Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/931

* VALENCE. 795 VALENCIA. of the Rlione, below the confluence of the Is&re (Map: France, L 7). The Cathedral of Saint Appolinairc, in the oiKl Aiivcr^iiatUoinaiiosiiue style, consecrated in lU'.io, contains au ajjse with colonnade. The Maison des Tetes (sixteenth century), with its beautifully decorated windows and its front sculptured with heads of Homer, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and Hippocrates, and the fine paintings of the Church of .Saint Jean Hap- tiste are worthy of mention. There is a line suspension bridge over the Rhone. Across the river lie the interesting ruins of the Crussol, a twelfth-century castle. The printing of linen and cotton fabrics, the manufacture of Hour and tinned foods, and agriculture are im- portant indvistries. The vineyards are of great extent. Population, in ISOli 10,970; in 1901, 20,IUt). 'alence is the Valencia of the Romans. VALEN'CIA, fipnn. pro». va-liin'the-a. The name of a former kingdom of Spain, comprising the present provinces of ^'alencia, Alicante, and Castellon de la Plana. The region is bounded on the north by Aragon and Catalonia, on the cast by the Mediterranean, on the south by ilurcia, and on the west by ilurcia. New Castile, and Aragon. Area. SSoO square miles. The surface is of a broken mountainous character, with some small plains scattered along the coast and in the up- lands of the southwest. The plains bordering the Mediterranean abound in lagoons, from many of which salt is derived in large quantities. There are few good harljors. The most important rivers are the Segura, C4uadalaviar, Jiicar. and Mijares. The rainfall varies greatly, and the cold north winds and the hot southwest winds are very dry. The temperature varies from the extreme summer heat of the lower coast plains and valleys to the extreme winter cold of the inland moimtain regions. With this variation in temperature and rainfall there is a wide variety of agricultural products. Wlieat and other cereals are grown in fairly large quantities, but their yield is sur- passed by that of the vine. rice, sugar, and fruits, among which the exports of oranges and figs have the lead. The stock-raising interests of the section are important. The mining industry is not very large, lignite, iron, lead, and zinc being produced in small quantities. In manufactures Valencia ranks next to Catalonia and has extensive textile establishments, iron and copper foundries, distilleries, sugar mills, and potteries. The fisheries and the curing of salt fish also employ a considerable portion of the population. The inhabitants, who preserve manv traits of the Moorish admixture, in 1900 num- bered 1.587, .5.33. Upon the dissolution of the Caliphate of Cordova in the early part of the eleventh century, ^'alencia became an independent kingdom. Toward the close of the century it passed under the rule of the Almoravides, who ■were supplanted half a century later by the Alniohades. In 1238 the city of Valencia was taken by .James I. of Aragon, who soon became master of the region. VALENCIA. A Mediterranean seaport of Spain, capital of the Province of Valencia. 18.5 miles east-southeast of Madrid, on the right bank of the Guadalaviar. two and a half miles from its mouth (Map: Spain. E 3). As the former cap- ital of the Kingdom of Valencia it retains many traces of Moorish occupancy. The surrounding ToL. XIX.— «i. huerta resembles a vast shady orchard and bears magnificent groves of citron, orange, and mul- berry. The city itself is picturesque in the crowded, narrow, and winding streets of the older portioji and charming in the broader streets and luxuriant iihmis and pascos of the newer part, its climate is mild an<l very dry. The public buildings are numerous and interest- ing architecturally and because of their historical signilicance. Among the important churches the Cathedral La Seo wcupies first place. This struc- ture was begun in 12G2 and completed in 1482. Tlu' Church of San Andres contains some beau- tiful frescoes and paintings of .Juanes, Uibalta, and Vergara. The former Coiivento ihd Carmen is now utilized for the Provincial .Museum of Paintings, with a very complete collection rep- resenting the Valencian school and some notable foreign works. La Lonja (the silk exchange), the centre of the conuncrcial life of the cily, is a beautiful Gothic structure, built on the" site of the iloorish Alcazar. The Aduana. a superb structure erected for a custom house by Charles IV., is now occupied as a tobacco factory, em- ploying 4000 operatives. The provincial hospi- tal, housed in a fifteenth-century structure, ac- commodates (iOOO patients amuially. The orna- mental Plaza de Toros. or bull ring, reputed the best in Spain, seats 17.000 spectators. The Plaza del Mercado is the largest of the public squares of the city; others of note are the Plaza del Principe Alfonso, the Plaza de Tetuiin, the site of the old Citadel, and the Plaza de la Keina. a busy shopping and cafg centre. Modern improve- ments include the introduction of tramways, of gas and electricity, an adequate water supply, and a sewerage system. The harbor of 'alcncia is one of the most secure on the Jleditcrrancan coast. The chief exports are rice, melons, oranges, and other fruits, green and dried, wines, silks, raw and spun, and an excellent quality of olive oil. In 1898 more than 1200 vessels entered and cleared. The industries of the city include to- bacco manufacturing, silk spinning, and hemp and linen weaving. There are also manufactures of velvet, hat [ilush, felt, gloves, fans (a special product), iron and bronze ware, leather goods, and pottery ware, especially the mosaic bricks known as azulejos, for which there are more than twenty establishments in the environs of the city. The agricultural industries of the vicinitj' are also important. Valencia is the seat of one of the foremost universities of Spain. (See Valenci., University of. ) The population, illustrating in character and physical traits the early Moorish admixture, numbered, in 1900, 215.087. Valencia first appears in history in B.C. 138, when it was given the Jus Latinum. It was destroyed by Pom|)ey. captured by the Visigoths in 413, and by the Moors in 714. In 1021 it became the capital of an independent Moori.sh kingdom. In 1095 it was captured by the Cid, but the Moors subsequently assumed con- trol, until its final capture by .Tames I. of Aragon in 1238. The expulsion of the Mori.scoes at the beginning of the seventeenth century greatly crippled its prosperity, and by espousing the Austrian side during the War of Spanish Suc- cession, it lost many of its ancient privilegQS. In 1812 it was captured by Suchet and remained in the possession of the French until the follow- ing year.