La Lonja de Seda - UNESCO World Heritage site

Life in modern Spain is much like life in any first world nation.  Okay, obviously there are differences, but what I mean to suggest is that the major components of daily life are the same.  The conveniences and hassles of modern life are common to many countries - cars and parking; houses and mortgages…  People enjoy the vast array of consumer products available to them and try to balance spending with income as well as work with free time.  In that regard, life in Spain is very much like life in Canada.

And yet it is so completely different.

From my kitchen window, I have a rather nice view of La Lonja - the Silk Exchange.  Not only is it an attractive sight, it’s a fine example of Mediterranean Gothic architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It was built over 500 years ago to serve both as location for trading silk and as a monument to the economic power of the Kingdom of Valencia, a vital component of the Crown of Aragon.  That’s something that you just don’t get in Canada.

Yesterday, it seemed the right time to pay a visit to the Lonja instead of just walking past it as I have done so many times since coming here last month.  I was lucky enough to have a guide: Emilio, a new acquiantance who was happy to share his perspectives about the historic building both as a native Valencian and as an architect.  (Not bad, eh?)

A Glimpse of History

Valencia, like most of Spain, was conquered by the Moors in the early 8th Century.  It would remain under Moorish rule (with a brief Christian ‘liberation’ from 1094 to 1109) until 1238 when King James I of Aragon conquered the city of Valencia and drove out over 50,000 Moors.  Valencia then became its own Christian Kingdom forming part of the Crown of Aragon, a confederation that expanded to include the Kingdom of Aragon, the Principality of Catalonia, the Kingdom of Valencia, the Kingdom of Majorca, Sicily, Malta and Sardinia, and for a brief period, Provence, the Kingdom of Naples, the Duchy of Neopatria, and the Duchy of Athens.

When I studied Catalan in university, I was taught that Barcelona was the central power controlling this expansive domain, but the truth is that each of these territories remained largely autonomous.  The ties between them were largely economical as trade was an important component of their relationship and financial success.

It was Valencia’s wealth through trade that inspired the construction of the Lonja, a building that eventually housed not only the trading floor for silk, but also a jail for irreputable traders and thieves as well as a meeting hall for the Tribunal del Mar - Spain’s first merchant tribunal.  This group of merchants managed to create a building as imposing and impressive as it is simple and elegant.  I can’t help but wonder if they were a group of quietly proud achievers or pompous aristocrats - but then that doesn’t impact the beauty of the building.

Interesting fact: while the Lonja was still under construction (the main hall was built between 1483 and 1498) Valencia bankers helped fund Columbus’ intial voyage in 1492 through a loan to the Spanish crown.

My visit to the Lonja lasted about an hour and provided me with the chance to learn - and quickly forget - a whole slew of architectural terms in Spanish.  I doubt that I’ll have such an expert guide with me the next time that I go, but I will be going back soon.  I love living surrounded by such intriguing ties to the past.  As I struggle to get our new washer-dryer to work, I have to admit that the hassles associated with modern life seem the same here as they did in Canada, but I can still look of my window and catch a glimpse of the Lonja.

And there are so many other sights waiting for us.  Stay tuned…