.

SAO MARCOS. TOMB IN CHANCEL. _From a photograph by E. Biel & Co.,
Oporto._]

Gil de Souza, little now remains, for the chancel was rebuilt in the
next century and the nave in the seventeenth. Only the tomb of Dona
Brites' second son, Fernao Telles de Menezes, still survives, for the
west door, with a cusped arch, beautifully undercut foliage, and knotted
shafts at the side, was added in 1570.

The tomb of Fernao Telles, which was erected about the year 1471, is
still quite Gothic. In the wall there opens a large pointed and cusped
arch, within which at the top there hangs a small tent which, passing
through a ring, turns into a great stone curtain upheld by hairy wild
men. Inside this curtain Dom Fernao lies in armour on a tomb whose front
is covered with beautifully carved foliage, and which has a cornice of
roses. On it are three coats of arms, Dom Fernao's, those of his wife,
Maria de Vilhena, and between them his and hers quartered.

Most of the tombs, five in all, are found in the chancel which was
rebuilt by Ayres da Silva, fifth lord of Vagos, the grandson of Dona
Brites, in 1522 and 1523. These are, on the north side, first, at the
east end, Dona Brites herself, then her son Joao da Silva in the middle,
and her grandson Ayres at the west, the tombs of Ayres and his father
being practically identical. Opposite Dona Brites lies the second count
of Aveiras, who died in 1672 and whose tomb is without interest, and
opposite Ayres, his son Joao da Silva, sixth lord of Vagos, who died in
1559. At the east end is a great reredos given by Ayres and containing
figures of himself and of his wife Dona Guiomar de Castro, while opening
from the north side of the nave is a beautiful domed chapel built by
Dona Antonia de Vilhena as a tomb-house for her husband, Diogo da Silva,
who died in 1556. In it also lies his elder brother Lourenco, seventh
lord of Vagos.

The chancel, which is of two bays, one wide, and one to the east
narrower, has a low vault with many well-moulded ribs springing from
large corbels, some of which are Manoelino, while others have on them
shields and figures of the renaissance. It still retains an original
window on each side, small, round-headed, with a band of beautiful
renaissance carving on the splay.

Dona Brites lies on a plain tomb in front of which there is a long
inscription. Above her rises a round arch set in a square frame. Large
flowers like Tudor roses are cut on the spandrils, the