BARCELONA

The presence of Jews in Barcelona has been documented since the existence of the Jewish
quarter in the city, though it is not known whether they already formed a community. In around 850,
tradition has it that there is a letter from the gaon Amram de Sura (Babylon) to the Jews of Barcelona.
In 877 the Jew Judacot served as an emissary between Charles II, the Bald, of France, and the people
of Barcelona and the handing over to the bishop Frodo of ten pounds of silver to repair their church.
During Almanzor's attack on Barcelona (985) several Jews died and the properties of those who had no
heirs passed into the hands of the count.
The Usatges of Barcelona (1053-1071) include some provisions relating to the Jews. The first
documentary evidence of a Jewish quarter in Barcelona dates back to the 11th century when a street is
mentioned que solebat ire ad callem judaicum. The wordcall means little road or alley. The names
spread to the whole set of streets occupied by the Jews, in other words, theJewish quarter, and the
community of Jews received the name of Moorish quarter. The municipal authorities had no
jurisdiction over the Call which was directly answerable to the king or the royal bailiffs, but as from
the 14th century restrictive ordinances for the Jews were issued referring solely to situations or actions
outside the Call quarter.
As in the rest of the Spanish communities, the Jews of Barcelona passed through different
stages of cohabitation with the rest of the city dwellers. Whilst in the 11th century the famous Jewish
writer and traveller Benjamn de Tudela described in his Book of journeys (Sefer Masaot) the
existence of a holy community of wise, prudent men and great princes, at other times, especially as
from the 14th and 15th centuries, the Jews of Barcelona saw how the Jewish quarter had become a
ghetto where they were segregated, confined and sometimes attacked. This came to pass in 1367, for
instance, when the main representatives of the Moorish quarter such as Nissim Girond, Hasday
Cresques and Isaac Perfet, were imprisoned in the actual Main synagogue and obliged to defend
themselves in proceedings involving a well-known case of the profanation of hosts by Jews in Girona.
Of the many references in Barcelona there is the unforgettable case of Montjuc, the Mons
Judaicus or mountain of the Jews where the Jewish community buried their dead for centuries.
The internal organisation of the Moorish quarter was carried out by the Jews themselves with
self-governance confirmed by royal privilege. The community was governed by an oligarchic regime
comprising rich, learned members; the leaders were called neemanim. A council formed by ten
members following the Barcelona municipal government model supervised the management of
the neemanim and controlled the executive body. Each community had the authority to enact
ordinances (taqqanot), regulations drawn up to regulate the community, religious, economic, social,
educational and ethical life of its members.
Inside the call the Jews lived according to the Jewish religious calendar, observed the
Sabbaths and religious festivals according to their laws and customs, studied classical texts like the
Bible and the Talmud, got married and divorced according to Jewish law, came before the bet
din when there were quarrels and maintained their own social, religious and teaching institutions. They
also developed their culture and created master pieces which would become part of universal Jewish
literature.
The ordinances enacted by the Moorish quarter were frequently confirmed by the monarchs.
In religious terms, the community administrators had to maintain public worship, supply
the kosher food and organise burials. A court with specialised judges acting according to the Jewish
law with the consent of the monarch was entitled to pronounce sentence amongst Jews in civil and
criminal cases.
The Jews treasure of the king, had the duty to pay taxes: every year the king required them
to pay a certain amount. The economic contribution was shared by the secretaries of the Moorish
quarter amongst the heads of households. To ensure better tax collection were created (group of Jewish
quarters) which also had to pay for dinners and extraordinary taxes when the king needed money for a
war or coronation feasts. The Jews maintained and looked after lions and other animals owned by the
king.

