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TORTOSA

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Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 72 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TORTOSA , a fortified See also:

city of See also:north-See also:east See also:Spain, in the See also:province of See also:Tarragona; 40 M. by See also:rail W.S.W. of the city of Tarragona, on the See also:river See also:Ebro 22 M. above its mouth. Pop. (1900), 24,452. Tortosa is for the most See also:part an old walled See also:town on the See also:left See also:bank of the river, with narrow, crooked and See also:ill-paved streets, in which the houses are lofty and massively built of See also:granite. But some parts of the old town have been rebuilt, and there is a See also:modern suburb on the opposite See also:side of the Ebro. The slope on which old Tortosa stands is crowned with an See also:ancient See also:castle, which has been restored and converted into See also:barracks and a See also:hospital. All the fortifications are obsolete. The See also:cathedral occupies the site of a Moorish See also:mosque built in 914. The See also:present structure, which See also:dates from '1347, has its See also:Gothic See also:character disguised by a classical See also:facade with Ionic pillars and much tasteless modernization. The stalls in the See also:choir, carved by Cristobal de See also:Salamanca in 1588-1593, and the See also:sculpture of the pulpits, as well as the See also:iron-See also:work of the choir-railing and some of the See also:precious See also:marbles with which the chapels are adorned, deserve See also:notice. The other public buildings include an episcopal See also:palace, a town-See also:hall and numerous churches. There are manufactures of See also:paper, hats, See also:leather, See also:ropes, See also:porcelain, See also:majolica, See also:soap, See also:spirits, and ornaments made of See also:palm leaves and See also:grasses.

There is an important See also:

fishery in the river, and the See also:harbour is accessible to vessels of too tons See also:burden. See also:Corn, See also:wine, oil, See also:wool, See also:silk, fruits and See also:liquorice (a speciality of the See also:district) are exported. The city is connected with See also:Barcelona and See also:Valencia by the See also:coast railway, and with See also:Saragossa by the Ebro valley See also:line; it is also the See also:terminus of a railway to See also:San See also:Carlos de la Rapita on the Mediterranean. Near Tortosa are See also:rich quarries of See also:marble and See also:alabaster. Tortosa, the Dertosa of See also:Strabo and the Colonia Julia See also:Augusta Dertosa of numerous coins, was a city of the Ilercaones in Hispania Tarraconensis. Under the See also:Moors it was of See also:great importance as the See also:key of the Ebro valley. It was taken by See also:Louis the Pious in 811 (after an unsuccessful See also:siege two years before), but was soon recaptured. Having become a haunt of pirates, and exceedingly injurious to See also:Italian See also:commerce, it was made the See also:object of a crusade proclaimed by See also:Pope See also:Eugenius III. in 1148, and was captured by Ramon Berenguer IV., See also:count of Barcelona, assisted by See also:Templars, Pisans and Genoese. An See also:attempt to recapture the city in 1149 was defeated by the heroism of the See also:women, who were thenceforth empowered by the count to See also:wear the red See also:sash of the See also:Order of La Hacha (The See also:Axe), to import their clothes See also:free of See also:duty, and to precede their bridegrooms at weddings. Tortosa See also:fell into the hands of the See also:duke of See also:Orleans in 1708; during the See also:Peninsular See also:War it surrendered in 1811 to the See also:French under See also:Suchet, who held it till 1814.

End of Article: TORTOSA

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