Editing Valencia (section)

==Main sights==
Its historic centre is one of the largest in Spain, spanning approximately {{Convert|169|ha|acre}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ayto-valencia.es/ayuntamiento/webs/estadistica/inf_dtba/pub/Districte_01.pdf |title=Districte 1. Ciutat Vella |work=Oficina d'Estadística. Ajuntament de València |language=ca-valencia, es |year=2008 |access-date=16 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100405033648/http://www.ayto-valencia.es/ayuntamiento/webs/estadistica/inf_dtba/pub/Districte_01.pdf |archive-date=5 April 2010 }}</ref> Major monuments include [[Valencia Cathedral]], the ''[[Torres de Serranos|Torres de Serrans]]'', the ''[[Torres de Quart]]'' ([[:ca:Torres de Quart]]), the ''[[Lonja de la Seda]]'' (declared a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]] in 1996), and the ''[[Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències]]'' (City of Arts and Sciences), an entertainment, cultural and architectural complex designed by [[Santiago Calatrava]] and [[Félix Candela]].<ref name=CAC>{{cite web |url=http://www.cac.es/ |title=Sitio oficial de Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias |access-date=18 September 2011 |author=Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias |year=2011 |work=Cac.es |archive-date=23 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123101327/http://www.cac.es/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Museu de Belles Arts de València]]'' houses a large collection of paintings from the 14th to the 18th centuries, including works by [[Velázquez]], [[El Greco]], and [[Francisco Goya|Goya]], as well as an important series of engravings by [[Giovanni Battista Piranesi|Piranesi]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://museobellasartesvalencia.gva.es/ |title=MUSEO DE BELLAS ARTES DE VALENCIA |access-date=12 October 2011 |work=Museobellasartesvalencia.gva.es |editor=Generalitat Valenciana |archive-date=25 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525050236/http://museobellasartesvalencia.gva.es/historia.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Institut Valencià d'Art Modern]]'' (Valencian Institute of Modern Art) houses both permanent collections and temporary exhibitions of contemporary art and photography.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ivam.es/ |title=Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno |access-date=12 October 2011 |work=Ivam.es |editor=Generalitat Valenciana |archive-date=16 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016083759/http://www.ivam.es/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Architecture===
The ancient winding streets of the Barrio del Carmen contain buildings dating to [[Roman Empire|Roman]] and [[Al-Andalus|Arab]] times. The [[Saint Mary of Valencia Cathedral|Cathedral]] and its bell tower [[Miguelete Tower|El Miguelete]], built between the 13th and 15th centuries, are primarily of [[Valencian Gothic]] style but contains elements of [[baroque architecture|Baroque]] and [[Romanesque architecture]]. Beside the cathedral is the [[Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken]] ''(Basílica De La Mare de Déu dels Desamparats)''. The 15th-century ''Serrans'' and ''Quart'' towers are part of what was once the wall surrounding the city.

[[UNESCO]] has recognised the Silk Exchange market ''([[Lonja de la Seda|La Llotja de la Seda]])'', erected in early Valencian Gothic style, as a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/782 |title=La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia |work=[[UNESCO World Heritage Centre]] |access-date=9 March 2011 |publisher=[[United Nations]] |archive-date=14 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514032507/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/782 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Central Market (''[[Mercado Central, Valencia|Mercat Central]]'') in [[Valencian Art Nouveau]] style, is one of the largest in Europe. The main railway station [[Estació del Nord (Valencia)|''Estació Del Nord'']] is built in [[Valencian Art Nouveau]] (a Spanish version of [[Art Nouveau]]) style.