In 1079 the Jewish population had around seventy families whilst in the 14th century it
included about four thousand people. The growth in the number of families and the arrival of Jews
expelled from France made it necessary to expand their district; Minor Call was thus created.
The synagogue was the centre of the community; the scola where the most important feasts
were celebrated (circumcision, Bar Mitzvah, the public celebration of the Sabbath, Rosh ha
Shan (New
Year), Shavuot (Pentecost), Sukkot (feast
of
the
Booths),
Passover (Easter), Hanukkah (festival of Lights), Tisha be-Av (commemoration of the Temple)
and Purim (feast of Queen Esther) and also the place where assemblies and meetings were held,
notices were given, trials were staged and laws were applied...
As far as work was concerned, in the call the majority of Jews were craftsmen and artisans
such as weavers of silk veils, bookbinders, goldsmiths, maker of coral jewellery, shoemakers, lenders,
innkeepers and vendors; some also cultivated their land. They were also prominent as doctors, highly
appreciated by the Christians. On the other hand, they held posts within their community: politicians
such as secretary; administrative staff such as doorman and undertaker as well as those related with the
slaughter of animals to eat, inter alia. What's more, they held religious posts like rabbis and at the
Talmudic school. And thanks to their knowledge, the most prominent formed part of the royal court
and held public office: royal bailiffs, tax collectors, translators, ambassadors... Finally, it is worth
mentioning that they made a name for themselves in the cultural world as philosophers, men of letters,
scientists and translators and many of their works have survived until today.
During the first phase of the Jewish presence in Barcelona, the Jewish and Christian
communities maintained good relations, did business together and the count-kings entrusted public
office to Jews such as royal bailiffs, tax collector or ambassador.
Just because the call was a closed space this does not necessarily mean the Jews lived
isolated. In Montjuc, the mount of the Jews, as well as the cemetery they possessed farmland and
some houses and towers. On the Barcelona plain they owned a lot of land, in the main vineyards,
gardens, farmland and fruit trees; some of this land they cultivated themselves and other loan
collateral. The plain area where they had the most properties were, inter alia, Magria, Bederrida, Les
Corts, at Collserola, the outskirts of Rec Comtal... They also had houses and workshops in Sant Jaume
square and stalls at the Plaza del Blat market. Around Miracle (the current space of Parads Street
where the Roman temple used to be) was the abode in the 11th century of the Jewish money-changers
Bonhom, Enees and David in a space which recalled a residential area and which later was left outside
the Main call area.
In medieval Barcelona there were two Jewish districts: Main call and Minor call, also called
Sanahuja or ngela. Main call, the oldest site of a Jewish quarter was delimited by the line of the
Roman city wall between Arc de Sant Ramon del Call and Banys Nous, Call Street, the line of
buildings between Calles de Sant Honorat and Bisbe and Sant Sever. In this environment the recovery
of an old Jewish building served to house the new Call de Barcelona Interpretation Centre, maintaining
Sant Domnech del Call Street as the main thoroughfare. In addition to the Main Synagogue on Sant
Domnech del Call Street there was another of the main buildings of the Jewish community, the
butcher's, where kosher meat was sold, duly purified for family consumption; the documents of the
time name the butcher's owner as David de Bellcaire and they locate the fishmonger's in the current
Fruita Street. IN 1357 the call fountain was built in the centre of Sant Honorat Street so the Jews didn't
have to leave the environs of the Jewish quarter to fetch water, whilst Banys Nous Street recalls the
new baths. Banys Nous were founded in 1160 by faqui Abraham Bonastruc, associated with Count
Ramon Berenguer. The count granted some land outside the Roman wall under Castell Nou, a place
where water was plentiful and Bonastruc had them built and equipped. According to the contract the
faqui would run them and both would receive a third of the profits. Inside was a space intended
for Mikveh . A commemorative stone on Marlet Street, a replica of that to be found at the City History
Museum, bears testimony to the foundation of a hospital at the behest of Samuel ha-Sard in the 13th
century. In the 14th century in addition to the MainSynagogue a further four are documented,
integrated in the dense social fabric in which rabbis and academics resided (mathematicians,
alchemists, geographers...) with masters of the most varied crafts and with tax collectors and royal
bailiffs.
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The two calls were not connected to each other, but we believe that when the streets of Banys
Nous, Boqueria and Aviny began to be urbanised - in other words, after the opening of the Roman
