the former is the
richest of all the portals as regards sculptural details; the carving of
the panels is also of the finest workmanship. Beside it, the southern
front of the cathedral coincides perfectly with the northern; like the
Puerta de la Plateria in Santiago, it is rendered somewhat insignificant
by the cloister to the right and by the archbishop's palace to the left,
between which it is reached by a paved series of terraces, for on this
side the street is lower than the floor of the cathedral. The impression
produced by this alley is grand and imposing, unique in Spain.

Neither is the situation of the temple exactly east and west, a rare
circumstance in such a highly Catholic country like Spain. It is Roman
cruciform in shape; the central nave contains both choir and high altar;
the aisles are prolonged behind the latter in an ambulatory.

The lateral walls of the church, enlarged here and there to make room
for chapels of different dimensions, give an irregular outline to the
building which has been partly remedied by the free use of buttresses,
flying buttresses, and pinnacles.

The first impression produced on the visitor standing in either of the
aisles is that of size rather than beauty; a close examination, however,
of the wealth of statues and tombs, and of the sculptural excellence of
stone decoration, will draw from the tourist many an exclamation of
wonder and delight. Further, the distribution of light is such as to
render the interior of the temple gay rather than sombre; it is a pity,
nevertheless, that the stained glasses of the sixteenth century see were
all destroyed by a powder explosion in 1813, when the French soldiers
demolished the castle.

The unusual height of the choir mars the ensemble of the interior; the
stalls are lavishly carved, but do not inspire the same feeling of
wonderful beauty as do those of Leon and Toledo, for instance; the
_reja_ or grille which separates the choir from the transept is one of
the finest pieces of work in the cathedral, and, though massive, it is
simple and elegant.

The _retablo_ of the high altar, richly gilt, is of the Renaissance
period; the statues and groups which fill the niches are marvellously
drawn and full of life. In the ambulatory, imbedded in the wall of the
_trascoro_, there are six plaques in low relief; as sculptural work in
stone they are unrivalled in the cathedral, and were carved, beyond a
doubt, by the hand of a master. The _cro