Ávila Cathedral: Exterior detail, north portal, late 13th century

The late 13th century figures of the north portal may be compared with the tomb of Bishop Blasco of Siguenza (died ca. 1291). Figures of the Apostles line the jambs, the voussoirs include scenes of Hell, and the tympanum is organized in four registers showing the Coronation of the Virgin, the Last Judgment and scenes from the Life of Christ. Building began with the five ambulatory chapels enclosed by the semicircular wall that formed part of the city ramparts. The design draws on Burgundian sources, but it also shows a wider awareness of Early Gothic experiments in northern France. The double ambulatory with slender columns is derived from Saint-Denis Abbey and other Ile-de-France buildings. In the 13th century a sacristy with a complex rib vault, a chapter house with eight-part vault and squinches and a cloister were added, but construction slowed in the nave. Juan Guas was commissioned for a chapel in the cloister in 1471, and Martín de Solórzano designed the library (Capilla del Cardenal) in 1495. Other Renaissance work was done up to 1603.