The old quarter of Tortosa is very close to the Ebre, a river which has been a natural entry from the sea to the interior of the Peninsula, since time gone by. Tortosa is a city linked to river trade and cultural exchange. Saracens, Jews and Christians inhabited the city and left a rich historical and artistic heritage which can still be visited nowadays.
The first established town centre was based around La Suda Castle, of Muslim origin. This building is in the highest part of the city above the old quarter, and with Christian occupation it became a public prison and royal residence. The structure of the castle underwent many modifications during the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, when military requirements forced the building of several small forts, like the walled site of Avançades de Sant Joan.
Santa Maria Cathedral was built at the foot of the castle in the fourteenth century, in Gothic style, but with a Baroque façade. The building has a basilica floor-plan with three naves and no transept. The Baroque chapel of the Mare de Déu de la Cinta is very intereting. However, a visit here must include the Cathedral Museum where you will see an Arab chest of wood and ivory, silver from the high altar, the smaller one of two relics of Mare de Déu de la Cinta, and 200 paintings, sculptures, and gold pieces from the twelfth century.
The Episcopal Palace, in front of the Cathedral, was built between the thirteenth and fourteenth century, and stands around a patio. The chapel itself has an incredible sculptured portal and half star vault. To witness religious activity in the town, you should visit the Royal Schools, which is a group of buildings from the sixteenth, century founded by King Carles V and built by King Phillip II in order to educate the "Moriscos" Muslim converts to Christianity. There is a Renaissance courtyard, which is considered to be unique in Catalonia. A tour around the old centre should also include a walk along the Ebre or through the Jewish quarter, one of the oldest in Catalonia. Although most of the buildings are newer, there are still narrow, winding streets leading to small squares with wells.
Finally, it is recommended that you visit Eixample, where you can see some magnificent Modernist buildings that were built at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. One of the most representative buildings of Modernist architecture in Tortosa is the Town Slaughterhouse, by architect Pau Monguió. It was built on farmland near the river, and comprises a group of pavilions which combine open and closed areas. The Town Market is another typical building from that period. It is rectangular with a metallic structure in the ceiling. Part of the work on it was controlled by the architect Joan Abril.
The Town Tourist Office has a list of different, organized routes you can take to discover the special features of a Christian, Muslim and Jewish Tortosa and the arrival of Modernism.
SEE MAP
COMMENT