Arnau Marco o Jeroni Martorell? La llotja de Tortosa als segles XIV i XX

Abstract

This text has two clearly different parts. In the first one, I will argue that the form and the architectural principles of the merchants’ exchange (llotja) of Tortosa are the result of the building’s reconstruction in the 1930s, rather than the consequence of the original 14th century structure. In effect, despite its medieval origins, the present-day appearance of the edi fice is strongly determined by the ideas of the noucentista movement, which in the 1930s took it as the starting point for the evolutive “cycle” of the architectural typology of the Catalan llotja. In the second part of this contribution, I will review the professional career of Arnau Marco, the master builder in charge of the construction of the medieval llotja. I am also including an annex that lays out the constructive sequence of the medieval monument, as well as a second annex that contains a selection of documents about Arnau Marco.