Valencia Silk Exchange: History and Architecture
Valencia Silk Exchange
Chronology
Built between 1482 and 1498.
Style
The Hall is in the Catalan Gothic style, while the Consulate of the Sea is in the Renaissance style. Architects: Pere Compte, Joan Ivarra, Joan Corbera, and Domingo Urteaga. Materials used: wood and stone. Construction system: architraved and vaulted.
- Use of pointed arches and ribbed vaults.
- Adaptation of the building to its intended function.
- Increasingly complicated structures (arches and domes).
- Lacks the complex ornamentation of cathedrals.
- Does not incorporate the verticality of cathedrals; instead, the horizontal line is preferred.
Elements of Support and Supported
The Recruitment Room or Hall of Columns has supporting elements consisting of eight gigantic helical pillars and sixteen semi-helical shafts attached to the side walls. This group supports a system of vaults with rich veins. The Consulate of the Sea building has stone walls supporting a roof formed by coffered ceilings, that is, a system of beams and moldings that intersect and form quadrilateral and polygonal cells.
Exterior and Interior Space
It has a rectangular floor plan divided into two different spaces: the Contract Board, the tower, and the pavilion of the Consulate. The main facade corresponds to the trading hall. Its interior consists of pillars that rise up to 16 meters with superb shafts wrapped in moldings that look like a continuation of the ribbed ceiling vaults. The space is divided into three longitudinal naves and five transverse ones. The tower is square and has a famous spiral staircase, built by Pere Compte, considered a masterpiece of stereotomy (the art of stone cutting). The chapel is located on the ground floor.
The building of the Consulate of the Sea is composed of four levels.
The Contract Hall is inspired by the Lonja de Mallorca and is related to the style of the chapter house of the convent of Santo Domingo in Valencia. More features of Catalan Gothic predominate in the Crown of Aragon, based on the construction of a single nave, looking for a unitary, open space with a minimum of obstacles inside. The building of the Consulate of the Sea, added later, incorporates many Renaissance aspects, such as the upper sash of the exterior front, and interior and elevation elements that no longer depend on pillars and columns meeting the ceiling, but straight coffered ceilings that characterize Renaissance buildings.
Meaning
Linked to the development of the urban class and the rule of the Crown of Aragon in the Mediterranean in the 15th century, there was a great evolution of civil architecture. On the one hand, the consolidation of royal power resulted in the construction of important buildings such as the Royal Palace in Barcelona. On the other hand, the rise of a powerful and dynamic business class led to the construction of buildings with a more utilitarian purpose: the exchanges. The space frame that initially had the role of gallery buildings became apparent, putting the prestige of the city on display. Thus, Barcelona, Mallorca, and later, Valencia were provided with spaces for the commercial transactions that had increased in number and volume, while competing to show the richness of their respective companies. The Silk Exchange became a symbol of the economic city of Valencia, as it represented its great maritime and commercial potential.
The building is inspired by the Lonja de Mallorca in the construction of the facade and in the spiral columns inside the hall. Also worth noting is the influence of Arab culture, which provided a courtyard with a fountain and orange trees to cool the atmosphere.
Function
The building was used for commercial contracts and the administration of justice in maritime disputes. In the House of Contracts, transactions were carried out, and in the Consulate of the Sea, various disputes between merchants were resolved. The upper floors of the tower were intended for a prison for those who did not comply with their obligations.