The springs of the starred vault of the Chapel of the Lonja in Valencia and other Valencian starred vaults. Geometric analysis

Abstract

The geometric analysis and the design and execution process of the springs of the starred vault that covers the Chapel of the Lonja de los Mercaderes in Valencia (Spain), built in the late 15th century is the subject of study and research in this paper. The springs of other starred vaults are also mentioned, such as the one that covered the chapter house of the Valldigna monastery (Simat, Valencia) or those of the church of San Bartolomé in Jávea (Alicante). The geometry of the basket arches that start from the springs, the arrangement of the courses in the tas-de-charge, and the way in which the intersection of the five arches that start from the springs occurs in a horizontal plane located above the springer corbel, is shown. Other geometric relationships are shown, such as the one that relates the height of the horizontal spring planes with the general geometry of the vault; or the way in which the springs were designed and executed with the finality of relating or ruling out possible authorship of other vaults.