Colegiata de Gandia - Porta de Santa Maria

Calze del Papa Calixt III, col·legiata de Xàtiva

WLM14ES - CATEDRAL DE VALENCIA 08122007 121909 00035 -

The Route of the Borgias is a cultural route, that includes sites associated with the Borja or ''Borgia'', located in their native

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The marketing of the route was inaugurated in 2007.Source:

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

Paseo por la historia de los Borja.
The Borgias were a family of Aragonese origin, who settled in the

Kingdom of Valencia Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

, after its King

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 1276 ...

wrested control from Moorish rulers. In most translations, the family is known as the Borgia, the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

way of transcribing the ''Borja'' surname from

Valencian Valencian () or Valencian language () is the official, historical and traditional name used in the Valencian Community (Spain), and unofficially in the Carche, El Carche comarca in Región de Murcia, Murcia (Spain), to refer to the Romance lan ...

. The Popes

Callixtus III Pope Callixtus III ( it, Callisto III, va, Calixt III, es, Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia ( va, Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his ...

and

Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (; ca-valencia, Cèsar Borja ; es, link=no, César Borja ; 13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was an Italian ex- cardinal and '' condottiero'' (mercenary leader) of Aragonese (Spanish) origin, whose fight for power was a major ...

and

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Govern ...

and

Francis Borgia Francis Borgia ( ca-valencia, Francesc de Borja; es, Francisco de Borja; 28 October 1510 – 30 September 1572) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. The great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, he was Duke of Gandía and a grandee of Spain. After th ...

are the best-known figures of this lineage that originated in

Canals Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or river engineering, engineered channel (geography), channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport watercraft, vehicles (e.g. ...

and

Xàtiva Xàtiva (, es, Játiva ) is a town in eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, on the right (western) bank of the river Albaida and at the junction of the Valencia–Murcia and Valencia Albacete railways. It is located 25 km west ...

, and via

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

came to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, then return to Valencia to refound the

Duchy of Gandia A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a medieval country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between " ...

. The route through the legacy of the Borgias has its beginning in the city of

Gandia Gandia ( es, Gandía) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, eastern Spain on the Mediterranean. Gandia is located on the Costa del Azahar (or ''Costa dels Tarongers''), south of Valencia and north of Alicante. Vehicles can acce ...

and ends in

passing through various monuments and Valencian towns where the Borja left their mark.

Itinerary

The route includes the following monuments and towns:

: *

Collegiate Basilica of Gandia The Collegiate Basilica of Santa Maria of Gandia, also known as "La Seu", is the principal church of the city of Gandia, (Valencia). Construction commenced in the 14th century. The Collegiate Church of Santa María is a Valencian Gothic construct ...

Ducal Palace of Gandia The Ducal Palace of Gandia was, from the 14th century, the residence of the Royal Dukes of Gandía, and from 1485, the Borja family. It was the birthplace of Saint Francis Borja. The oldest part of the building dates from the 15th century in Va ...

* Convent of Santa Clara *

Sant Marc Hospital The Archaeological Museum of Gandia is a center where is shown the archaeological heritage of La Safor and Gandia area, but especially, the materials of the Parpalló cave. In 1972, with the collaboration of the Diputación de Valencia, was offi ...

Alfauir Alfauir (; es, Alfahuir) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Safor in the Valencian Community, Spain. Main sights *Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba, constructed between the 14th and 18th centuries. *Church of the Mare de Déu del Roser ...

Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba The Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba (; es, San Jerónimo de Cotalba, "Saint Jerome of Cotalba") is a monastic building of Valencian Gothic, Mudéjar, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical styles constructed between the 14th and 18t ...

Simat de la Valldigna Simat de la Valldigna () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Safor in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is 50 km from Valencia, and 20 km from Cullera and Gandia. It is also near Xàtiva and Alzira. It is one of the four village ...

* Monastery of Santa María de la Valldigna Albaida * Palace of Milà i Aragó

Castelló de Rugat Castelló de Rugat ( es, Castellón de Rugat) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Vall d'Albaida in the Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous commun ...

*Remains of the Ducal Palace

Oratory of the Borgias The Oratory of the Borgias or Church of the Tower is located in the municipality of Canals (Valencia), Spain. It is a church built in early Valencian Gothic style, probably in the 13th century. It is located in front of the Borgias Tower and has ...

Tower and walls of the Borgias The Tower and walls of the Borgias of the Valencian municipality of Canals (Spain), is a Bien de Interés Cultural with the code 46.23.081-003 and Ministerial annotation R-I-51-0010524 with date April 3, 2000. Is also known in valencian as ''Torre ...

