“On the 5th of October, traveling three leagues from Jesús del Valle, we arrived at the very noble city of Valencia, head of the whole realm of Valencia. It is on a very big and very beautiful plain…..on this plain, close to the sea, we find this very populous city, much bigger than Barcelona, very well populated, with many counts, barons, with a duke and more than 500 gilded knights, and nobles without number.”
The Art Historian/Historian Speaks (5/26/2011):
What goes around comes around. Münzer’s journey was a snapshot in time. In 1494, Barcelona was very much in decline, and Valencia was a boom town—in Crown of Aragon lands, it was the most prosperous and important city at this time, beginning with the favor of Alfonso V “el Magnánimo” and continuing with the kickbacks from the Borja/Borgia family (now riding high with the papacy of Alexander VI). By the early 16th century, it would be eclipsed by Seville, as New World trade developed. In 2011, Barcelona now has a population of over 1,500,000 within its city limits, while Valencia is at 850,000.
Valencia would have a second boom in the 18th century, so few of the 15th century monuments remain intact, the general rule of thumb being that boom times bring extensive renovations. In recent years, there has been restoration of 15th century monuments, so now they are very clean and intelligent—but seen through the filter of art historians, archaeologists and urban restoration: what goes around comes around.
What Münzer saw in Valencia: Prominent Buildings and Convents:
The Cathedral: The Cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It has an archbishop, twenty-four canons, vicars, cantors and sacristans. There are thus two hundred priests for that Church. They lead a very canonical and religious life. The building is exquisitely constructed, the choir stalls excellently carved, with a hundred and forty four seats. The tower is quite high. We ascended it by two hundred and six high vaulted stairs. At the top, the contemplation of the situation of the region and the city was a marvelous sight for us. The tower is octagonal and high. Its width on top was twenty paces. The construction of the church, as I said, is magnificently executed. Its length measures a hundred and fifty six paces, its width, fifty-three. It is in the form of a cross. It has more than twenty chapels separated by columns. The sum of its altars is fifty-six. It is quite tall and very well vaulted. One could write many things about it.
Convents: “There are also many and illustrious monasteries of both sexes. In that of Saint Augustine there is a chapel of the Virgin Mary that is famous for its great miracles. There we counted more than a hundred and twenty silver lamps, but not all of them were lit. It is the custom among the Spaniards to fulfill their vows to God generally [by] making silver lamps, each according to his wealth. Never have we seen another city where the churches were so exquisitely adorned with altar ornaments and with gilded retablos as here….
There is a convent of nuns of the Order of Preachers of the Observance [Dominicans], called Saint Catherine of Siena. There are seventy nuns. I say that it was built two years ago. It is magnificent and surrounded by very ample walls…. Not far from this chapel is the monastery of nuns of the order of Preachers. It is very ample and all its walls, from the ground to the roof, are covered with the garments of the marranos who did penance, and of those who died at the stake, whose numbers are very great. On each sanbenito is written the name of the marrano.
Not far from this chapel is the monastery of nuns of the order of Preachers [Dominicans]. It is a very grandiose building with great cloisters and gardens. Outside of it is a magnificent chapel the Queen Isabel, now regent, had constructed with all splendor.
Outside of walls and near the Alcázar [fortress] of the king is the very noble and new monastery called the Santísima Trinidad. It is of the Friars Minor order. They are rich and live rigidly within their observance.”
You can find about ten stone-throws away from the gate of the wall the monastery of Santa María Jesús. They are Minor Brothers of the Observance. It is a recent foundation. Within its cloister, there is a pretty garden with lemon and citron trees and various myrtle topiary hedges; there are none better…. “
What Münzer Saw:
The nave of the Cathedral and two ambulatory chapels have been restored to their original architecture, though none of the altarpieces are in their original places. The choir is gone, but parts of its architecture have been moved and reconstructed in the adjacent Cathedral museum; there are also fragments of altarpieces in the same location. The silver altarpiece is long gone, though there are prints that show its original configuration. For a good historical study of the Cathedral, we refer you to
The bell tower (“el Miquelet”) is high, but it has only 188 steps to the top.
Of the convents, the church of San Augustín, (minus the Virgin’s chapel, and silver lamps), the chapel of Queen Isabel in the modernized convent of Santo Domingo, and the closed order of the Santísimo Trinidad are all that remain. The convent of Santa Catalina de Siena is now occupied by a Corte Inglés department store (only a street sign gives a clue to its location), and the site of Santa María de Jesús is now a pink commercial building at C/Jesús, 9.
What Münzer Could Have Seen:
Münzer does not mention the city walls, which no longer exist. Only two of the gates, Torre de los Serranos and the Torre del Quart, still mark where they were. What remains certainly speaks to the strong fortifications. Beyond them was the Turia River, drained after bad flooding in the 1950’s; the riverbed is now a green belt with parks and sports fields.
Valencia Cathedral preserves what is called the relic of the Holy Chalice. It’s strange that this isn’t mentioned. It’s now within the reconstructed choir wall in the museum.
Although he talks about all the glittering altarpieces, Münzer mentions none except the silver altarpiece of the Cathedral—probably because Germen craftsmen intervened. The altarpiece now has a blank center, with wings added in the 16th century by Fernando Yañez de la Almedina and Fernando de los Llanos. It seems strange to modern art historians that he does not discuss the frescoes recently done in the vaults of the capilla mayor by Italian painters Francesco Pagano, Pablo de San Leocadio and Master Riquart, brought by then-Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja (later Pope Alexander VI) in 1486, But again, this is modern art historical prejudice.
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