as the eloquent cathedral of Leon and the no less imposing
see of Burgos. Nevertheless, it is, every inch of it, as pure Gothic as
the last named, only, it is essentially Spanish, the other two being
French; it bears the sombre _cachet_ of the age of Spanish Inquisition,
of the fanatic intolerant age of the Catholic kings.

* * * * *

LATER STYLES.--Toward the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the
sixteenth centuries, Italian Renaissance entered the country and drove
Gothic architecture out of the minds of artists and patronizing
prelates.

But Italian Renaissance failed to impress the Spaniard, whose character
was opposed to that of his Mediterranean cousin; so also was the general
aspect of his country different from that of Italy. Consequently, it is
not surprising that we should find very few pure Renaissance monuments
on the peninsula. On the other hand, Spanish Renaissance--a florid form
of the Italian--is frequently to be met with; in its severest form it is
called _plateresco_.

In the times of Philip II., Juan Herrero created his style (Escorial),
of which symmetry, grandeur in size, and poverty in decoration were the
leading characteristics. The reaction came, however, quickly, and
Churriguera introduced the most astounding and theatrical grotesque
imaginable.

The later history of Spanish architecture is similar to that of the rest
of Europe. As it is, the period which above all interests us here is
that reaching from the eleventh to the sixteenth centuries, embracing
Romanesque, ogival, and plateresque styles. Of the cathedrals treated of
in this volume, all belong to either of the two first named
architectural schools, excepting those of Valladolid, Madrid, and, to a
certain extent, the new cathedral of Salamanca and that of Segovia.

* * * * *

MUDEJAR ART.--Previous to the advent of Italian Renaissance in Spain, a
new art had been created which was purely national, having been born on
the peninsula as the complex product of Christian and Islam elements.
This art, known by the generic name of _Mudejar_, received a mortal blow
at the hands of the new Italian art movement. Consequently, the only
school which might have been regarded as Spanish, degenerated sadly,
sharing the fate of the new-born nation.

Rather than a constructive style, the _Mudejar_ or Spanish style is
decorative. With admirable variety and profusion it ornamen