* Collegiate Basilica of Xàtiva * Natal house of Alexander VI * Hermitage of Santa Ana

Llombai Llombai is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Ribera Alta in the Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populo ...

*Church of the Holy Cross

Valencia Cathedral Valencia Cathedral, at greater length the Metropolitan Cathedral–Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia ( es, Iglesia Catedral-Basílica Metropolitana de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora de Valencia, ca-valencia, Església Cated ...

* Palace of the Borgias *

University of Valencia The University of Valencia ( ca-valencia, Universitat de València ; also known as UV) is a public research university located in the city of Valencia, Spain. It is one of the oldest surviving universities in Spain, and the oldest in the Vale ...

(Estudio General) * Church of San Nicolás Castellnovo ( Castellón) *Castellnovo Castle

The Route step by step

: The vestige of the Borgia in Gandia is extensive. * The

was expanded by Maria Enriquez de Luna, widow of the second duke, Juan Borgia, and daughter-in-law of

. She had the Apostles Door built by the famous sculptor

Damià Forment Damià Forment (Valencia ca. 1475/1480 – Santo Domingo de la Calzada, 1540) was a Valencian Spanish architect and sculptor, considered the most important Spanish sculptor of the 16th century. Forment studied in Rome and Florence before returning ...

and had the major altarpiece, nowadays disappeared, painted by Paolo da San Leocadio. * Most of the Borgia dukes and their descendants were born in the

, built in times of the royal dukes. The arms courtyard, the crown assembly hall, the eagles' hall and the stunning gold gallery are worth seeing. Inside the building you can find the Space of Emotions (Espacio de las Emociones), a centre for virtual interpretation that will carry the visitor back to the Borgia time. * The Convent of Santa Clara has an important art collection bequeathed by the Borgia. Several monasteries were founded over the peninsula from this convent, such as the

Convent of Las Descalzas Reales The Convent of Las Descalzas Reales ( es, Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales) is a royal monastery situated in Madrid, Spain, administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. History The ''Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales'', literally the "Monaste ...

of Madrid or the one in Setubal (

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

). The pine tower, from the 16th century, was part of the wall enlargement carried out by the IV Duke of Gandia,

Saint Francis Borgia Francis Borgia ( ca-valencia, Francesc de Borja; es, Francisco de Borja; 28 October 1510 – 30 September 1572) was a Spanish Jesuit priest. The great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, he was Duke of Gandía and a grandee of Spain. After t ...

. His successor, Carlos Borgia, founded the convent of Sant Roc, which is now a cultural centre and was a baroque church in the 18th century. * The

was governed by the Dukes of Gandia, is today the archaeological museum of the city (MaGa).

* The

founded in 1388 and located about eight kilometres outside

, came under the protection of the

House of Borgia The House of Borgia ( , ; Spanish and an, Borja ; ca-valencia, Borja ) was an Italian-Aragonese Spanish noble family, which rose to prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They were from Valencia, the surname being a toponymic from the town ...

in the 16th century. The Duchess of Gandia, Maria Enríquez de Luna, widow of the duke Giovanni Borgia and daughter-in-law of the

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...

, financed the monastery's enlargement such as the upper cloister of late

Valencian Gothic Valencian Gothic is an architectural style. It occurred under the Kingdom of Valencia between the 13th and 15th centuries, which places it at the end of the European Gothic period and at the beginning of the Renaissance. The term "Valencian G ...

style or the medieval cistern of the Orange Tree Patio. Later, also

frequented the monastery and his wife, Leonor de Castro, lady and intimate friend of the Empress

Isabella of Portugal Isabella of Portugal (24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was the empress consort and queen consort of her cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and La ...

, spent her last days in it recovering from her ailments.

* In Simat we can find the Monastery of Santa María de la Valldigna, a Cistercian monastery built in 1298 by Jaime II. Rodrigo Borgia and his son Cesare were the monastery abbots. From its remains is possible to see the royal door, the convent, the chapter-house, the cloister and the abbot palace. Different earthquakes have destroyed the church and the one that is possible to see nowadays has a baroque style. Albaida * Palace of Milà i Aragó: The palace was constructed by the cardinal

Luis de Milà y de Borja Luis Julian de Milà y de Borja (1432 Xàtiva, Kingdom of Valencia, Crown of Aragon – 1510 Bèlgida, Kingdom of Valencia, Crown of Aragon) was a cardinal of the Catholic Church. His parents were Juan de Milà and Catalina de Borja, daughter ...

