Valencia streets

3 days in Valencia, Spain -12/11/18 - 12/14/2018

Day 2-Streets of Valencia 12/12/2018

Church of san Juan de Mercat

Church of San Juan del Mercad (Saint John of the Market) is a Roman Catholic Church located in the Mercat neighborhood. It was built in the 14th century and its original architecture is gothic in style. The church was originally built as a hermitage on the site of an old mosque in 1240. It was reconstructed in the 14th and 16th centuries due fire damage. Its baroque style dates back to the end of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th centuries.

The center is surmounted by a clock tower, and a roofline dominated by statues of the Juanes (john's): including the Baptist, the Evangelist, and Saints Francesco Borgia and Luis Bertrán.

The church is classified as a National Historic and Artistic Monument.

The main facade, looking out on the Plaza del Mercado and facing the Lonja, and has become a meeting point, it was given special attention creating a reredos in which the central figure of the Virgen del Rosario stands out.

The church from the corner of Carniceros street.

This side of the church is totally different from the main facade which is totally ornate compare with how plain this facade is.

Streets along the way...

Torres de Serrans

The Serrans Gate or Torres de Serrans is one of the twelve gates that formed part of the ancient city wall, the Christian Wall (Muralla cristiana), of the city of Valencia. It was built in Valencian Gothic style at the end of the 14th century (between 1392 and 1398) by Pere Balaguer. It was the main entrance to the city and it was originally built with a defensive function. From 1586 until 1887 the towers were used as a prison for nobles.

Commissioned by the Valencian government, the Serrans Towers were built by the architect Pere Balaguer, who was inspired by other Gothic gates with polygonal towers, such as the Porta de Sant Miquel in Morella and the Royal Gate (Porta Reial) of the Poblet Monastery, showing Genoese influences

View of building from the ground floor. It is an important landmark and one of the best preserved monuments of Valencia.

The walls consist of very solid stone, as their main purpose was fortification. However, they are covered with a cladding of limestone, mainly from Alginet, a town near Valencia, in order to give the building a more luxurious, distinguished appearance.

Of the ancient city wall, which was pulled down in 1865 on the orders of the provincial governor Cirilio Amorós, only the Serrans Towers, the 15th century Quart Towers, and some other archaeological remains and ruins, such as those of the Jewish Gate (Puerta de los Judíos) have survived.

For a long time, its main purpose was to defend the city in the event of a siege or attack, but it was also regularly used for ceremonies, such as official welcoming ceremonies for ambassadors and kings, as it was (and still is) deemed to be the main entrance to the city.

View of the towers from the ground floor.

In 1397, when the works were nearly finished, it became apparent that the access to the main floor had to be improved. An enormous, monumental stone staircase was built, enlarging the building and facilitating its use for welcoming parties. The works were completed in March 1398.