Las Atarazanas (location) of El Grao, close to the harbor, provide a fascinating look back on medieval Valencia. They served as shipyards, for the storage and and construction of boats, and date from the late 14th century, a time in which El Grao was its own fortified city, existing separately from Valencia. The building’s structure is typical of medieval Valencian architecture, consisting of a wooden roof atop 5 large arches. Inside, another series of perpendicularly-set arches allow movement throughout the building.

Las Atarazanas are a beautifully-perserved symbol of 14th century Valencia’s maritime prominence, and were built by the ruling Moors. Today, they have been restored and serve as an cultural center.

The current exhibition in Las Atarazanas is about classic sports cars. About 40 automobiles in perfect condition from the 1930s to the 60s are on display, with models from major companies like Ferrari to elite brands such as Bugatti. The show is a must for any racing fan — assuming that there are any left over in the city from the past weekend’s F1 race — and will run until September 14th. Check out some pictures:

Location of Las Atarazanas on our Valencia Map

In 138 BC, Junius Brutus established a small colony of Roman soldiers on an island in the river Turia, known as Valentia. Although the area had been previously inhabited by unorganized Iberian tribes, this is considered to be the founding of Valencia.

Ruins of the Circo Romano found near C/ La Paz in 1989 (http://www.cult.gva.es/)

Pompey: Boo!

Valentia wasn’t an important city, paling in comparison to the wealthy northern port of Sagunto. But though it constantly battled the twin threats of flooding from the Turia and invasions from the ever-present Iberian natives, Valentia slowly gained traction and prominence… until 75 AD when Pompey razed it to the ground in retribution for having supported Quintus Sertorius in a civil war. Valentia was completely destroyed, its ruins existing uninhabited for half a century afterwards. Though general history respects him as a wise and noble leader, you’d probably have a hard time finding any monuments to Pompey in Valencia.

Over the next few hundred years, people began to return and Valentia was rebuilt as a more important part of the Roman empire. This is the period which saw the torture and death of San Vicente Mártir, an event credited with bringing Christianity to the city, and the establishment of administrative works and efficient Roman infrastructure, including a “Circo Romano” — a chariot track. Able to enjoy a couple centuries of relative peace & prosperity, Valencia became a major Mediterranean port.

Martyrdom is a bucketful of giggles

Good times, of course, didn’t last. Once the Roman Empire began to crumble, Valencia and the rest of the peninsula fell into the hands of the Visigoths…

If you’re interested in Roman ruins, the best place to see them is actually in nearby Sagunto. The small city, about an hour north of Valencia, boasts a magnificent Roman forum (still in use) and many other ruins. But if you don’t have the means for a day trip, the archaeological site at the Plaza de la Almoina also has ruins from Roman times. It’s right in the middle of the city (location) and is a must see.

And for history buffs, a visit to the History Museum of Valencia is an absolute must (location). A fascinating journey through 2000 years of they city’s history, from 138 BC to the present day. There are English guides, and all of the audio-visual exhibits are in English as well.

The small triangular barraca is a sight which is quickly disappearing from the Valencian landscape. These homes, popularized in Blasco Ibáñez’s novel of the same name, have been popular with Valencia’s fishermen and farmers for centuries, but are now becoming endangered — another victim of modernity.

Barraca in El Palmar

Barracas are rectangular, about 9×5 meters, with a steep triangular roof to fend off rain. Traditionally, they’re made of clay, canes & reeds, and have a small top floor which might be used for the storage of silk worms. Entrances on either side allow air to circulate.

The best place to see barracas is in the communities of the Albufera, particularly El Palmar. There, you’ll even have the chance to go inside one — there’s a museum dedicated to them.

If you can’t be bothered to leave the city, there’s another option… but you’ll have to hurry. The last surviving barraca in the city center can be found in Carmen, but the city council is threatening to remove it in favor of a police station (all in the name of progress and modernity, of course!) The address is Calle San Miguel 22 (location).

The Last Barraca in Valencia City

Based on the coat of arms of King James of Aragon, founder of the city, the city’s symbol first took its present form in the late fourteenth century. King Pedro the Ceremonious of Aragon benevolently granted Valencia the right to use his royal arms and crown, as a tribute for the city’s support in his war against Pedro the Cruel of Castilla — a battle known as the War of the Two Pedros (really!)

Who would support Pedro the Cruel? Well chosen, Valencia!

