Editing James I of Aragon (section)

==Patronage of art, learning, and literature==
[[File:Generalitat95.jpg|thumb|200px|Posthumous portrait in the [[Generalitat Valenciana]]]]
James built and consecrated the [[La Seu Vella|Cathedral of Lleida]], which was constructed in a style transitional between [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] and [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] with little influence from [[Islamic architecture|Moorish styles]].<ref name="Chaytor96">Chaytor, 96.</ref>

James was a patron of the [[University of Montpellier]], which owed much of its development to his impetus.<ref name="Chaytor96" /> He also founded a ''[[studium generale|studium]]'' at Valencia in 1245 and received privileges for it from [[Pope Innocent IV]], but it did not develop as splendidly.<ref name="Chaytor96" /> In 1263, James presided over a debate in [[Barcelona]] between the Jewish [[rabbi]] [[Nahmanides]] and [[Pablo Christiani]], a prominent ''[[converso]]''.

James was the first great sponsor and patron of vernacular Catalan literature. Indeed, he may himself be called "the first of the Catalan prose writers."<ref name="Chaytor93">Chaytor, 93.</ref> James wrote or dictated at various stages a chronicle of his own life in Catalan, ''[[Llibre dels fets]]'', the first autobiography by a Christian king. As well as being a fine example of autobiography, the "Book of Deeds" expresses concepts of the power and purpose of monarchy, examples of loyalty and treachery in the [[feudalism|feudal]] order, and medieval military tactics.  More controversially, some historians have looked at these writings as a source of [[Catalan people|Catalan]] identity, separate from that of [[Occitania]] and [[Roman Empire|Rome]].

James also wrote the ''[[Libre de la Saviesa]]'' or "Book of Wisdom." The book contains proverbs from various authors, reaching from the time of [[King Solomon]] to nearly his own time with [[Albertus Magnus]]. It even contains maxims from the medieval Arab philosophers and from the ''[[Apophthegmata Philosophorum]]'' of [[Honein ben Ishak]], which was probably translated at Barcelona during his reign. A [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] translator by the name of Jehuda was employed at James's court during this period.<ref name="Chaytor93" />

Though James was himself a prose writer and sponsored mostly prose works, he had an appreciation of verse.<ref name="Chaytor94">Chaytor, 94.</ref> In consequence of the [[Albigensian Crusade]], many [[troubadour]]s were forced to flee southern France and many found refuge in Aragon. Notwithstanding his early patronage of poetry, by the influence of his confessor [[Ramon de Penyafort]], James brought the [[Inquisition]] into his realm in 1233 to prevent any vernacular translation of the [[Bible]].<ref name="Chaytor94" />