and inaccessible is it, except that it stands
magnificently on a high rock above the river.[161]

The reigns of Dom Sebastiao and of his grand-uncle, the Cardinal-King,
were noted for no great activity in building. Only at Evora, where he so
long filled the position of archbishop before succeeding to the throne,
was the cardinal able to do much. The most important architectural
event in Dom Sebastiao's reign was the coming of Filippo Terzi from
Italy to build Sao Roque, the church of the Jesuits in Lisbon, and the
consequent school of architects, the Alvares, Tinouco, Turianno, and
others who were so active during the reign of Philip.

But before speaking of the work of this school some of Cardinal Henry's
buildings at Evora must be mentioned, and then the story told of how
Philip succeeded in uniting the whole Peninsula under his rule.

[Sidenote: Evora, Graca.]

A little to the south of the cathedral of Evora, and a little lower down
the hill, stands the Graca or church of the canons of St. Augustine.
Begun during the reign of Dom Joao III., the nave and chancel, in which
there is a fine tomb, have many details which recall the Conceicao at
Thomar, such as windows set in sham perspective. But they were long in
building, and the now broken down barrel vault and the curious porch
were not added till the reign of Dom Sebastiao, while the monastic
buildings were finished about the same time.

This porch is most extraordinary. Below, there are in front four
well-proportioned and well-designed Doric columns; beyond them and next
the outer columns are large projecting pilasters forming buttresses, not
unlike the buttresses in some of the earlier cloisters. Above the
entablature, which runs round these buttresses, there stand on the two
central columns two tall Ionic semi-columns, surmounted by an
entablature and pointed pediment, and enclosing a large window set back
in sham perspective. On either side large solid square panels are filled
by huge rosettes several feet across, and above them half-pediments
filled with shields reach up to the central pediment but at a lower
level. Above these pediments another raking moulding runs up supported
on square blocks, while on the top of the upper buttresses there sit
figures of giant boys with globes on their backs; winged figures also
kneel on the central pediment.

It will be seen that this is one of the most extraordinary erections in
the world. Though built of granite som