The two crowned L’s, the most mysterious part of the shield, symbolize the loyalty (lealtad) shown by Valencia to Pedro the Ceremonious. A bat, Valencia’s well-known mascot, flies above the colors and royal crown. (Source: Wikipedia.es)

The coat of arms can be seen everywhere in the city, from the Mercado Central, to the Post Office, to the manhole coverings on the street. It’s even been engraved into the city’s cathedral. Here are a few of our favorite sightings from around the city:

Note: This is another in a series of posts about The Real Colegio del Patriarca — a building we intend to explore in depth. If interested, read our earlier posts about it:
Colegio del Patriarca - Introduction & History
Colegio del Patriarca - Facade & Atrium
Colegio del Patriarca Video - Bell Tower in Action

The Colegio del Patriarca’s oldest inhabitant lives in the atrium, sleeping on the wall above the holy water. Meet the infamous “Dragon of the Patriarch”.

Legend holds that in the first half of the 13th century, when Valencia was still small and encased within its Moorish walls, a dangerous dragon kept its lair in the bed of the river Turia, attacking foolish passers-by with insatiable voracity. Nothing was able to stop the beast, not the sharpest arrows, the best lances, not even exorcisms.

One day, a foreign, vagabond Jew who had been condemned to death for his grievous crimes pleaded with the city to spare his life. In exchange, he would slay the dragon. Not believing him capable, and bound to die anyway in the attempt, the city granted his request. For weeks, the Jew locked himself in his house working in secrecy on his grand weapon, until one bright and sunny day, he emerged clothed in a brown robe with a hood covering his head. Through disbelieving onlookers, he made his way to the riverbed and the mouth of the reptile’s lair. The dragon, sensing another easy kill, wasted no time in attacking the valiant Jew, who threw off his cape and hood at the last minute. Revealed underneath was an armor made entirely of mirrors which caught and reflected the bright rays of sun, so blinding and dazzling the dragon that it opened its jaws in instinctive defense. The Jew then produced a lance and struck the beast in its jowl once, twice, thrice… Seeing their invincible foe thusly handled, the rest of the citizenry leaped upon the dragon, putting a final end to the nightmare of Valencia.

Blasco Ibáñez

This is the legend, popularized by the famous Valencian author Blasco Ibáñez in one of his many stories about the city. In truth, though, the stuffed, giant crocodile is one of two brought back to Spain in 1606 from Peru by the Marquis of Monterrey, and placed on the wall of the chapel to symbolize silence.

Go check out the Dragon of the Patriarch yourself!

Real Colegio y Museo del Patriarca
Visiting Hours: Daily, from 11:00 to 13:30h
Museum: €1.50
Location on our Valencia Map

Related:
Colegio del Patriarca - Introduction & History
Colegio del Patriarca - Facade & Atrium
Colegio del Patriarca Video - Bell Tower in Action

Note: This is a special video edition in our series of posts about The Real Colegio del Patriarca — a building we intending to explore in depth. If interested, read our earlier posst about it:
Colegio del Patriarca - Introduction & History
Colegio del Patriarca - Facade & Atrium

The original name of the Colegio del Patriarca is the “Corpus Christi”, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the week after the popular Catholic holiday was a busy one for the seminary.

Part of the festivities was an extremely long ringing of the church bells. We got a bit of it on video, before our splitting headache drove us back indoors, seeking the numbing comfort of liquor.

The Bells of the Patriaca - Valencia from Valencia Blog on Vimeo.

Real Colegio y Museo del Patriarca
Visiting Hours: Daily, from 11:00 to 13:30h
Museum: €1.50
Location on our Valencia Map

Related:
Colegio del Patriarca - Introduction & History

Note: This is the second in a series of posts about The Real Colegio del Patriarca — a building we intending to explore in depth. If interested, read our earlier post about it:
Colegio del Patriarca - Introduction & History

A tourist strolling down Calle la Nave would be forgiven for going right past the Colegio del Patriarca without noticing it. From the street, the building is not much to look at. Severe, unadorned stone comprises the building’s four walls, lacking any striking features. The Colegio resembles nothing more than a heavy brick, dropped into the center of the city. Arches running along the south and west sides do add some levity, but the effect is minimal.

The most interesting feature of the facade is the massive twin doors — and those are unfortunately situated within spitting distance of the beautiful University building, La Nau. As detailed in the introduction, the Colegio houses two separate functions, a seminary and a chapel, and each has its own giant wooden door. It’s easy to guess which is which. The door on the right side is unassuming and functional, with no unnecessary bits & pieces. But the left-side door is ornate — designed to impress.

