The town's exceptional geographical location and the fertile soil of the Ebro Valley, described by Cristòfor Despuig in Los Col·loquis de la insigne ciutat de Tortosa, decisively determined the town's economy and wealth throughout history. These geographical features, together with the control of the river mouth, guaranteed commercial and military control of a region that would gradually flourish with the progress of the Christian conquest and made Tortosa a prosperous, affluent town in both medieval and modern times.

16th century Tortosa became one of Catalonia's foremost cultural and artistic centres in the Renaissance era, developing and producing some of the most important and unique parts of our culture and heritage that we know today.

The Middle Ages ended with a long crisis that culminated in a civil war (1462-72) between King Joan II and the Generalitat (the Catalan Government). This was worsened by major social conflicts in both rural areas and the town, the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 and the Turkish expansion throughout the Mediterranean, which threatened trade with the east. Meanwhile, new geographical discoveries switched the country's main trade routes to the Atlantic.

Due to these events, the 16th century has always been viewed as a period of decadence, but nowadays there is fortunately a clear trend towards rediscovering and re-examining the time.

Although our town during this era has been little studied, there are various signs, such as the rich heritage passed down, which clearly disprove the clichéd 16th-century crisis. It seems that medieval Tortosa gained control over an extensive territory, both politically (the region) and ecclesiastically (the diocese), and was strong enough to overcome the consequences of the crisis that marked the twilight of the medieval world.

There is every sign that during the 16th century the town's economic and commercial activity carried on apace. The fundamental importance of navigation and trade along the Ebro river does not seem to have decreased: finished products were shipped from Tortosa to inland areas of the peninsula and raw materials (wool, grain, olive oil, meat and hides) were shipped downstream. The town's economic base was cattle raising, agriculture and craftwork.

The town's importance and representativeness can clearly be seen in the fact that at least six of the presidents of the Generalitat (the body responsible for maintaining relations with the monarchy, administering taxes approved by parliament and enforcing the country's constitutions) had close ties with Tortosa. These notably include Francesc Oliver de Boteller, abbot of Poblet, who governed the regional council or Diputació del General for two three-year terms (1587-90 and 1596-98). He was also the driving force behind many different architectural reforms at the Monastery of Poblet and the Palace of the Generalitat.

One of the other factors that strengthened the town against the outside world was the wealth and vastness of the diocese, the income of which substantially increased during the 16th century. The mitre of Tortosa was held by well-educated and highly esteemed men. These included Juan Cardona (Bishop of Tortosa, 1587-1589), who was involved in organising the library at El Escorial; and Adrian of Utrecht (educated at the Trilingual University of Louvain, the hub of Erasmianism, where he would later hold the post of professor of theology), who was the private tutor of Charles I and was appointed governor general of the kingdom when Charles I travelled to Germany to be crowned emperor. Adrian of Utrecht took over the See of Tortosa in 1516. Shortly afterwards he was appointed cardinal and he was finally elected pope in 1522 with the name Adrian VI.

It comes as no great surprise then that the emperor decided to build a college in the town for the education and indoctrination of the converted Moors or new Christians. The Dominican Baltasar Sorió, a lector of the See, and Bishop Juan Izquierdo played an essential role in this project, in addition to encouraging the development of the college, Col·legi de Sant Jordi i Sant Domènec and the Universitat Reial (Royal University). The Dominican order thus gave rise to and encouraged a generation of intellectuals and provided an important cultural and artistic spotlight that would filter into many aspects of the town's life.