, nephew of the

Pope Callixtus III Pope Callixtus III ( it, Callisto III, va, Calixt III, es, Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia ( va, Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his ...

, who after being papal vicarious in Rome, built this palace in the center of the municipality.

: According to the tradition, Alfonso Borgia, the future

Pope Calixtus III Pope Callixtus III ( it, Callisto III, va, Calixt III, es, Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia ( va, Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his ...

, was born in the Tower of Canals. * Opposite the tower we can find the

, with a medieval altarpiece about the

Last Judgement The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

, by the master of Borboto. Both buildings are worth visiting. Xativa: The legacy of the Borja in Xativa is important. * In the Collegiate Basilica of Xàtiva where different members of the Borgia family are buried, is possible to see at the museum the altarpiece of the cardinal Alfonso Borgia and a silver chalice with the name of the Pope

Calixtus III Pope Callixtus III ( it, Callisto III, va, Calixt III, es, Calixto III; 31 December 1378 – 6 August 1458), born Alfonso de Borgia ( va, Alfons de Borja), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his ...

and another artworks of the Borgia family. * Natal house of Alexander VI: Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, was born in Xativa and was christened in the church of San Pedro in 1431. Both, the birthplace and the church can be visited. * Another Borgian place in Xativa is the Hermitage of Santa Ana, patron saint of the family.

: The legacy of the family in the capital of the

was numerous. * In the

the

had the Chapel of "San Pedro" (

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

) built. The

, before becoming pope, ordered the Italian painter Paolo da San Leocadio to paint frescoes for the dome of the apse. This was part of the beginning of the Italian

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

painting in

. In the chapel devoted to

there are two

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

canvasses for the fourth duke of Gandia. * The Palace of the Borgias, built by the first duke of Gandia and son of Alexander VI,

Pedro Luis Borgia Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning ...

, is currently the headquarters for the Valencian Parliament (Cortes Valencianas). * The

(Estudio General) was founded in 1500 thanks to the papal bull of the Pope

. Its Renaissance cloister is worth seeing. * In the Church of San Nicolás, of which the

was rector before becoming Pope, in the door that overlooks to the square of San Nicolás, is remembered with tiles the prediction of

Saint Vincent Ferrer Vincent Ferrer, OP ( ca-valencia, Sant Vicent Ferrer , es, San Vicente Ferrer, it, San Vincenzo Ferreri, german: Sankt Vinzenz Ferrer, nl, Sint-Vincent Ferrer, french: Saint Vincent Ferrier; 23 January 1350 – 5 April 1419) was a Valencian D ...

according to which Alfonso de Borja would become Pope and then will canonize him.

Bibliography

*José María Cruselles Gómez
Los Borja en Valencia. Nota sobre historiografia, historicismo y pseudohistoria

.
Bibliography of the Route of the Borgias
Cámara de Valencia. * Santiago La Parra: "La ruta valenciana de los Borja". Escapadas-Punto Cero. Gandía, 1997. . * Antoni Atienza Peñarroja. "Els Borja, valencians". Editorial L'Oronella. Valencia. 2003. * Martí Domínguez: "Els Borja". CEIC "Alfons el Vell", Gandia, 1985. . * VV.AA.: Los Borja: del mundo gótico al universo renacentista (cat.exposición), Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia, Generalitat Valenciana, 2001. * VV.AA.: El hogar de los Borja (cat.exposición), Ajuntament de Xàtiva, 2001. * VV.AA.: Xàtiva. L’espai del Borja. Itinerari fotográfic, Ajuntament de Xàtiva, 1992. * VV.AA.: Els Borja a la sotsgovernació de Xàtiva (cat.exposición), Ajuntament de Xàtiva, 1994. * VV.AA.: Xàtiva, Els Borja. Una projecció Europea (cat.exposición), Ajuntament de Xàtiva, 1994.

References

External links

The Route

Official website of The Route of the Borgias

The Route of the Borgias

Guide of the route

The Route of the Borgias in Xativa

The Monuments

Website of the Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba

Website of the Ducal Palace of Gandía

Website of the Collegiate Basilica of Santa María of Gandía

Monastery of Santa Maria de la Valldigna

Website of the Collegiate Basilica of Xàtiva

Official site of Valencia Cathedral

{{coord missing, Spain House of Borgia History of the Valencian Community Monastery of Sant Jeroni de Cotalba Tourism in the Valencian Community Tourist attractions in the Valencian Community Cultural tourism in Spain