Valencian Gothic

Valencian Gothic is an architectural style. It occurred under the Kingdom of Valencia between the 13th and 15th centuries, which places it at the end of the European Gothic period and at the beginning of the Renaissance. The term “Valencian Gothic” is confined to the Kingdom of Valencia and its area of influence, which has its own characteristics.

Characteristics
The common characteristics of the Valencian Gothic are the following:

Development of the architecture by techniques already used in Roman architecture and of the Mediterranean countries. On these lines, the Kingdom of Valencia was influenced by arriving from France.
Clear predominance of the architecture of the cultures of the Mediterranean countries respect of the influence of the French Gothic.
The architectural proportions do not change with the arrival of the Renaissance.
Divergence with the classic Gothic style.
Clear influence of Flamboyant Gothic, which confers uniqueness.
Cladding and concealment during the 17th to 19th centuries of the Valencian Gothic by newer styles such as the Baroque or the Neoclassical, so today much of the Valencian Gothic remains hidden.
Little impact of mudejar architecture, but in spite of this, there are interesting examples of mudejar architecture in the Valencian Community, that given the occasional use, are of great singularity.

Architecture
The Valencian Gothic is characterized in the architecture by its halls and churches of great horizontal amplitude with emphasis in the structural part supported by buttresses and minimal and austere decorations.

Almost all the important buildings are in populations of certain importance, where they arose in the XIII and XIV centuries, since in the field the moriscos abounded, predominantly the Christians in the cities.

The most outstanding architects within Valencian Gothic are: Pere Compte, Francesc Baldomar, Pere Balaguer, Andreu Julià, etc.

Religious architecture
he Valencian Gothic was common and common throughout the Kingdom of Valencia, being very numerous examples of Valencian religious Gothic architecture. These are some of the most outstanding:

Province of Alicante
In Alicante, the Basilica of Santa María, Procathedral of San Nicolás de Bari.
In Castalla, the Hermitage of the Blood.
In Jávea, the Church of San Bartolomé.
In Orihuela, the Cathedral of Orihuela.
In Teulada, the Church of Santa Catalina.
In Villena, the Arciprestal Church of Santiago and the Church of Santa María.

Province of Castellón
In Alcora, the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption.
In Burriana, the Basilica of El Salvador.
In Castellfort, the Hermitage of San Pedro.
In Castellón, the Cathedral of Santa María and El Fadrí.
In Jérica, the Hermitage of San Roque.
In Morella, the Church of Santa María.
In San Mateo, the Archpriest Church of San Mateo
In Segorbe, the Cathedral Basilica of Segorbe.
In Vallibona, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin.

Province of Valencia
In Ademuz, the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Huerta.
In Alfauir, the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Cotalba.
In Carcaixent, the Hermitage of San Roque de Ternils.
In Castielfabib, the fortress Church of Our Lady of the Angels and the Hermitage of Our Lady of Grace.
In Gandia, the Collegiate Church of Santa María and the Convent of Santa Clara.
In Luchente, the Corpus Christi Monastery.
In Serra, the Cartuja de Porta Coeli.
In Simat de la Valldigna, the Monastery of Santa María de la Valldigna.
In Valencia, the Cathedral of Valencia, the tower of El Miguelete, the Church of San Juan del Hospital, the Church of San Martín, the Old Convent of Carmen, the Convent of Santo Domingo, the Church of Santa Catalina, the Monastery of Trinidad, the Church of San Nicolás de Bari, the Church of San Agustín, etc.
In Xativa, the Church of San Francisco, the Hermitage of Santa Ana, etc.

Civil architecture
During the 15th century the Valencian Gothic was profusely used with expertise in civil architecture, whose most universal example, although certainly not the only one, is the Lonja de Valencia (1482-1498), declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Its author was the architect Pere Compte.

The outstanding works within the Valencian civil gothic architecture are numerous.

Province of Alicante
In Cocentaina, the Palace of the Counts of Cocentaina and the Castle of Cocentaina.
In Alcoy, the palace of the Camil Visedo archaeological museum.

Province of Castellón
In Cinctorres, the Palace of the San Juan.
In Villafamés, the palace of the Museum of Villafamés.
In San Mateo, Town Hall of San Mateo.

Province of Valencia
In Gandía, the Ducal Palace of Gandia and the Hospital of San Marcos.
In Valencia, the Lonja de Valencia, the Palace of the Generalitat Valenciana, Benicarló Palace, the Torres de Serranos, Torres de Quart, the Almudín de Valencia, Portal de la Valldigna, the Atarazanas del Grao, the Casa del Almirante, Palacio de Joan de Valeriola, Palace of the Escrivà, etc.
In Xativa, Almuda de Xativa.
Featured architects
Pere Compte
Francesc Baldomar
Pere Balaguer
Andreu Julià

Gothic-Mudejar Valencian architecture

Cloister of the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Cotalba, in Alfauir (Valencia).
Valencian Gothic was characterized by the little influence it had on Mudejar architecture. Despite this, there are very interesting examples of Mudejar architecture in the Valencian Community, which, given the occasional use, are of great singularity.

Province of Castellón
In Jérica, the Mudejar Tower of the Alcudia.
In Onda, the Church of the Blood.
In Segorbe, coffered ceiling of the Hall of Sessions of the old Doge’s Palace (now the seat of the Segorbe Town Hall).

Province of Valencia
In Alfauir, the cloister of the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Cotalba.
In Godella, the chapel of the Christ of Peace in the Church of San Bartolomé Apóstol.
In Lliria, the Church of the Blood
In Sagunto, the old church of Sagunto.
In Torres Torres, the Arab baths.
In Valencia, the Baños del Almirante.

Figurative arts
Valencian gothic painting
Valencia will become the seat of the most important pictorial school of international Gothic painting in the Iberian Peninsula. In the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia is the majority of Valencian Gothic painting, in addition to having the largest collection of Gothic painting in Spain.

The pictorial school of the Valencian Gothic will stress its main focus in Valencia and will be composed by teachers such as Lluís Dalmau, Lorenzo Zaragoza (Altarpiece of Jérica), Pere Nicolau (altarpiece of Sarrión), the German Marzal de Sax (great altarpiece of San Jorge), Gonçal Peris, Miguel Alcañiz, Antoni Peris, Jaume Mateu or Juan Rexach.

In Valencia also worked the witch Louis Alincbrot, connoisseur of the work of Jan van Eyck, established in the capital of the Turia from 1439 to 1460, Jacomart, from 1451, author of the altarpiece of Catí, and Juan Rexach, who is attributed the altarpiece of San Martín, in the cathedral of Segorbe. Also, it is necessary to emphasize the figure of Rodrigo de Osona, with the altarpiece of the Calvary of the church of San Nicolás, of 1476, with a strong influence of Rogier Van der Weyden; being a key figure in the transition to Renaissance painting, along with Vicente Macip.

Valencian Gothic sculpture
Gargoyle of the Lonja de la Seda in Valencia, an example of Valencian gothic sculpture.
The sculptural production of Valencian Gothic, still little known by the general public, is currently being rediscovered by various specialists who emphasize its value. 2 In this field we can highlight the sculptural work of the renowned Pere Compte in buildings such as the Lonja de la Seda and the upper cloister of the Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba, among other buildings.

Source from Wikipedia