Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-08-18
Madrid Correspondence of the n. Y. World
THE ESCURIAL.

Madrid Correspondence of the n. Y. World
THE ESCURIAL.
A Graphic Description by Sunset Cox.
Upon the Saturday before We left
Madrid, we made a visit to the Escu-
rial. We went under the auspices of
our Minister, and in company with
Smith Ely, Jr., of New York. The
Journey is two hours from Madrid, on
the Northern railway. 1t passes
through a bleak and uninhablted
country. The road rises until at the
Eseurial it is at least 9, 200 feet above
the sea. Nothing, hardly q flock of
sheep, attracts attention on the way,
until at length we see mighty mass
of granite. 1t is an edifice with glass
less windows, and at first sight seems
empty of all tina! is alluring and COM
Portable. This is the Escurial, the
mausoleum of Spain's dead royalty.
1t is a monastery and cloister-palace
and MINISTERIAL in Cne; and that
one utterly and sublimely dreary!
Here are entombed the mortal re-
mains of Charles V. and Philip H.,
the proudest and greatest of Spanish
kings. Here, under the savage shad-
ows of the Sierra de Guadarama,
stands this shadowy shell of magnif-
icence. 1t is of itself a gloomy shad-
ow of the gloOmiest of Spanish EN-
perors. So far alOOf from human life
and its ebb and flow, il awes one by
its very isolation. How lonely! How
sadI / never visited q place where
everything so contributed to the hedv-
mess of the associations; everything
but the happy company with whom
we made the visit. The building is a
rectangular parallelogram, nearly 600
by 500 feet. 1t boasts of Ill win
dows outside and ,562 inside, J, 200
doors, l6 courts, 15 eloisters, S6 stair
cases, 50 fountains, 5000 feet of frescO
painting, and some ninety miles of
prOmenading 1t was erected by the
second Philip, whose sour and gloomy
visage and gray, cold eye chill you
from the canvas as does that Of
Charles V, opposite to him, in the
place which the latter built to honor
and entomb the former. IN
Alighting at the depot, we find as
it is Saturday, that there is a crowd.
They at once take possession of the
omnibusses and carriages. We, there
nearly to the palace. All is rock and
desolatiOn above and around, save this
walk. Happily, as the sun is out,
there are on the way grateful shade
trees and stone seats. The cathedral
we first visit. 1t is enormous in size,
and produces something of the iHspir-
ing effect of ST. Peters. 1t is with
out the ornamentation of the latter,
and it fails to please the taste. The
dome is fine. The paintings of value
have been removed to Madrid. In
deed, why not remove all beautiful
associations? The storms of wind and
rain, the storms of war-French and
civil war-the storms of bankruptcy
civil and ecclesiastical-all the
storms have burst upon this grand,
gray ''eighth wonder of the world )"
and nothing of serene beauty or gen.
tie repose is left, or ought to be left.
The very images of the Hebrew kings
in the great COURT the figures in the
great picture of the Judgement (great
in the size of its canvas) in the church;
the very eaffins and urns in the vault,
where are the bones of Charles v,
Philip IL, and their descendants, and
where there is one niche still for lsa-
bella-which she does not come for
ward to claim-all seem to take the
prevailing dreariness as if from the
heart, soul, mind, and features of
the severe and gloomy founder OF the
Escurial, Philip II. But the tomb is
the most cheerful of all objects. The
Pantheon, as it is called, is also the
most interesting place in the Escurial.
1t is something to have seen the buri-
al urns of great potentates. There is
an amour propTe about each person
which arrOgates to itself a certain
quantity of the royalty which once
departed. In this crypt there are six
row. The death chamber is lofty.
The top is lined with black and red
and other colored marbles. 1t has
not very sepulchral look. 1t is gau-
dy with bronze. 1t is Immediately
under the high altar. The eelebrant,
when he elevates the host, does 1t i'm
mediately over the dead. In descend
ing the wide, yellow jasper staircase
onemust take care. The marble is pol
ished and is slippery with wax from
the hetspers. Thep path to the tomb Is ever
slippery; but to this tomb exceedingly
so. The great chandelier, the gilt orna-
mentatiOn, and the poor paintings do
not impress one so funerally. Indeed,
another Philip did this part of the
business. The second Philip planned
a tomb of the humblest dimensions
and the glOcmlest character. Imme-
diately above, in the church, or in the
oratories, on each side of the great al
tar, some of the kings and queens
which were buried below, appear in
full effigy kneeling before the King OF
Kings. The effect is more impress
lively serious there than in the deco
rated tombs below in the vault.
Three mortal hours afoot We trudged
through these deserted halls. In the
palace there was some relief. The
rooms were hung with tapestry, rath-
er bright; but old tapestry is never at
best very cheerful. Then there are
three little gems of rooms in mar
Queterie" and gold and silver TRIM
mings. THE ladies we're here in rap
lures. Old ca6inets, old clocks, en-
broidered silks-all these are the ush-
ers to the gloomy little side-rooms.
Here Philip II. sat TO hear mass when
sick. A little door opened here into
the church. 1t was here that he died
that lingering death which has been
represented as so remorseful and terri
BILE. They showed us his chair in
which he sat in summer; then the
one in which he sat in winter; then
the ehairwhereupon herested his lame
foot; and then the stain of the oil
from its bandages. All these are
shown, and we retire satisfied.
I have no room or time to tell, OF