Known as La Llotja de la Seda in Valencian (La Lonja de la Seda in Spanish), this beautiful Gothic building in the centre of Valencia, built between 1482 and 1548, is a prime example of a medieval Gothic-style civil building in the Mediterranean region.
Nowadays, this remarkable building with trademark Gothic columns, gargoyles and a lush inner courtyard planted with orange tree, is one of Valencia's foremost tourist attractions. Originally a silk exchange for merchants based in Valencia, Lonja de la Seda was inscribed by UNESCO since 1996 as a World Heritage site due to is uniqueness as a purely civilan building built in the Gothic style, an architectural style otherwise associated with ecclesiastical buildings in the Middle Ages and rarely used among civil buildings.
La Lonja is situated right across the street from Valencia's main mercado or central market. A plaque which commenorates the building's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site is erected next to the main entrance to La Lonja.
Gargoyles with funny faces or unusual shapes and forms are an integral part of medieval Gothic buildings. Each stone-carved figure which stood out from the roof top and edge of the buildings has distinctive features, some mocking contemporary personalities, others are artistic intepretations of animals, legendary or mythical creatures, monks etc.
Upon entering the Lonja, the first thing that comes into sight is the impressive Gothic Hall of Columns, also known as the main Trading Hall. This huge hall was the place where silk merchandises were on display and merchantile exchange contracts were agreed.
To the left of the majestic Trading Hall is an adjoining building named 'Pavillion of the Consulate', which was the place where the Tribunal del Mar - the merchants' tribunal and the first of its kind to be formed in Spain - met. The Pavillion consists of two separate floors, the photo below shows the interior of the function room on the roun floor:
Both the main Trading Hall and the Pavillion are connected to an enclosed courtyard garden planted with flowers and orange trees.
The top floor of the Pavillion is accessible from the inner courtyard by a flight of stairs. Inside the upper floor is the Pavillion's second function room, whose beautifully hand-crafted, hand-painted wooden ceilings is an important piece of decorative artwork from the Spanish Middle Ages.
Both rooms inside the Pavillion are furnished in exactly the way as it was in the Middle Ages. It was said that in times of payments dispute, the Tribunal of Merchants would imprison the merchants in debt in the central white tower located between the Pavillion and the main Trading Hall, until the outstanding sums had been repaid.
Copyrights@2011. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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