of Cuenca, who, with San Onorato, is the honoured tutelar of this city. The jaspers are very rich and the bronze capitals costly; the green columns were brought from the Barranco de San Juan at Granada, the urna, with the statues of Faith, Hope, and Charity, were wrought at Carrara, in 1758, by Francisco Vergara, a Valencian settled in Italy. The cost of transport from Alicante was enormous; but they are academical commonplace inanities, without life, soul, or sentiment. As Cuenca is placed in a jasper district, the Cathedral is naturally adorned with this costly material: all the chapels deserve notice ; look particularly at the artesonado roof in the long, low Capilla honda del Espiritu Santo, behind the high altar, and nearly opposite the trasparente (B); it is the finest in Spain. Beginning, therefore, from the W. door at the third chapel to the rt., obs. the portal and reja of the glorious Capilla de los Apostoles, which is built in rich plateresques, with a Gothic-ribbed ceiling of a most beautiful stone from the neighbouring quarries of Arcos. Passing the classical retablo, obs. a smaller altar of the time of Philip II., with a much venerated image of la Vírgen de la Salud. Advancing near the gate to the bishop’s palace is the Capilla de San Martin, with a good altar and carvings, and four remarkable sepulchres of the early prelates, Juan Fañez, a descendant of the Fidus Achates of the Cid, and those of Lopez, Pedro Lorenzo, and Garcia.
The plateresque Portal or entrance into the cloisters (R) rises 28 ft. high, and was wrought in Arcos stone by Xamete in 1546-50, and, as is inseribed on labels, at the cost of the Bishop Sebastian Ramirez, ob. 1536: see his tomb. Some suppose this Xamete to have been a Moor, inferring so from the name Xamete—Achmed: at all events he must have studied in the Cellini school of Italy, and ranks as a rival of Berruguete and Damian Foment. This arch is a thing of the age when the revived arts of paganism wrestled with Christianity even in the churches: here we have saints and harpies, lions, virgins, tritons, vases, flowers, allegorical virtues, &c., all jumbled together, but forming in the ageregate a whole of great richness and cinquecento effect: all, alas! has been sadly mutilated and whitewashed. It must once have been superb. The architect will remark a peculiar construction of arch; the fluted columns of support rest on brackets let into the wall, the lower portion of the ornamental work much injured.
The Cloisters are in a different style, having been built in 1577–83, by Juan Andrea Rodi, with the fine stone from the neighbouring quarries of la Hoz. The simple Doric of Herrera was then in vogue, which contrasts with the pseudo-classical frieze at the E. end, the work of another hand and period.
Obs. the Burial-chapel of the Mendozas, in form a Greek cross with a cupola, while the Corinthian high altar is adorned with paintings and sculpture, the monuments enriched with jaspers and arched niches being ranged around: obs. that with marble columns, of Doña Ines, and that of Diego Hurtado, viceroy of Siena, ob. 1566. From the cloisters you may ascend to the Secretaria; the view from the muralla of the cathedral is charming.
Next visit la Capilla de Nuestra Sefiora del Sagrario (E), with its superb jaspers, and obs. the miraculous image which aided Alonso in his victories. The exquisite facade to the Sala Capitular (G) is worthy of Xamete; notice, in this gem of the cathedral, an arch of the richest plateresque, which displays a marvellous power and variety of invention. The admirable walnut doors, carved with St. Peter, St. Paul, and Adoration of the Kings, are attributed to Berruguete, but the Transfiguration is by an inferior hand; they are in good preservation ; the walnut silleria is also excellent.
The chapel of San Juan (D) was founded by the Canon Juan de Barreda, and has a fine Corinthian reja, with cherubs and armorial shields.
The Capilla de Santa Elena, opposite the trasparente, has a beautiful
