EVORA. 65 



considerable time here, most valn;il)le to ns was the infor- 

 mation he gave. As Evora is an arcliiepiscopal see, the 

 cathedral was natnrally the first oljject of attraction, and 

 hither we bent our steps through the narrow, silent, tor- 

 tuous streets: the exterior presents a remarkable appear- 

 ance from the many lanthorns wliich rise from the tower, 

 as well as from the strongly-barred and heavily-grated 

 windows, which remind one of troublous times, of which 

 indeed this city has experienced its full share ; and the 

 result was that this House of Prayer bore a strange re- 

 semblance to a castle or fort, and doubtless would on oc- 

 casion, before the use of gunpowder was known, stand a 

 siege; and shelter for a time the ecclesiastics against the 

 turbulent populace, who were notorious for their frequent 

 insurrections for one and another cause ; 



Half Church of God, half castle 'gainst the Moor. 



The interior is striking, and on the whole pleasing ; the 

 nave is lofty, the aisles narrow, and the proportions are 

 good; but what attracts immediate attention is the peculiar 

 colour of the stonework of which nave, aisles, and pillars 

 are built. The material is a hard stone of extremely dark 

 hue, and a broad band of white cement is conspicuous 

 between every course. Now undoubtedly this principle 

 is, on the face of it, heartily to be condemned, but in this 

 particular instance I am bound to confess that the result 

 appeared in my judgment satisfactory. Perhaps this may 

 have arisen from the relief which the light-coloured bands 

 gave in a somewhat dark church, but scantily furnished 

 with windows, as is universally the case in southern 

 climates; and w^here, but for such relief, the peculiar hue 

 of the stone would have necessarily imparted a gloomy 

 aspect. At all events, the nave, aisles, and transepts of 

 Evora Cathedral possess a peculiar and not unpleasing 

 character ; and, moreover, leave upon the mind an im- 



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