Jewish Heritage - Monsaraz Tour
On this Tour we'll visit the main monuments of Evora with an emphasis on the Jewish religion. I've worked with the Department of Jewish Studies at the University of Évora and participated in some archaeological excavations of ancient Synagogues. In Monsaraz we have a small Jewish Quarter where we still find some Mezuzahs on the portals. The ancient Synagogue, which may also have been a Visigoth Basilica, is the Church of Santiago and an exhibition space. In Monsaraz the Inquisition had a small office where it gathered the cases against the New Christians. The Church never had much power in Monsaraz and was afraid that the population would revolt. The persecuted were tried and sentenced in Évora. With the terrible "Autos-de-Fé" being held in Praça do Giraldo also in Évora. Near Monsaraz we have the Guadiana River that divides Portugal and Spain. In medieval times the crossing of the river was done in a boat managed a Jewish Faith family. Near Monsaraz there was the Village of teh Gomes, unfortunately this village was abandoned and destroyed. Gomes is the surname of an important Jewish Faith and New Christians family. Gomes is also my wife's last name......
The Jews probably arrived in the Iberian Peninsula with the Phoenicians in the Iron Age. The Phoenicians were a group of city-states with different religions and similar languages. In the Roman City of Ammaia, in the Municipality of Marvão, we have the oldest archaeological evidence of the Jewish faith in what is now Portuguese territory. A Roman ringstone depicting the Menorah and other symbols related to the Jewish faith from the 2nd or 3rd century. Jews began to be discriminated against in the Roman Empire when Christianity became the official religion in the 4th century. In the 5th century several Germanic tribes arrived in Iberia including the Visigoths. These Arian Christians ended up conquering the entire Peninsula converting to Catholicism in the 6th century. The persecution against the Jewish faith continued. Only with the arrival of Islam in Iberia, at the beginning of the 8th century, did the Jews enjoy some religious freedom. With the reconquest, persecution returned. In the 15th century the Inquisition was born and in 1492 the Jews were expelled from Spain. D Manuel also ended up expelling them from Portugal in 1496. A third of the Jewish population was effectively expelled or exiled. Two-thirds were forcibly converted to Christianity. The latter became known as New Christians. Some have secretly maintained the traditions of their faith to this day. The Crypto Jews of Belmonte are the best example