World-renowned Valencia-born architect [[Santiago Calatrava]] produced the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences ''([[Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències]])'', which contains an opera house/performing [[arts centre]], a [[science museum]], an [[IMAX]] cinema/planetarium, an oceanographic park and other structures such as a long covered walkway and restaurants. Calatrava is also responsible for the bridge named after him in the centre of the city. The [[Palau de la Música de València]] (Music Palace) is another noteworthy example of modern architecture in Valencia.
<gallery mode="packed">
file:Plaça maededéu1.jpg|[[Valencia Cathedral]]
File:València, pati del palau de l'Almirall.jpg|The gothic courtyard of the Palace of the Admiral of Aragon (''Palau de l'Almirall'')
File:Convento de Santo Domingo, Valencia, España, 2014-06-29, DD 13.JPG|Convento de Santo Domingo (1300-1640)
file:Lonja Techo Fisheye.jpg|[[Llotja de la Seda]] (Silk Exchange, interior)
File:Mercado de Colón, Valencia, España, 2014-06-29, DD 09.JPG|[[Mercado de Colón|Mercat de Colon]] in [[Valencian Art Nouveau]] style
Valencia,_palazzo_de_marchese_di_Dos_Aigües,_esterno_01.jpg|[[Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas]]
file:Mercat façana5.jpg|[[Mercado Central, Valencia|Mercat Central]] (Central Market), in [[Valencian Art Nouveau]] style
File:València, Paseo Real Basilica Nuestra Señora-PM 51920.jpg|One of the few arch-bridges that links the cathedral with neighboring buildings. This one built in 1666.
File:WLM14ES - CONVENTO DE SAN MIGUEL DE LOS REYES DE VALENCIA 06122009 130023 00062 - .jpg|Monastery of San Miguel de los Reyes built between 1548 and 1763
File:Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, València, Valencia, Spain - panoramio (3).jpg|L'Hemisfèric ([[IMAX Dome]] cinema) and [[Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia]]
file:El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe – Bilim ve Uzay Müzesi.jpg|[[Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe]]
file:Ágora, Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, Valencia, España, 2014-06-29, DD 58.JPG|[[Assut de l'Or Bridge]] and [[L'Àgora]] behind.
</gallery>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Santjoanhospital pati.jpg|Sant Joan de l'Hospital church built in 1316 (except for a Baroque chapel)
File:Baños del Almirante 01.JPG|[[Mudéjar]] (Christian) baths Banys de l'Almirall (1313-1320)
File:Qk-Antoni-Peris-detalle-06.jpg|The [[Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia]], is the museum with the second largest amount of paintings in Spain,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/2014/10/22/5447a69e22601d56348b4582.html |title=La segunda pinacoteca de España cumple 175 años y mira al siglo XXI |newspaper=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]] |date=22 October 2014 |access-date=4 April 2019 |author=EFE |author-link=EFE |publisher=[[Unidad Editorial Información General]] S.L.U. |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404195835/https://www.elmundo.es/comunidad-valenciana/2014/10/22/5447a69e22601d56348b4582.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://elpais.com/ccaa/2017/01/12/valencia/1484235074_394875.html |title=El San Pío V, segunda pinacoteca de España, culmina su ampliación |newspaper=[[El País]] |date=12 January 2017 |first=Cristina |last=Vázquez |access-date=4 April 2019 |publisher=[[Prisa]] |archive-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404171430/https://elpais.com/ccaa/2017/01/12/valencia/1484235074_394875.html |url-status=live}}</ref> after Prado Museum
File:Patriarca dins.jpg|[[Real Colegio Seminario del Corpus Christi]]
</gallery>