wall - the communication was much more direct. In between the two Jewish quarters was Castell Nou
(New Castle). And also equidistant between the two districts was the Banys Nous or New Baths
building which were public and not restricted on religious, racial or gender grounds.
At the 4th Lateran Council (1215) various measures were taken against the Jews (control of
lending, obligation to wear distinctive marks on clothing etc.). In accordance with their provisions,
King Jaime I recommended the use of a distinctive mark and set loan interest at 20%; he also forbade
Jews from holding public office which entailed authority over Christians (royal bailiffs...). However,
except for the interest on loans the other provisions were not actually implemented. Later in 1268
Jaime I allowed all Jews from the Moorish quarter in Barcelona from wearing the circle; he only
recommended that they wear a round cape when they left the city.
A further consequence of the 4th Lateran Council was the closure of the Jewish quarters so
the Christian population was separated from the Jews. However, in 1275, pope Gregory X reminded
Jaime I of the need to create districts reserved for Jews, suggesting that this requirement had not been
complied with previously. In 1285 King Pedro II promised the nobles that no Jew would occupy the
office of bailiff and confirmed the promise that no Jew could hold an office which would entail
authority over Christians. From this time on the fiscal pressure on the Moorish quarters would increase
as well as that of the doctrines of the Church against the Jews.
The arrival of orders of preachers (Dominicans and Franciscans) and the authorisation they
had to preach inside the synagogues led to various disturbances, in the main due to the hotheads
accompanying the friars and causing trouble to such an extent that King Pedro ordered his veguers to
forbid Christians from entering the synagogues except for three or four good men and true. He also
asked the Franciscans to try and convert the Jews, not with threats or violence, but rather using the arts
of persuasion and for the Jews to hear their preaching and not to use words which were offensive to the
friars and the Christian faith.
The epidemic known as the black death gave rise to the slanderous accusation that the Jews
had poisoned the water and this led to the outbreak of violence. On Saturday May 17th 1348
the call was attacked and several Jews were murdered. King Pedro IV asked the People for an official
declaration stating that the accusations against the Jews were merely slander and Pope Clement VI
promulgated two bulls in this regard.
In 1263 King Jaime I, at the behest of the preaching friars, convened and presided at his
palace in Barcelona over a religious dispute between Moses ben Nahman, the rabbi of Girona on the
Jewish side and Friar Pau Cristi, a convert on the Christian side. As well as the king, St. Raymond of
Penyafort and many other personalities were also present. The debate about the two religions lasted for
several days and looked at various themes such as the arrival of the Messiah. The dispute became a
European wide event and versions have been kept in Latin and Hebrew which, self-evidently, diverge
in their conclusions. However, the dispute resulted in the censorship and burning of Jewish books, the
obligation to listen to the sermons of the Dominicans and the exiling to Jerusalem of Moses ben
Nahman.
The end of the relationship between Barcelona and its Jewish collective started in the late 13th
century, particularly after the Dispute. In 1348 the Barcelona Jewish quarter suffered its first attack
and several Jews were murdered, having been accused of poisoning the water and causing the black
death epidemic which was sweeping through the city; in 1367 the heads of the Moorish quarter Nissim
Girond, Hasday Cresques and Isaach Perfet were imprisoned in the main synagogue for interrogation
about a case of the profanation of hosts in Girona. In the late 14th century the city was experiencing a
very critical situation owing to economic decline, social movements and the municipal crises, an array
of circumstances in which the slightest spark could lead to the outbreak of violence which would turn
against the religious minorities. The fuse for the disturbance was the sermons of Ferrand Martnez, the
Archdeacon of cija, the direct cause of the attacks on the Jewish quarters in Seville and throughout
Andalusia. The anti-Semitic movement spread throughout the Peninsula and reached Catalonia too
where almost all the Jewish quarters suffered attacks. The Barcelona call was attached on August 5th
and 7th 1391. Around three hundred Jews were murdered, others were christened and many others
took flight. Properties were attached too, not only Jewish ones but also the Bailiffs House.
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Despite the royal attempts to restore a Jewish quarter (in the Minor call area), none was to
ever take root again. In 1401 Martin I, the Human, ruled that Barcelona would lose the right to a
Jewish district.
Arc de Sant Ramon del Call Street

