New-York tribune., 1901-06-02
Icons SUPREME SIGHTS.
CATHEDRAL. CHURCH AND CONVENT OF
THE OLD SPANISH CAPITAL.
From The London Globe.

From The London Globe.
oh, this cathedral of Leon. with the matchless
spre. The blue sky cleaned through it's lofty
lattice work that the effect was as if the
spre itself were nlaid for hundreds OF feet with
slabs of turquoise The inevitable restoration
was in progress. a maze OF ScaHold poles anu
platforms covered it's southern front like web.
and the tick-tick of masOnS inside the building
responded to the louder blows of other masonS
/ outside. So ii has been for years, and probably
years more will elapSe and architect VIII sue
ceed architect ere the stately fane-"ditissirnA
pulchraque tcmpla"-Stands under the heavens
in it's naked magniicence They do these things
tardily in Spain. But all in disarray as 1t was
with it's monuments bound up in sackcloth. with
WhIStiInS. cigarette smoking mechanics perched
about 1t like seaSulls on the face of cliff and
the dirt of decades in it's aisles. one could still
do homage To the lovely building Admission
was, of course prohibited, 10 those con-
cerned in the restoration; and equally of course
a ''peseta"' made one free Of the interior from
the Chapel of the Consolation. in the extreme
east, TO the marvellous statuary groups in ala
of emerald and ruby lights caught the sunshine
and filled nave and aiSleS with a glow almost
vOluptuOus in its glamour. Tombs and relics OF
eight centuries adOrn the cathedral the body OF
which. as it stands, dates from about 13Oo A d.
only. And here. with the cathedrals of
Oviedo. Santiago and the other chief places OF
Northwest Spain. one may in the west facade
alone find material for hours of study.
OF the three supreme sights of Leon, the
cathedral ranks first. The Church of St ISidro
the Royal may come next Here lie the bones
Of those early kings of Leon who trembled in
spite of themselves at the dread name of Al
manssOr. SOuIt's soldiers amused themselves
with these dry bones. and their horses were
stabbed in the aisIes of the church. the shell
alone of which they left unpOlluted 1T is for its
age and associations that one esteems st. Isidro
The Royal. rather than for it's untrOubed beauty
The third imperative sight OF the city is the
Convent of San Marcos This postponed until
the heat of the day was past The convent i'm
presses more even than the cathedral 1T is as
dead Charles v, but superb even in its slow.
happily very slow. decomposition The knights
Of Santiago. for W hOm il originally designed,
have, of course long gone the way of the age
hey m
pOrtance in the extraordinary elabOrateneSs of
this long facade of brOnzed stone. Busts. medal
lions and frieZeS-there enough of them
there. of the highest quality. TO endOw dozen
art schools with worthy material for inspiration.
The lone woman who had charge of the enor-
nous building said. ~Aluy buenOr' to every part
Of it. She could have said more if she had
had the honor of playing cicerOne 70 Alfonso
MIL himself and she spoke truth at random
every time. The Omnipresent scallOp shell testi-
fled here. as throughout Galicia. 10 the conn
mandins influence in the past of that moribund
sanctuary of Santiago. which still has it's acres
of ecclesiastical buildings and it's scores of
clergy. To one empty chamber there a cell
ing of cedar wood some twenty yards by eight.
SlOrOuSly carved. The courtyard toward which
We looked from an upper cloister was a tangle
Of roses and tall grasses. with a stasnant well
in their midst
Leon rejoices. without enthusiasm. in this
matchless convent. The city has but eleven
thousand or twelve thousand inhabitants. and
industry Of size. and there are many other
relies Of the past within it's boundaries that it
cannot be expected To vote large sums for anti
Iuarian purposes. Ii is something that the con-
vent has been turned into provincial museum
Tn" name does not mean much 10 the Span
lard : il would mean To the NOrtherner. Here,
in the south they 90 not spend their leisure mo-
lnents looking at Accommodations of Roman in
scriptiOnS nOSeleSS heads and tOmbstOneS
SPANS provincial museums are for the stranger
'ather than the abOrigine. But better half loaf
han no loaf. and may feel glad at least
hat there is key 10 the noble door of the Con
vent of san Marcos To keep Icons begsars from
itailinS themselves in its labOred midst with as
little respect for their environment the horses
Il S0Tlts Dragons felt for the aisles OF San
sidro the Royal