The Portland daily press., 1879-07-15

Having seen the royal palace, we 90 ont of
the edifce, cross the square and re-enter by
the principal door. A ianitor accompanies
us. We cross large vestibule and find our
selves in the Court of the Kings. There we
can form an idea of the immense framework
of the building. The court is entirely closed
in by walls; from the side opposite the door
is the front of the church, at the top of
spacious staircase rise six enormous Doric
columns, each one supporting great pedes-
tai, and each pedestal a statue. There are
six colossal statues. by Batista Moneozo,
representing Jehosaphat, Hezekiah David,
Solomon, Josiah, Manassas. The court is
the walls have the appearance of rocks cut
with pickaXe; everything is massive
heavy, rigid, and offers know not what fam
tastic appearance of an edifice hewn by
Titans from mountain of stone, and capa-
bic of defying lightning and earthquake.
There we commence to comprehend the
Escurial.
We ascend the stairs and enter the church.
The interior is sad and desolate. Four
enormous pillars of grey granite support the
vaults, painted in fresco by Luca Giordano;
from the two sides of the grand altar sculp-
tured and gilded in Spanish taste, above the
two royal oratories, we see two groups of
statues in bronze kneeling with clasped
hands and turned toward the altar. To the
right Charles ", the Empress Isabella and
m nrippaccnc. OF fha loft Dbilip TT nd
his wives. Above the door of the church,
thirty feet from the ground, at the remotest
part of the grand nave, rises the choir with
two rows circular of stalls of Corinthian
order. In corner near to secret door is
the stall of Philip III. He received by this
door his letters and his important messages
without being perceived by the monks who
were chanting in the choir. This church,
which seems small in the immense edifice,
is nevertheless one of the largest in Spain,
and although it seems to be almost devoid of
ornament it holds immense treasures in
marble, gold, relics and paintings that the
obscurity in part conceals, and from which
the gloom of the building withdraws the
attention.
Beside the thousand works of art which
are seen in the chapels, in the rooms sur
rounding the church, on the staircases which
lead up to the galleries, there is IN a corri-
dor behind the choir beautiful crucifx in
white marble by Benvenuto Cellini with the
inscription ''Beneyentius Cellinus civis for
entinus facebat 1562"-
In other places are to be seen paintings
by Naverette and Herrera But every senti-
ment of admiration is lost in that of sadness.
The color of the stone, the doubtful light,
the profound silence which surrounds you,
recalls your thoughts continually to its ex-
tent, its hidden cells, the solitude of the edi-
flee, and leaves no place for pleasure and
admiration. The sight of this church awak-
ems an inexpressible inquietude. You could
guess, if you did not know, that around
these walls there is only vast space of
granite, obscurity and silence Without
seeing this vast edifice you feel it, you know
that you are in the midst of an inhabited
city, you would quicken your steps to see it
more quickly, to free yourself from the mys-
tSiy, " oONh IL yOu dill WucIC llSllb,
noise, life.
From the church through many cold, bare
rooms we go into the Sacristy, a large vaulted
room, of which one side is (occupied) filled
with closets of sculptured wood of varied
and delicate workmanship which enclose
the sacred ornaments; ON the opposite wall
are the pictures of Rbera de Giordano, Tar
barar, Tintoret, and other famous Italian
and Spanish masters. In the centre of the
famous altar of Santa Foura is the cele-
brated painting of Don Claude Coello who
died from chagrin because Luca Giordano
was called to The Escurial The effect of
this is truly beyond all Imagination.
1t represents with figures of natural gran
deur the procession which brought Santa
Foura (Sacred Host) to this spot The Sa-
cristy and altar are outlined here, the priest
is kneeling on the steps with the Sacred Host
between his hands, around him the deacons,
on one side Charles II, kneeling, in the dis
tance monks, priests, students, and other
faithful ones.
The figures are so full of life and so speak
ing, the perspective is so true, that on enter
ing the Sacristy one takes the picture for a
mirror which reflects some religious cere-
mony being at the moment celebrated in an
adjoining room.
Then the illusion of figures disappears,
but the depth of the painting remains, and
one must go near enough to touch it, in Or
! der to convince himself that it is the painted
canvas before him, not another Sacrstry.
| During the great f6te days this picture is
| taken away, and permits to be seen in the
centre of chapel little temple of gilded
bronze in which one sees a magnificent tab
ernacle which holds the Sacred Host. 1t is
ornamented with ten thousand rubies, dia-
monds, amethysts and garnets, arranged in
the form of rays which dazzle the eyes.
From the Sacristy we went to the Pan
theon. The janitor preceded me with a
| lighted torch We descended the long gran
ite stairs and came to subterranean door
where no ray of light could penetrate.
Above this door we read in letters of gilded
bronze the following inscription:
"God-great and all-powerful."
Spot consecrated by the pity of the Aus
trian dynasty to the mortal remains of the
Catholic kings, who await their resurrection
beneath the great altar consecrated to the
Redeemer of the human race.
Charles the Fifth, the most illustrious of
the Caesars, selected this spot for himself
and his lineage; Philip III, the most prudent
of kings, consecrated it; Philip I'LL, mon
arch sincerely pious, commenced work upon
it; Philip ~, great in his clemency, con-
stancy, and devotion, enlarged, established
and completed it in the year of our Lord,
1654''
The janitor entered, L followed and found
myself in a tomb obscure and cold as a
grotto in mountain. 1t is a small oc ago
nal room, finished in marble, with a little
altar in the center in front of the door-all
the rest from the ground to the arch are
tombs, piled one above another, distinguished
by ornaments and bas-reliefs, the vault cor
responding to the grand altar in the church.
| At the right of the altar arc huriad Cborlac