Description
The Former Hospital of Santa Creu is one of Tortosa's most remarkable 18th-century civil buildings. Located at the end of Carrer de la Mercè, close to the Royal Colleges, it stands on the site where the city's former Grammar School, one of Tortosa's earliest educational institutions, had been established at the beginning of the 14th century.
In the 1760s, the Grammar School was replaced by the new Hospital of Santa Creu, which took over the role of the medieval hospital originally located outside the city walls. Besides providing healthcare, the building also served as a retaining wall and helped channel floodwaters from the adjacent ravine, protecting this part of the city during periods of heavy rainfall.
Its imposing façade is one of its most distinctive features. The grand ashlar-framed portal is crowned by an inscription commemorating the building's charitable purpose. The sculptures above the entrance were created by the Aragonese sculptor Francisco del Condado, while two carved stone coats of arms of Tortosa can be seen on either side of the main façade.
Between 1914 and the 1940s, the building housed Tortosa City Hall. Today it is home to the city's law courts, continuing its long history as one of Tortosa's most important public and institutional buildings.
