Page:A History of Architecture in All Countries Vol 2.djvu/278

262 22 SPANISH ARCHITECTURE. Part II. Milan, or Cologne. It covers rather more ground than York Cathe- dral, but considerably exceeds Chartres (68,000 ft.), or any of the French cathedrals. The church at Toledo possesses the same defect in plan that we remarked on in describing that at Cologne : it is too short for its other dimensions. When the French architect at Bourges found him- self in that difficulty he ouutted the transepts, and so, to a oreat extent, restored the appearance of length. The architect at Toledo has not projected his transepts to the same extent as at Cologne, but they are still sufficiently prominent internally to make the church look short ; but, on the other hand, by keeping his vault low, he has done much to restore the harmony of his design ; and instead of the 150 ft. of Cologne, or the 125 of Bourges, even with his greater lateral extension, the height of the central vault is little over 100 ft. (105?). The next aisle is 00, the outer 35, — a proportion certainly more pleasing than Bourges, or any other five-aisled cathedral. So thor- oughly French is the design, that there is no attempt at a cimborio or dome of any sort at the intersection of the nave and transepts ; but, on the other hand, the arrangement of the choir is essentially S]>anish, and the screen surrounding it among the most gorgeous in Spain, and one of the most beautiful parts of the cathedral. The origin of the Spanish arrangement of the choir will be under- stood V)y referring to the plan of San Clemente at Eome (Woodcut No. 278). The higher clergy were in the early days of the Churcli accommodated on the bema in the presbytery. The singers, readers, etc., M-ere in an enclosed choir in the nave. The place for the laity was around the choir outside. So long as the enclosing wall of the choir was kept as low as it was at Rome (about 3 ft.), this arrangement was unobjectionable ; but when it came to be used as in Spain, it was singularly destructive of internal effect. In France the stalls of the clergy were in the choir beyond the transept, and all to the eastward of the intersection was reserved for them, the nave being wholly ap- propriated to the laity. This was an intelligible and artistic arrange- ment of the space ; but in Spain the stalls of the clergy were projected into the nave, blocking up the perspective in every direction, and destroying its usefulness as a congregational space, Avhere the laity could assemble or be addressed by the bishop or clergy. Worse than this, it separated the clergy from the high altar and Capilla Maior, in which it was situated, so that a railed gangway had to be kept open to allow them to pass to and fro.^ When the Spaniards determined that tills was the proper liturgical ai-rangement for a church, had they been an artistic people, they would have invented an approj^riate ' The Spanish arrangement has re- cently been adopted in AVestminster Abbey, more by accident than design; with an effect as disastrous as anything in Spain, and apparently as little felt.