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In-Depth Information
outstretching combs or fingerlike projec-
tions evoke an interaction between land
and water, wind and wave.
Chillida's final project was his most mon-
umental in scale. It involved nothing less
than the hollowing out of a mountain and
the opening up of passageways on its peak
that would permit beams of light to flow
into its interior. A suitable mountain had
been found in the C
ANARY
I
SLANDS
, and
local authorities, flattered by the choice,
had endorsed the great sculptor's concept.
Environmentalists raised objections, how-
ever, and the passage of time proved the
ultimate enemy of Chillida's grand vision.
undertake an intense program of conver-
sion among the Moors of G
RANADA
, who
had initially been left largely undisturbed in
their faith. Cisneros undertook an aggres-
sive approach that provoked the outrage of
the Muslim community, and he actually
had to flee the city in 1499 to avoid physi-
cal attack. This confrontation was followed
by a general uprising among the Moors of
the Alpujarras region that lasted for several
years and had to be put down by force of
arms. Unabashed by the results of his exces-
sive zeal, Cisneros persuaded the Crown to
issue a decree in 1502 ordering the expul-
sion of all Muslims who did not promptly
convert to Christianity.
During the last few years of the queen's
reign Cisneros spent much of his time at the
royal court, strengthening the operations of
the S
PANISH
I
NQUISITION
and promoting new
standards of public behavior and morality
while organizing the establishment of a
new university at Alcalá. This institution
became a center of learning that played a
major role in the development of the
Renaissance in Spain. Cisneros's most nota-
ble achievement in this dimension was the
project for creating the Complutensian
Bible. Taking its title from the Latin name of
the town of Alcalá, this was the first major
polyglot edition of the Bible to be produced
in the new age of humanistic scholarship.
When Isabella died in 1504, Cisneros
took part in the political maneuverings
around the succession question, rallying
nobles who were likewise loyal to the
memory of the queen and protecting the
interests of her husband, F
ERDINAND
V of
Aragon. As soon as the latter recognized his
son-in-law as P
HILIP
I of Castile, Cisneros
accepted the arrangement. Following Phil-
ip's sudden death in 1506, however, Cisneros
Cisneros, Francisco Jiménez de
(1436-1517)
Spanish clergyman and statesman
Born to a minor H
IDALGO
family in C
ASTILE
and educated at the University of Sala-
manca, Cisneros visited Rome and subse-
quently held a number of administrative
positions in the Castilian church. He would
later say that a period of ascetic life as a
Franciscan friar was, however, the happiest
and best time in his life. His character was
such that he could not allow shortcomings
in the order to go unnoticed, and he became
a major force for reform of the Franciscan
communities. Having acquired a reputation
for rigorous and uncompromising actions,
he was recommended in 1492 for the posi-
tion of confessor to Queen I
SABELLA
I.
Within three years he had been named
archbishop of Toledo and primate of Castile.
In this capacity he applied his reforming
principles to the clergy in general and inter-
fered with many of their privileges, although
he had to overcome strong opposition.
Impressed by his zeal, Isabella asked him to
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