(ORDO NEWS) — In a small town near Seville, archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 14th-century synagogue. This is one of the five Jewish temples that survived in Spain after the expulsion of the Jews.
In 2016, the city council of Utrera, located in the southwest of Spain, in Andalusia, decided to buy a building in the city center.
It is known that at the end of the 15th century, the Misericordia hospital was located in the house, which enjoyed the patronage of the Spanish monarchs Isabella I and Ferdinand II.
This decision did not cause delight among the townspeople, since the amount of the transaction was very significant for the city budget – almost half a million euros.
Archaeologists have now reported that the purchase was justified: they found a 14th-century synagogue in the building, which is a rarity in Spain.
Before that, four such buildings were reliably known in the country: two – in Toledo, one – in Segovia, one more – in Cordoba. The synagogue in Utrera became the fifth.
In general, the local priest and historian Rodrigo Caro mentioned its approximate location at the beginning of the 17th century in his work.
Describing the city center, he specified that “Misericordia” was located in the former Jewish quarter and was built over the remains of a synagogue. Moreover, it was built in 1492 – we will return to this date.
Since then, the medieval walls have seen a lot: after the hospital, a Catholic church was set up in the building, and in our time there was a bar there.
Late last year, archaeologists led by Miguel Ángel de Dios cleared a room that was identified as a synagogue prayer hall with benches around the perimeter and a Torah Ark, a small niche that contained scrolls of Scripture.
Centuries of reuse and renovation have changed the building, but much of the synagogue’s original structure remains.
The city authorities plan to restore the original layout and walls, transfer the volume of the premises without damaging any important archaeological sites.
We do not know exactly when people from the land of Israel first came to the Iberian Peninsula. There are suggestions that this happened as early as the 1st millennium BC.
But in written sources, the first mention of Jews in the territory of this Roman province dates back to the beginning of the 4th century AD.
Christianity at that moment had not yet become the official religion of the Roman Empire, but it was already quite strong and began to fight with competitors – the Jews.
At the Council of Elvira, held in Granada no later than 316 AD, the first canons were adopted in an attempt to prevent the spread of Judaism in the peninsula.
Since the Christian priests could not influence the Jews themselves, these rules mainly concerned their own flock.
They provided for punishment for various kinds of connections with the Jews (marriage, sexual, and even household).
The very introduction of these rules suggests that the Jews of Roman Spain formed a quite prosperous community.
At first, it remained approximately the same under the Visigoths, who conquered the peninsula at the beginning of the 6th century.
The situation changed in the 7th century, when the Visigoth king Reccared I converted to Catholicism. He planned to create a unified religious space in his kingdom and began to tighten the screws.
Things got to the point that in 694, King Egika, referring to a far-fetched reason, decided to convert all Jews (even those who converted to Christianity) into slavery. The Jews did not wait and left Spain en masse.
The Arab conquest ended all these persecutions. The Arabs did not care whether they were Christians or Jews. Both those and others had to be persuaded to convert to Islam, but they did not intend to do this by force.
The Spanish Jews were given guarantees of security and even provided a fairly serious autonomy: for example, they had their own courts. In return, however, the conquerors imposed monstrous taxes on them.
It is known that since the 10th century there has been no persecution of Jews living in the Christian kingdoms of the peninsula.
Moreover, they acquired serious influence and power at the courts of certain monarchs: for example, they levied taxes and were the guardians of the treasury.
In the middle of the 15th century, the kingdom of Castile was going through difficult times: its economy was seriously undermined by wars.
Riots began, and the rulers announced that the Jews were to blame for everything. Queen Isabella I, who ascended the throne in 1474, restored to life most of the laws that limited the normal life of Jews, including those who were baptized.
And in 1492, at the end of the Granada War , Isabella I and Ferdinand II decided to completely expel the Jews from Spain. The process was led by the Grand Inquisitor himself – Thomas Torquemada.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.