Yep: the fancy door is the chapel’s

The chapel door is bordered with 4 marble columns, and crowned by a detailed sculpture of the Patriarch’s coat of arms. The coat of arms features a golden chalice and the patriarchal cross & cap, along with an inscription from Genesis: “And what shall I do now unto thee, my son?” This is the emblem of the Colegio, and found repeatedly within its walls.

Detail above chapel door

Above the coat of arms, you’ll see the Colegio’s original name, “Corpus Christi”, as well as the year of its inauguration, 1603.

Let’s step inside the door. Look toward the ceiling, and you’ll notice a large fresco, painted in 1610 by Bartolomé Matarana. His work can be found elsewhere on the grounds.

Again, the coat of arms is prominent

The entrance to the chapel is, naturally, impressive. It’s made of Corinthian stone and shares features of the larger, outer door: grooved columns and the coat of arms. And like the outside doors, this one is made of Austrian pine, with brass handles and bronze nailing.

You might notice something else on your visit. Something which seems a little out of place in the atrium of a chapel. Something like a gigantic, preserved alligator mounted on the wall above the holy water. Meet “The Dragon of the Patriarch”… whose legend we’ll detail in this series’ next post.

Boo!

Real Colegio y Museo del Patriarca
Visiting Hours: Daily, from 11:00 to 13:30h
Museum: €1.50
Location on our Valencia Map

Related:
Colegio del Patriarca - Introduction & History

This is the first in what will be a collection of posts about the Colegio del Patriarca (location). There’s a lot to say about this extraordinary building, and we’d like to delve deeper than the length of a single post would comfortably allow.

In this post, clicking any image will open up a larger version

Over the centuries, the Colegio del Patriarca has come to be known after its founder, “The Patriarch” San Juan de Ribera. Its original name, however, is the Real Colegio de Corpus Christi. You might hear it referred to as both.

Location

The structure is massive, occupying a city block and housing both a seminary and a chapel. It’s located off Calle La Paz, directly across from the University of Valencia’s “La Nave” (itself a remarkable building). The seminary is still active, and reputedly among the most loyally maintained in all of Spain. The chapel, in which there are multiple daily services, is beautiful and completely bedecked in paintings by some of 16th century Spain’s best renaissance artists.

Daily at 9:30 (except Mondays) you can hear Gregorian chanting in the chapel — worth dropping in for. In addition, the building hosts a small but impressive museum.

San Juan de Ribera (Luis de Morales)

San Juan de Ribera was born in Sevilla in 1532, into a family already powerful within Spain and the Catholic church. But, the silver spoon doesn’t diminish his accomplishments or intellect — at 10 years of age, he enrolled the renowned University of Salamanca, and he achieved his doctorate in Sacred Theology when he was just 25.

King Philip II was a great friend to the Ribera family, which surely influenced the pope’s decision to name the 30-year old Juan as the bishop of Bajadoz. Just 6 years later, in 1569, he became Archbishop of Valencia — then one of Spain’s largest and most unruly cities with 12,500 inhabitants.

The young Ribera was an active advocate on behalf the Valencian community, involving himself in many charitable undertakings of both religious and civil nature. He also helped expel moors from Valencia, which isn’t considered ‘charitable’ today, but probably won him mad props back in the day of the Counter-Reformation.

His pet project and grand achievement was the founding of the Real Colegio de Corpus Christi, for the instruction of young priests. The Colegio was inaugurated on February 8th, 1604, with a massive ceremony attended by King Felipe III.

Ribera died at 74 years of age, on January 6th, 1611. In a neighboring town, a friar giving Holy Mass supposedly saw his spirit ascend to heaven, accompanied by a host of angels. Liars — they existed even hundreds of years ago!

While the Patriarch was still in his non-spirit form, he wrote a detailed set of Constitutions for the running of the seminary. These continue to guide the students who live in the building, detailing the spiritual and literary exercises, times of classes, the hours to open and close doors, eating times and seating places for meals, rules for ceremonies, as well as penalties for bad students — including expulsion. The Constitutions have given Ribera an enduring presence in the Colegio, which helps explain the reverence in which he’s still held. His portraits and likenesses are found all over the grounds.

Sculpture of San Juan de Ribera

Ribera was beatified in 1796 and Pope John XXIII made him a saint on June 12th, 1960.

In future posts, we’ll be looking at the building that the saint built — its facade, atrium and the artistic treasures it houses — and also relate a few stories, including one about a dragon (!)

Real Colegio y Museo del Patriarca
Visiting Hours: Daily, from 11:00 to 13:30h
Museum: €1.50
Location on our Valencia Map