The Lonja de la Seda or Llotja de la Seda (,
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"Silk Exchange") is a late
Valencian Gothic
Valencian Gothic is an architectural style. It occurred under the Kingdom of Valencia between the 13th and 15th centuries, which places it at the end of the European Gothic period and at the beginning of the Renaissance. The term "Valencian ...
-style civil building in
Valencia, Spain
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
. It is a principal tourist attraction in the city.
History
Built between 1482 and 1533, la Lonja is composed of three parts (plus the Orange Garden - a walled court-yard). The main hall, ''Sala de Contratacion'' (The Contract Hall), is a large lavishly decorated space supported by gorgeous twisted columns. This was the financial centre of La Lonja, where the merchants work out contracts. The side-wing is named the Pavilion of the Consulate, and this was the seat of the ''Tribunal del Mar'' - the first marine merchant tribunal to ever be formed in Spain. The first two floors were the main function rooms, with the upper one hosting a richly decorated ceiling. These rooms are still maintained original furnishings. On occasion, the Tribunal would imprison merchants for debts in the central tower of La Lonja - the third part of the structure.
Behind the current building, there was an earlier one from the 14th century, which was called the ''Oil Exchange'' (''Llotja de l’Oli'', in Valencian, or ''Lonja del Aceite'', in Spanish). It was used not only for trading with agricultural oils, but for all kind of business. Where in 1348 was traded ''perxal'' (
percale) as some kind of silk.
Valencia's commercial prosperity reached its peak during the 15th century, and led to the construction of a new building. The design of the new Lonja of Valencia was derived from a similar structure in the Lonja of
Palma de Majorca, built by the architect Guillem Sagrera in 1448. The
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
in charge of the new Lonja was
Pere Compte
Pere Comte (also spelled Pere Compte; died 1506) was a Spanish architect from Girona. He was one of the main Gothic architects of the Aragonese court of the period, and in particular in Valencia, where he directed the construction of numerous pal ...
, who built the main body of the building – the Trading Hall (or ''Sala de Contractació'' in Valencian) – in only fifteen years (1483–1498). So is written in a blue band that runs along all four walls of the Trading Hall, also called "Hall of Columns". It proclaims in golden letters the following inscription:
According to the local Valencian scholar Joan Francesc Mira, this inscription showed that it was not a necessary to be a
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
or a
foreigner to establish the basis of a good trade; it also showed the union of ethics and economy. Other construction and decoration works lumbered on until 1548, such as the ''Consolat del Mar'' (Consulate of the Sea), a Renaissance building adjoined to La Lonja.
During subsequent centuries, La Lonja functioned as a
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from th ...
exchange. The honesty of its traders is honored by the inscription that runs around the main contract hall.
In 1996
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
listed it as a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. Its listing states that "the site is of outstanding universal value as it is a wholly exceptional example of a secular building in late Gothic style, which dramatically illustrates the power and wealth of one of the great Mediterranean mercantile cities."
File:Lonja Techo Fisheye.jpg, Fisheye view of The Hall of Columns ceiling
File:VALENCIA ES Lonja inside.jpg, The Hall of Columns
File:Valencia - Gargoyles.jpg, Some Gargoyles of Llotja de la Seda
File:Llotja escut pmercat2.jpg, Royal arms of Kingdom of Valencia in the Llotja
File:La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia-111528.jpg, View of the Orange Garden courtyard
See also
*
Llotja
References
External links
Materials from the World Heritage websiteLa Lonja de la Seda de ValenciaUNESCO collection on Google Arts and Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Llotja De La Seda
Buildings and structures completed in 1548
Buildings and structures in Valencia
Gothic architecture in the Valencian Community
Silk
World Heritage Sites in Spain
Tourist attractions in Valencia
Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Valencia
1548 establishments in Spain