===Cathedral===
[[File:Cimbori almoina abril 1.jpg|thumb|upright|Northern view of the cathedral: dome, apse, and the Basilica of Our Lady]]
The [[Valencia Cathedral]] was called ''Iglesia Major'' in the early days of the ''Reconquista'', then ''Iglesia de la Seu'' (''Seu'' is from the Latin ''sedes'', i.e., (archiepiscopal) See), and by virtue of the papal concession of 16 October 1866, it was called the ''Basílica Metropolitana''. It is situated in the centre of the ancient Roman city where some believe the temple of Diana stood.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022|reason=Need a source for this statement.}} In Gothic times, it seems to have been dedicated to the Holy Saviour; [[El Cid|the Cid]] dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin; King [[James I of Aragon]] did likewise, leaving in the main chapel the image of the Blessed Virgin, which he carried with him and is reputed to be the one now preserved in the sacristy. The Moorish mosque, which had been converted into a [[Christian Church]] by the conqueror, was deemed unworthy of the title of the cathedral of Valencia, and in 1262 Bishop Andrés de Albalat laid the cornerstone of the new Gothic building, with three naves; these reach only to the choir of the present building. Bishop Vidal de Blanes built the chapter hall, and James I added the tower, called [[Miguelete Tower|El Miguelete]] in [[Castilian Spanish]] or Torre del Micalet in the [[Valencian language]] because it was blessed on St. Michael's day in 1418.{{Citation needed|date=January 2022|reason=In working the new Miguelete article, I did not see a source for this.}} The tower is about {{convert|58|m|ft|abbr=off}} high and is topped with a [[bell tower|belfry]] (1660–1736).

In the 15th century the dome was added and the naves extended back of the choir, uniting the building to the tower and forming a main entrance. Archbishop Luis Alfonso de los Cameros began the building of the main chapel in 1674; the walls were decorated with marbles and bronzes in the [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] style of that period. At the beginning of the 18th century, the German Conrad Rudolphus built the façade of the main entrance. The other two doors lead into the transept; one, that of the Apostles in pure pointed Gothic, dates from the 14th century, the other is that of the Palau. The additions made to the back of the cathedral detract from its height. The 18th-century restoration rounded the pointed arches, covered the Gothic columns with [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]] pillars, and redecorated the walls.

The dome has no lantern, its plain ceiling being pierced by two large side windows. There are four chapels on either side, besides that at the end and those that open into the choir, the transept, and the sanctuary. It contains many paintings by eminent artists. A silver [[reredos]], which was behind the altar, was carried away in the war of 1808, and converted into coin to meet the expenses of the campaign. There are two paintings by [[Francisco Goya|Francisco de Goya]] in the San Francesco chapel. Behind the Chapel of the [[Blessed Sacrament]] is a small [[Renaissance]] chapel built by [[Pope Calixtus III|Calixtus III]]. Beside the cathedral is the chapel dedicated to the Our Lady of the Forsaken ''([[Virgen de los Desamparados|Mare de Déu dels Desemparats]])''.

The ''Tribunal de les Aigües'' (Water Court), a court dating from Moorish times that hears and mediates in matters relating to irrigation water, sits at noon every Thursday outside the ''Porta dels Apostols'' (Portal of the Apostles).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realitysense.com/valencia-water-court-tribunal-de-las-aguas/ |title=Valencia's unique 'Water Court' |date=25 September 2009 |publisher=Reality Sense |access-date=31 January 2011 |archive-date=21 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021221049/http://www.realitysense.com/valencia-water-court-tribunal-de-las-aguas |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Hospital===
[[File:Palau generalitat9.jpg|thumb|left|[[Palace of the Generalitat Valenciana|Palau de la Generalitat Valenciana]]]]
In 1409, a hospital was founded and placed under the [[patronage]] of [[Santa María de los Inocentes|Santa Maria dels Innocents]]; to this was attached a confraternity devoted to recovering the bodies of the unfriended dead in the city and within a radius of {{cvt|5|km}} around it. At the end of the 15th century this confraternity separated from the hospital, and continued its work under the name of "Cofradia para el ámparo de los desamparados". King [[Philip IV of Spain]] and the [[Duke of Arcos]] suggested the building of the new chapel, and in 1647 the [[Viceroy]], [[Conde de Oropesa]], who had been preserved from [[Bubonic plague|the bubonic plague]], insisted on carrying out their project. The Blessed Virgin was proclaimed patroness of the city under the title of ''Virgen de los desamparados'' (Virgin of the Forsaken), and Archbishop Pedro de Urbina, on 31 June 1652, laid the cornerstone of the new chapel of this name. The archiepiscopal palace, a [[grain trade|grain market]] in the time of the Moors, is simple in design, with an inside cloister and achapel. In 1357, the arch that connects it with the cathedral was built. Inside the council chamber are preserved the portraits of all the prelates of Valencia.

