THEHABSBURGSANDTHEIRCOURTSINEUROPE,1400–1700.BETWEENCOSMOPOLITISMANDREGIONALISM PietasAustriacaattheLisbonCourt TheMonumentalChapelandFuneraryTombsbuiltbyCatherineofAustria intheSanJerónimosMonasticComplexinBelém AnnemarieJordanGschwendȋ ×±ǦǡȌ Prologue In1570,atacrucialstageinherlifeandreign,CatherineofAustria(1507Ͳ1578),QueenofPortugal, decided to retire from politics and government.1 She sought official permission from court and church officials to leave Portugal and return to her native country of Spain, where she hoped to reside in a convent, living out the remaining years of her life in prayer and meditation. Although Catherinewasinspiredbyearlierprecedencediscussedbelow,shewasalsotroubledbyintriguesat theLisboncourt.By1570,afterhavingbeenpredeceasedbyherbelovedhusbandJohnIIIandher ninechildren,thequeenwasreadytoliveouttherestofherlifeinsolitude. In 1498 the Dowager Queen Leonor of Portugal (1458Ͳ1525) had founded a new confraternity in Portugal dedicated to the Virgin of Mercy (Virgem da Misericordia), the primary purposeofwhichwastoassisttheindigent,illandvagabond,ransomcaptivesoftheMoors,shelter orphans,runhospitalsandhospices,promoteworksofcharity,andbuildconventsandchurches.2 Leonor, who earned a reputation in Portugal, as the ‘Perfect Queen’ (Rainha Perfeita), was celebratedbyhersubjectsforherChristianvirtues,charityandculturalpatronage.TheMadrede Deus convent of Franciscan nuns with its church in Xabregas on the city outskirts of Lisbon was foundedandbuiltbyLeonorin1519tohousetherelicsofSaintAutaandthe11,000VirginMartyrs thatshehadreceivedfromhercousinEmperorMaximilianIin1517.3Leonorbecameanexemplary modelforsubsequentPortuguesequeensandprincesses,andwasagreatsourceofinspirationfor Catherine of Austria. Following the Dowager Queen’s example, Catherine retired to the summer palaceofXabregasseveralyearsaftershegaveuptheregencyin1562,havingruledforhergrandson for five years. Catherine’s residence at Xabregas was situated near a princely retreat that her husbandJohnIIIhadbuilttherebetween1556and1557,basedondesignsbyFranciscodeHolanda.4 Catherine’s‘palace’wassituatedinquartersnearthepremisesofLeonor’sconvent,5towhichshe haddirectaccessviaaninteriordoorthatlinkedherapartmentswiththeMadredeDeuschurchand the chapel of the Passion of Christ, also known as the Capela do Espirito Santo.6 In the latter, Catherinebuiltatribunetoaccommodateherandherfemaleretinuewhenattendingattendmass.A contemporaryaccountdescribesCatherineleavingherapartmentsdailybymeansofacorridorto reachthesmallchurchwheresheheardmasswithherladiesandtheresidentSpanishAmbassador, Juan de Borja (1533Ͳ1606), when he was present.7 Catherine’s determination to lead a vita contemplativa completely removed from court politics and intrigues is reminiscent of other close ©ÖAW,KULeuvenandauthors 207 ISBN978Ͳ94Ͳ6018Ͳ483Ͳ3 THEHABSBURGSANDTHEIRCOURTSINEUROPE,1400–1700.BETWEENCOSMOPOLITISMANDREGIONALISM Habsburg family members who sought seclusion and refuge within the precincts of a religious foundation. ThedramaticdecisionofCatherinetochoosetoabandonthecountryshehadruledoveras queenforclosetofiftyyearswascertainlyinspiredbytheexampleofherelderbrotherEmperor CharlesV(1500Ͳ1558),whoabdicatedandmovedtoamonasteryatYusteintheExtremadura(in Spain)in1556.CatherineturnedtoherHabsburgnephewPhilipIIofSpainforguidance,supportand adviceregardingherretirement,8andthisdramaticmomentinCatherine’slifeisdocumentedbya numberofunpublishedlettersintheArchivoGeneraldeSimancas(Valladolid)exchangedbetween them,aswellaswiththeaboveͲmentionedSpanishAmbassadorinPortugal,JuandeBorja.9Thiswas thefirsttimeinherreignthatCatherinehadfeltincapableofconfrontingthechallengeswhichfaced her, in particular, her intractable grandson King Sebastian of Portugal (1554Ͳ1578). Sebastian had sinceearlychildhoodadamantlyrefusedtofollowhersoundadviceandheededhercounseleven less after he assumed the Portuguese crown in 1568. Catherine’s insistence that he marry and produceanheirforthethronebroughttheiralreadyfragilerelationshiptoagrindinghalt.Catherine hadtriedinvaintosecureamarriageworthyofSebastian’srank,seekingallianceswiththeValois courtinFrance,theHabsburgcourtsinSpainandAustria,andtheducalcourtinBavaria.Catherine hadbankedonbringingamarriageableprincesstoLisbonwhomshecouldeducatetobethefuture queenofPortugalanditsvastoverseasempire.However,hervariousmatrimonialplanstomarry Sebastian to Margaret of Valois, Isabella Clara Eugenia (daughter of Philip II), Isabel of Austria (daughterofEmperorMaximilianII),andMaximiliana(daughterofDukeAlbrechtVofBavaria)all metwithfailure. By1570theelderlyqueenfeltemotionallyandphysicallyoverwhelmed,unabletofurther confrontSebastian’snonͲcomplianceandinsubordinationandthemultiplecourtfactionsalliedwith himandhisuncletheInfanteCardinalHenry(Henrique)(1512Ͳ1580),who,likeCatherine,hadserved