onderful delicacy which is
so striking at Batalha. Across one corner a vault has been thrown
covering a fountain, and though elsewhere the ribs are plainly moulded,
here they are covered with leaf carving, and altogether make this
north-east corner the most picturesque part of the whole cloister. (Fig.
70.)

The upper walk with its roof of wood is much simpler, there being three
flat arches to each bay upheld by short round shafts.

Now to turn from the church itself and its native builders to the
beautiful furniture provided for it by foreign skill. Much of it has
vanished. The church plate when it became unfashionable was sent to Goa,
the great metal screen made by Antonius Fernandes is gone, and so is the
reredos carved by a master from Seville and painted by Christovao de
Figueredo. There still hang on the wall of the sacristy two or three

[Illustration: FIG. 69.

COIMBRA.

WEST FRONT OF STA. CRUZ.]

[Illustration: FIG. 70.

COIMBRA.

CLOISTER OF STA. CRUZ.]

pictures which may have formed part of this reredos. They are high up
and very dirty, but seem to have considerable merit, especially one of
'Pentecost' which is signed 'Velascus.' The 'Pentecost' still has for
its frame some pieces of beautiful early renaissance moulding not unlike
what may still be seen on the reredos at Funchal, and it is just the
size of a panel for a large reredos. Of course 'Velascus' is not Grao
Vasco, though the name is the same, nor can he be Christovao de
Figueredo, but perhaps the painting spoken of by Gregorio Lourenco as
done by Christovao may only have been of the framing and not necessarily
of the panels.

These are gone, but there are still left the royal tombs, the choir
stalls, the pulpit, and three beautiful carved altar-pieces in the
cloister.

The royal tombs are both practically alike. In each the king lies under
a great round arch, on a high altar-tomb, on whose front, under an egg
and tongue moulding a large scroll bearing an inscription is upheld by
winged children. The arch is divided into three bands of carving,
one--the widest--carved with early renaissance designs, the next which
is also carried down the jambs, with very rich Gothic foliage, and the
outermost with more leaves. The back of each tomb is divided into three
by tall Gothic pinnacles, and contains three statues on elaborate
corbels and under very intricate canopies, of which the central rises in
a spire to the top of the arch.

On the j