===Medieval churches===
[[File:SantaCatalina - Vertorama.jpg|thumb|upright=0.65|Baroque belfry of the Gothic [[St. Catherine's Church, Valencia|Santa Catalina Church]]]]
{{stack|[[File:Iglesia de los Juanes, Valencia, España, 2014-06-29, DD 19.JPG|thumb|Sant Joan del Mercat Church (14th c.-1700)]]}}
*[[Church of Santos Juanes, Valencia|Sant Joan del Mercat]] – Gothic parish church dedicated to John the Baptist and Evangelist, rebuilt in the Baroque style after a 1598 fire. The interior ceilings were frescoed by [[Antonio Palomino|Palomino]]. 
*[[San Nicolás, Valencia|St. Nicolas]]
*[[St. Catherine's Church, Valencia|Santa Catalina]]
*[[St. Stephen's Church, Valencia|Sant Esteve]]

''El Temple'' (the Temple), the ancient church of the [[Knights Templar]], which passed into the hands of the [[Order of Montesa]] and was rebuilt in the reigns of [[Ferdinand VI of Spain|Ferdinand VI]] and [[Charles III of Spain|Charles III]]; the former convent of the [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], at one time the headquarters of the ''Capitan General'', the cloister of which has a Gothic wing and chapter room, large columns imitating [[Arecaceae|palm trees]]; the ''Colegio del Corpus Christi'', which is devoted to the Blessed Sacrament, and in which [[Eucharistic adoration|perpetual adoration]] is carried on; the [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] college, which was destroyed in 1868 by the revolutionary Committee of the Popular Front, but later rebuilt; and the ''Colegio de San Juan'' (also of the Society), the former college of the nobles, now a provincial institute for secondary instruction.

===Squares and gardens===
[[File:Plaça de l'Ajuntament de València, País Valencià.JPG|thumb|left|Plaça de l'Ajuntament]]
The [[List of city squares by size|largest plaza]] in Valencia is the ''Plaça del Ajuntament''; it is home to the [[Valencia City Hall|City Hall]] ''(Ajuntament)'' on its western side and the central post office ''(Edifici de Correus)'' on its eastern side, a cinema that shows classic movies, and many restaurants and bars. The plaza is triangular in shape, with a large cement lot at the southern end, normally surrounded by flower vendors. It serves as ground zero during the [[Falles|Les Falles]] when the fireworks of the ''[[Mascletà]]'' can be heard every afternoon. There is a large fountain at the northern end.

The ''[[Plaça de la Mare de Déu]]'' contains the Basilica of the Virgin and the Turia fountain, and is a popular spot for locals and tourists. Around the corner is the [[Plaza de la Reina]], with the cathedral, orange trees, and many bars and restaurants.

The [[Turia (river)|Turia River]] was diverted in the 1960s, after [[1957 Valencia flood|severe flooding]], and the old riverbed is now the Turia gardens, which contain a children's playground, a fountain, and sports fields. The ''[[Palau de la Música de València|Palau de la Música]]'' is adjacent to the Turia gardens and the City of Arts and Sciences lies at one end. The [[Valencia Bioparc]] is a zoo, also located in the Turia riverbed.

