The record-union., 1891-02-08
.THE PALACE OF THE CONSPABLES.
Translated for the SUNDAY UNION from the
spanish of Don Eusebio Martinez de Velasco,
by Samuel IL. Gerrish.l

tiranslated for the SUNDAY UNION from the
Spanish of Don Eusebio MARTINEZ de Velasco.
by Samuel Fl. Gerrish.
In the middle of March of the present
year as was turning over the leaves of
the book entitled Burgess" by the dead
author Don Augusta LlacaYe, I read:
"Palacio del Condestable. With deep
sorrow we lament what may come to this
historical edifice destined to be destroyed
to erect on its site modern buildings. In
vain have been the supplications of the
respectable and illustrious Commission
of the Artistic Monuments of Burgos!
Esterile their excitations and protests!'
81, a loving son OF Burgos, idolizing
her magnificent glories that are the glory
of the Spanish nation, for that city is
Caput Castellae in it's own right since the
foundation of the Countship of CASTLE,
the feeling lamentation of the author of
Burgos went to my soul. and without
shutting the book / wrote to my friend,
countryman, and distinguished compan-
ion in the periodical press, Senor Don Ja-
cinto de Ontanon, director of periodical
in Burgos, asking exact data regarding
such deplorable news; and here is the
answer l received, dated the 18th of the
same month:
Effectively, the Palace of the Consta-
bleS to-day, station of the Captain-Gen-
eral of the District is threatened by the
pickax of the demolisher; it is now four
years since the Senor Duque de Frias, the
proprietor, transferred it for $4,000. 1t
was bought by person who had mer-
camille ware-rooms in the edifice. Its
new owner asks permission of the city
hnr a to- -a.t
plant on its present site, and the City
Council see, after weighing the matter,
that they win be obliged to concede it.
Formerly, animated by the greatest de-
sire of preserving it, the municipal cor
poration made a contract to rent the
building temporarily, and to this contract
the historical palace owes its preservation
until now; but very soon, if God does not
prevent the pickax of the demolisher
will be engaged in the work of removing
forever, the historical and artistic dwell
ling of the ancient Constables of Castile.'
Alas! 1t appears as if Burgos, in the
present century, was destined to griefi
she had proud alcazar, whose history is
poem of grandeur, founded by the
Count Ferrian Gonzalez, ''ornamented
and wrought, as a thing of wonder, and
not as if made by mortal hands, as wrote
the chronicler Ayala. And on the un-
lucky morning of the 18th of June, 1913,
it was bombarded with 5000 shells by the
General d'Abouille, as he retreated to
Nitoria with the troops of the intrusive
King Joseph Bonaparte. 1t had the
Church of San Pablo, the Second Cathe-
dral of Burgos, and contained the tomb of
the founder, the Bishop Don Pablo de
Santa Maria, and that Rabbi that they
called SateBgoch HaIeYe, executor of
Henry III, and Corregente of CASTLE, a
great figure that stood surrounded by the
brilliant aureola in the gloomy picture of
f1n 1nr-irx -SNf n.,, ~ L.,
convent, its airy spire, its precious
church, its memorable chapel of San
Gregoria, all have disappeared by royal
order, Il few years since, to give place to,
the rude idea of the barracks for the ar
tillery, and with such haste, certainly
(writes Zacarias Casaval), that they
buried among the rubbish with sudden
death the unhappy architect" She had
the artistic monastery of Fresdelyal,
where are gathered pious memories of
Recaredo and of Charles ", of the Man
rique de Lara and Los Padilla; it had the
Romanic College OF San Querce, and the
maruiilaus Gothic portico OF the Convent
of San Francisco, founded by the pa
triarch of AsiS and tomb of the first Ad-
miral of CASTLE Don Ramon de Bonifaz,
he that took SecitLa from the Moors a.
Ii had the Romanic arch and frontispiece
of the Church of Trinity of the twelfth
century, and to-day they have only left
miserable remains of these distinguished
constructions; mauSoleums broken and
empty; capitals and columns broken,
statues, relives, and blazons mutilated
and profaned.
Burgos was the cradle of Kings and
heroes, rich museum OF the beautiful in
art that carries US to the passed ages
where the pleasure and the elegance of
the Middle Ages tsays the wise arquealo-
gist BoSarte) of that epoch SO badly COM
pretended, they have danced over the
L i H.
ing it inundated with the treasures of
stone and pearl"
The artistic history of the country is
written in it's district on pages of stone:
there are remains of Roman fabrics on
the nights of San Miguel, and Byzantine
arches and columns in San Pedro de Car
DIM, in the celebrated Abbey of the
Huelgas, in the Hospital of the King; the
arches of San Esteban and San Martin
and beautiful with the pure splendor of
the Gothic art in the Carthusian of Mira
flares, i'll the churches of San Esteban.
San Nicolas and San Gil, inthe incompara-
bic Cathedral beautiful among the most
beautiful of the Christian world,' accord
ing to the French traveller, Paul Alary
In the Chapel of the Candestable, of the
Cathedral, in front of the steps of the
high altar (''whose painting cannot be
spoken of without admiration" Bosart
has said), there is a double mortuary bed
of white carrara marble, that is a Jewel
among the rich jewels of this sumptuous
temple; the founders lie there, and it is
the work of the distinguished Simon de
Colonia, the principal master of the
works, with the assistance of other artists,
of whose names we are ignorant (2).
The funereal inscription of that at the
right says: Here lies the very illus
trious SENIOR Don Pedro Hernandez de
Valasco, Constable of CASTLE, lord of the
estate and Great House of Valasco, son of
Don Pedro Hernandez de Valasco and
Donna Beatriz Maurique, Condos de
Haro. Died of seventy and six years,
year of one thousand four hundred
ninety and two, being sole viceroy for
their Catholic Majesties." And the
epitaph at the left is as follows: Here
lies the very ilfustrious Sennora Donna
Mencia de Mendoza, Countess de Haro.
nandez de Valasco, daughter of Don
lingo Lopez de Mendoza and of Donna
Catalina de Figueroa Marques de San
tillana. Died of seventy and nine years,
year one thousand and five hundredo
And on tablet situated at the right of
the excellent organ of the chapel is found
in great letters the biography of the Con-.
stable founder in these words:
Don Pedro Fernandez de Velasco, son
OF the Count de Haro, senior of the estate
and houses of Velasco and of the Infantes
de Lara, Chamberlin of the King, and his
Chief Justice in CASTLE, that conquered
with his person and house the second battle
of 0lmedo, in service of the King Don
Henry ". Vice-roy five times for the
kings, and others Captain-General for
them. Made notable exploits; he was in
the wars of Portugal and Granada; had
great part in the acts, that they, the Cath
Ole Monarchs, Don Fernando V. and the
Queen Dona Isabel, might reign"
Therefore, this illustrious nobleman
(born in Burgos in 1925, Don Pedro