Page:Charles Moore--Development and Character of Gothic Architecture.djvu/222

Rh directly against the face of the wall (Fig. 109.) just as they sometimes are in England, as in the Presbytery of Lincoln. The framework of Burgos is thus incomplete by the omission of one of the most important members, and the clerestory wall is therefore necessary to the stability of the structure. The clerestory of the inner apsidal aisle of Toledo is walled in even more completely, its openings being mere small circles, one in each bay.

In the nave of this building, however, the clerestory is perfectly Gothic, since the opening fills the whole space beneath the vault. At Leon, also, according to Mr. Street, it did so originally, though it was subsequently found necessary to partially wall-up the opening, in order to strengthen the piers, which had begun to show signs of weakness.

It is true, as Mr. Street remarks, that in a climate like that of Spain the large openings that are peculiar to Gothic would be unsuitable; but this is equivalent to saying that Gothic architecture is unsuitable in such a climate. And hence, as well as for other reasons, the pointed architecture of Spain is not Gothic with absolute strictness. Nevertheless, it must not only be admitted that such buildings as Burgos, Toledo, and Leon, though not of Spanish origin, are Gothic in the main, their vaults having the Gothic concentration upon the piers, the internal vaulting systems being completely developed, and their vault thrusts being met by systems of flying buttresses; but it may, I suppose, be said also that they are among the grandest edifices of the world.

A more detailed consideration of the forms of vaults, the composition of piers, the adjustment of flying buttresses, and the modes of enclosure, is unnecessary, as the Gothic of Spain in the thirteenth century follows more closely than the pointed architecture of any other country the