114 THE ATLANTIC. [ CHAP. II. 
or two of us walked there one lovely Sunday afternoon. The 
porch of the church is Gothic, and rich beyond description. 
Up to the very roof of the church every pinnacle and buttress, 
and even the flat portions of the wall, are incrusted with orna- 
ment. The carvings are singularly easy and varied. They are 
executed in a pale brick-red limestone, which seems, unfortu- 
———— 
Fig. 19.—Belem Castle, Lisbon. 
nately, to be suffering a good deal from the effects of air and 
rain. 
The interior of the church is even more pleasing than the 
exterior. Here there is no excess of ornament, but simple, 
delicate shafts of pale-gray marble support, with all the airiness 
of effect of Moorish architecture, a wonderfully carved and 
fretted Gothic roof. Service was going on when we were there. 
The church was cool and dim, and the clear, sweet voices of 
