"La Seu" Church and the Royal Hospital (Xàtiva)

'La Seu' Church

The construction of the Col·legiata Basílica de Santa María began at the end of the 16th century on the site of an old mosque and was delayed for more than four centuries, and remains unfinished nowadays. Popularly known as La Seu de Xàtiva, despite the fact that the city has not seen its aspiration to become an episcopal see fulfilled, it has a Latin cross ground plan with an accentuated transept and ambulatory. The style and dimensions of the complex are typical of the great Gothic cathedrals, and its Herrerian influence stands out.

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On the outside of the Collegiate Church, three access doors stand out. The oldest is the one of Porta del Mercat, which is in a sober Renaissance style.

On the North façade is the baroque Porta dels Escalons. On the front, it can be observed a silhouette of the Castell (Castle) when all its towers were still conserved intact.

The third entrance, the Porta principal de la Seu (main door of la Seu), was not completed until the first third of the 20th century and is notable for the bronze figures of popes Calixte III (Calixtus III) and Alexandre VI (Alexander VI).

The campanar (bell tower), dating from the 19th century, has a height of 60 metres, which can be reached by 180 steps and is crowned by a small temple dedicated to the patron saint of the city, the Verge de les Neus.

Inside the church there is the main altar, where the pink marble columns of Buixcarró stand out, as well as a polychrome wood carving of the Mare de Déu de la Seu, made by Mariano Benlliure.

The ambulatory leads to Museu de la Col·legiata (Museum of the Collegiate Church), which conserves the main treasures of la Seu, with outstanding pieces of Gothic painting and goldsmith’s work. This collection includes a silver processional cross from the end of the 14th century, as well as a gold chalice given by Calixte III (Calixtus III). There is also the Custòdia Major, a piece of flamboyant Gothic goldsmith’s work dating from the 15th century. Finally, we must mention the Retaule de Santa Ana, also known as the altarpiece of Calixte III (Calixtus III).

HERITAGE / XÀTIVA

The Royal Hospital

The Hospital Reial (Royal Hospital) is one of the most emblematic monuments in Xàtiva. It was founded by Jaume I in 1244 and represents the fusion of the last Gothic architecture with the first Renaissance pieces.

In the conflagration of 1707, the building was particularly damaged, although it was rebuilt at the beginning of the 18th century, and its rooms were decorated with tile wainscoting from the Real Fábrica de València. Thanks to the exhibition La Llum de les Imatges, in 2006, the chapel was restored as a visitor reception centre, and is currently the headquarters of the Borgia space.

The access to the Gothic chapel is through the right doorway, which has an ogee arch surrounded by flamboyant pinnacles. The image of the Verge amb el Xiquet (the Virgin with Child) is completed by a series of musical angels superimposed on the last archivolt.

The central doorway is in the Renaissance style and consists of a triumphal arch with Doric pilasters, frieze, pediment and niches.

Four large windows of Gothic reminiscence are open above this entrance, giving visual balance to the whole, which is crowned by a gallery of small semicircular arches, very similar to those of Florentine palaces of that period.