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Lonja de la Seda or dels Mercaders

Valencia's Silk Exchange, declared a World Heritage Site in 1996 by UNESCO, was built in the Valencian Golden Age (15^th Century). Designed by Pere Compte, this building, built to house commercial transactions, has become a leading example of civil gothic art and an ideal location to hold world class cultural events.

One such event is the X Festival of Music, History and Art, which takes place on 27^th and 28^th November and has recently been included on the European Early Music Network (EEMA). This has helped to secure its reputation on the national and international music scene, putting it on a par with some of the most prestigious European festivals in the field of historic music.

The decorative features of the Silk Exchange include its stunning main facade, in the historic Plaza del Mercado or market square, its 28 gothic gargoyles, the Trading Room, with its impressive spiral columns and the garden or Orange Tree Courtyard. The Tower, a two storey construction, houses the chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and the prison for delinquent merchants.

The Exchange housed the ancient Consulate of the Sea Tribunal, a Valencian institution dating back to the 13^th Century that deals with maritime and commercial legal matters, and also the Taula de Canvis, founded in 1407 by the City's Municipal Council, which earned tremendous prestige for its solvency and volume of banking transactions.

Lonja de la Seda o dels Mercaders

Valencia/València

X Festival de Música Antiga