asregentfortheyoungprincefrom1562to1568.Thequeendecideditwouldbebestforcourtand countryforhertoleave,andsheinitiatedcomplexnegotiationswiththeSpanishHabsburgcourtto verifyherrents,propertiesandwealthbothinPortugalandinSpain,sothatshecouldfinanceher existence in her future convent.10 However, her plans to depart to Spain were thwarted by her subjects, who refused to allow their beloved queen to go. Her departure officially impeded, the reluctant queen was compelled by duty and by her personal devotion to stay in Portugal and superviseanarchitecturalprojectwhichwouldhighlighttheendofherlifeandreign:therebuilding of the main chapel (the capela mor) of the Jerónimos monastery located in Bélem (Lisbon). The transformation of the former ornate Manueline chapel into a severe classicistic structure underscoresCatherine’sdesiretobuildachapelinanarchitecturalvernacularandstyleneverbefore deployed in Portugal, a desire coupled with an aspiration to leave a remarkable personal imprint uponthefabricofthismonumentalmonastery(figs.1Ͳ2).Catherine’spiety,religiosityanddevotion motivatedhertorebuildthecapelamorfirstbuiltbyherlatefatherͲinͲlaw,KingManuelI(r.1498Ͳ 1521),shortlyafterVascodaGamadiscoveredtheseaͲroutetoIndiain1498.11Hersenseofdutyand dedicationtotheAvisandHabsburgroyalhousesalsopromptedhertobuildapantheonworthyof herillustriousfamilies. ©ÖAW,KULeuvenandauthors 208 ISBN978Ͳ94Ͳ6018Ͳ483Ͳ3 THEHABSBURGSANDTHEIRCOURTSINEUROPE,1400–1700.BETWEENCOSMOPOLITISMANDREGIONALISM Fig.1ExteriorviewoftheJerónimosMonasteryinBelém(Lisbon).ThesquareboxͲlike structureatthefarrightdemarcatesthecapelamorbuiltbyCatherineofAustria. Photo:JoséAntónioSilva. Fig.2FloorplanoftheJerónimoschurchwiththecapelamormarked intheyellowbox.Photo:publicdomain. CatherineofAustria’sRoyalPantheonfortheAvisDynasty ModelsandPrecedences:TheIdealHabsburgWidow In 1530, shortly before her death, Catherine of Austria’s aunt Margaret of Austria (1480Ͳ 1530), regent of the Netherlands, made a pivotal decision to build a funerary monument in the Flamboyant Gothic style at Brou near BourgͲenͲBresse (France), in memory of her third husband, PhilibertIItheFair,DukeofSavoy,whohaddiedprematurelyattheageoftwentyͲfour.Margaret undertook this architectural project in fulfilment of a vow she had made just before her beloved husband died. The monumental chapel and tombs, which the regent intended as architectural ©ÖAW,KULeuvenandauthors 209 ISBN978Ͳ94Ͳ6018Ͳ483Ͳ3 THEHABSBURGSANDTHEIRCOURTSINEUROPE,1400–1700.BETWEENCOSMOPOLITISMANDREGIONALISM expressionsofherpiety,wereattachedtoasumptuousmonasterywiththreecloisterserectedthere between 1506 and 1532. This funerary complex was to commemorate, in accordance with the teachings of the Spanish humanist and philosopher Juan Luis Vives (1492Ͳ1540), the glory of Margaret’sdeadhusbandandhisfamily.DuringherregencyMargarettooktofashioningherselfas the ideal widow, as Vives advised in his writings. His influential book, De institutione feminae Christianae,publishedinAntwerpin1524,definedmarriageasthelegitimateunionofonemanand one woman bound together for life. He strongly counseled widows to devote themselves to the memoryoftheirdeadhusbandsratherthantomarryagain.Vivesadvocatedabsolutefaithfulness and chaste abstinence for widows: advice that Margaret took to heart. The Brou church was conceivedofasavotivechapel,atempleofremembranceandasumptuoussettingforthreeprincely tombs: one for her husband Philibert the Fair, one for herself, and one for her motherͲinͲlaw, MargaretofBourbon. During the lifetime of her beloved father Emperor Maximilian I and during her marriages, Margarethadbeenproudofherrolesasexemplarydaughterandwife.Shewaseducatedtobea paragonofvirtuouswomanhood:agoodwife,loyal,trueandsubmissivetofatherandhusband.She assumedherwifelyattributeswithdedication,goingsofarastomendandsewclothesforthemen ofherimmediatefamily.Inoneletterdated17May1511,Maximilianexpressedhisdelightupon receivingshirtsmadebyhisdaughter,‘gratefulforthespecialcareandattentionshegiveshisbody, especiallysincethisyearhemustwearheavy,hardarmorinthefaceofwarandbattle.’12Margaret wasnot,however,theonlywomaninCatherineofAustria’sfamilytopromoteherselfastheideal spouse. Queen Isabel of Castile (1451Ͳ1504), Catherine’s grandmother, the woman she was later often compared with, and who had also been Margaret of Austria’s motherͲinͲlaw, set an even earlier precedence. Margaret’s second marriage to the heir of the Catholic Kings of Spain, Prince Juan,in1497,exposedhertotheexoticsplendorofIsabel’scourt,wheretheartisticandcultural influenceofIslamcoloureddailylife.Isabelwasahighlyeducated,scholarlywomanwholovedmusic andLatin;skilledinthedomesticartsofsewingandneedlework,shewaspraisedbycontemporaries formendingherhusband’sshirtswithherowndelicatehands.13Shewaswellreadinreligiousand