June 17, 2016: Burgos II

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Traditional sarcophagi have the deceased VIP looking up towards heaven. Spiritually, that makes sense.  But it makes it hard for us, the earth-bound,  to see the VIP.
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Others more obligingly tilt towards us, the viewers.
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St. James as always is present in many locations in the cathedral. Here he rides his charger over the bodies of Moors, above what would have been the main altar.
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James also took some beautiful photos in Burgos.  The photo above and the following photo are his.  These are additional views of the tomb of St. Lesmes.
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The medallions on the side of the tomb give the viewer information  on St. Lesmes.  He was born around 1035 and died in Burgos in 1097. And as previously  mentioned, he is the patron saint of Burgos.
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Everywhere in Burgos history surrounds you.  This plaque notes that Ferdinand  and Isabelle received Christopher Columbus in this house, the palace of the Condestables, after his second voyage to the Americas.
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Here is another view of the exterior of that noble house. The outside wall is adorned with beautiful shields.
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In the cathedral, the gold altarpieces are just stunning.
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Another altarpiece, this one with paintings.  The wealthy  patrons who commissioned  these chapels are usually buried in them, and their tombs are usually centrally located in the chapel.
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Such a beautiful chapel.  The gold of the niche scene stands out from the ivory-colored walls, while the patrons on their biers look towards the artistic masterpiece they have commissioned.
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Fabulous carvings around  doorways are everywhere.
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Relatively speaking, a more modest altarpiece.
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Gold, gold, and more gold. Art historians say you can trace the development  of art styles by studying these altarpieces, Gothic, to High Gothic, to Baroque, etc. I rather liked the polychromed  statues.  A father-son pair of sculptors were responsible for many of these masterworks.
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Love that polychroming.
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This one has it all.  Lots of gold, polychromed statues, and stained glass in the background.
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As a musician, James is very interested  in the choir stalls and the very  large music stands and hymnals, which he says have shape notes.
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And a closer view of one of those  huge hymnals.
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And another view of a stunning ceiling. The architecture of these cupolas is incredible.  I understand  there  were a few miscalculations and some cupolas  came crashing down, but these have stood the test of time.
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