Andalusia. The thirteen frescoes
adorning the walls of the Chapter House are by Juan de Borgoña, who was
also responsible for the earlier series of portraits of the archbishops.
Copin’s work is to be recognised in the archiepiscopal throne, the other
stalls being by Francisco de Lara. Returning to the church through a
portal in the Moorish style, we find on the left the chapel of San
Nicolas, followed by the chapels of San Gil, San Juan Bautista, Santa
Ana, and the Reyes Viejos, founded in 1290 as the Capilla del Espritu
Santo, with a fine reja by Céspedes. The chapel of Santa Lucia, founded
by Archbishop de Rada, is, of course, in the best Gothic style, and has
“an extremely rich recessed arch in stucco, of late Moorish work--a
curious contrast to the fine pointed work of the chapel.”
The Capilla de San Eugenio contains the alabaster effigy of Bishop del
Castillo (1521), and the tomb in the Mudejar style of the Alguacil
Fernan Gudiel (1278). The statue of the saint is by Copin, the
paintings on the retablo by Juan de Borgoña. Adjacent to the chapel is
the colossal figure of Saint Christopher, usually seen in Spanish
churches. This figure is probably coeval with the fabric, but was
restored in 1638. A primitive style of art is also to be seen in the
altar-piece of the Capilla de San Martin. The next two chapels--de la
Epifania and de la Concepcion--do not present any features of special
interest.
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