Other gardens in Valencia include:
*The ''[[Jardins de Monfort|Jardíns de Monfort]]'' ([[:es:Jardines de Monforte]])
*The ''[[Botanical Garden of Valencia]]'' (Jardí Botànic)
*The ''[[Jardines del Real|Jardins del Real]]'' or ''Jardins de Vivers'' (Del Real Gardens) are located in the Pla del Real district, on just the former site of the [[Real Palace|Del Real Palace]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.valencia.es/ayuntamiento/infociudad_accesible.nsf/vDocumentosWebListado/FF9C0E294CBAE260C12572C20023FD3B?OpenDocument&bdOrigen=&idapoyo=&nivel=8&lang=1 |title=Ayuntamiento de Valencia. Jardines del Real – Jardines de Viveros |access-date=29 May 2015 |author=Ayuntamiento de Valencia |date=2010 |website=www.valencia.es |archive-date=29 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529065133/http://www.valencia.es/ayuntamiento/infociudad_accesible.nsf/vDocumentosWebListado/FF9C0E294CBAE260C12572C20023FD3B?OpenDocument&bdOrigen=&idapoyo=&nivel=8&lang=1 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Museums===
[[File:Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències.jpg|thumb|The [[Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències]] complex designed by Valencian architect [[Santiago Calatrava]] and Madrilenian architect [[Félix Candela]]]]
[[File:Valencia-L'Oceanogràfic2.jpg|thumb|[[L'Oceanogràfic]], located within the complex of the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, is currently the largest aquarium in Europe, housing 45,000 animals of 500 species.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oceanograficvalencia.com/info-oceanografic-valencia/ |title=Información Oceanografic de Valencia |first=WebMan - |last=www.webmandesign.eu |work=oceanograficvalencia.com |access-date=30 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013062510/http://oceanograficvalencia.com/info-oceanografic-valencia/ |archive-date=13 October 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>]]

*[[Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències]] (''City of Arts and Sciences''). Designed by the Valencian architect [[Santiago Calatrava]], it is situated in the former Túria riverbed and comprises the following monuments:
**[[Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía]], a flamboyant opera and music palace with four halls and a total area of {{convert|37000|m²|sigfig=3|abbr=on}}.
**[[L'Oceanogràfic]], the largest aquarium in Europe, with a variety of ocean beings from different environments: from the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], fishes from the ocean and reef inhabitants, [[shark]]s, [[mackerel]] swarms, [[dolphinarium]], inhabitants of the [[polar region]]s ([[Beluga (whale)|belugas]], [[walrus]]es, penguins), coastal inhabitants (sea lions, etc.). L'Oceanogràfic also exhibits  smaller animals such as [[coral]], [[jellyfish]], [[sea anemone]]s, etc.
**[[El Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe]], an interactive museum of science built to resemble the skeleton of a whale. It has an area of around {{convert|40,000|m2|0|abbr=off}} across three floors.
**[[L'Hemisfèric]], an IMAX cinema ([[:es:L'Hemisfèric]])
*[[Prehistory Museum of Valencia|Museu de Prehistòria de València]] (Prehistory Museum of Valencia)
*[[Valencian Museum of Ethnology|Museu Valencià d'Etnologia]] (Valencian Museum of Ethnology)
*[[Vicente Blasco Ibáñez|Blasco Ibáñez]] House Museum
*[[Institut Valencià d'Art Modern]] - IVAM – Centre Julio González (Valencian Institute of Modern Art)
*[[Museu de Belles Arts San Pío V|Museu de Belles Arts de València]] (Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia)
*Museu Faller ([[Falles]] Museum)
*[[Valencia History Museum|Museu d'Història de València]] (Valencia History Museum)
*L'Almoina Museum (Centre Arqueològic de l'Almoina), located near the Cathedral
*[[Natural Science Museum of Valencia]], located at Jardins del Real
*Museu Taurí de València ([[Bullfighting]] Museum)
*MuVIM – Museu Valencià de la Il·lustració i la Modernitat (Valencian Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity)
*[[González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts]], housed in the [[Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas]]
*Computer Museum, located within the Technical School of Computer Engineering at the [[Technical University of Valencia]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://museo.inf.upv.es |title=Museo de Informática &#124; Web del Museo de Informática de la UPV |publisher=Museo.inf.upv.es |access-date=24 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918030031/http://museo.inf.upv.es/ |archive-date=18 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>