Arc de Sant Ramon del Call Street

At the start of Arc de Sant Ramon del Call Street, connected at that time with the current
Bajada de Santa Eullia, the district takes on a certain Bohemian air. Despite its irregular layout, the
streets follow the interior line of the Roman wall, concealed between the houses of this street and Bany
Nous street. At the end of the street there was a cul-de-sac which went as far as Bajada de Santa
Eullia.
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From written sources we know that this street may have been the location of the Franceces
synagogues and some cold baths, but it has not been possible to find them. There is speculation that
they were situated t number 15 alongside the CallInterpretation Centre.
This street had no direct exit to Call Street, but connected directly to Castell Nou via a raised
pass. In photos from the end of the 19th century the arch can also be seen which lent its name to this
street.
Arc de Santa Eullia Street

Volta de Santa Eullia Street

Arc de Santa Eullia Street, also accessed via Boqueria, was formed by a medieval tower
from the mid-14th century called the Tower of Santa Eullia. Some alleys, which are no longer there,
went from Volta del Remei to Arc de Santa Eullia. It is still possible to find houses with
amezuzah hole in the lintel of their doors. On the Boqueria side, the current constructions still take up
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the medieval parcels. On the Ferran street side, by contrast, the former parcels were further remodelled
with a view to opening this street in the mid-19th century.
Bajada de Santa Eullia

La Bajada de Santa Eullia

In the Middle Ages Sant Sever and bajada de Santa Eulalia made up just one street called
Volta which ended at the Roman wall and which was a cul-de-sac until 1394. At number 3 Bajada de
Santa Eulalia streets there is an interesting medieval building backing onto the Roman wall and built
inside it. The lateral faade of this building looked out onto a street which no longer exists and of
which a bricked up segment can be seen, part conserved as a courtyard and the other part, also bricked
up, giving out onto a large courtyard large courtyard facing Sant Felip Neri square. . A stone tablet
with a Hebrew inscription, in re-used building material with a Hebrew inscription. The building dates
from after 1391. These streets form the northern limit of the district and they were crossed on the left
by the Roman wall and on the right by the bishop's properties. The Jewish houses did not reach the
current Sant Felip Neri Square which was the Bishop's domain.
Bakery

The four corners of Call near the former Castell Nou (New Castle) where the Jewish oven was
located

The Jewish communities, particularly the larger ones, owned specific shops and businesses to
ensure compliance with the Kashrut law such as butcher's, fishmonger's etc. with some exceptions
such as the oven which, in the case of Barcelona, was located outside the Jewish quarteropposite Portal
Mayor on the south side of the current Call street. At these premises food was prepared according to
Jewish law and it was sold if declared as fit for consumption by the community.
The oven
During the Middle Ages the ovens of the cities were of a public nature and could only be built
or used under royal license. It was the norm for there to be at least one oven in each Jewish quarter at
which bread was baked for daily consumption.
From an architectonic perspective, the Jewish oven had to be similar to those raised in other
parts of the city: Making breadwas not subject to any specific kind of ritual and hence the oven was
not subject to any different aspect in its construction. This also means that a Jew could buy bread from
a Christian or use a Christian oven to bake bread without transgressing any rules.
During the Passover unleavened bread was baked (matzah), without yeast, whose dough bore
a seal. As it was a special kind of bread, in Jewish quarters where there was no oven, temporary ones
could be built to bake it.
Banys Nous Street

Banys Nous Street

The name of this street refers to a unique building which characterised it for a long time:
the Banys Nous, the medieval public baths of the city. They were situated on that part of the street
which forms a corner with the Boqueria, in the space now occupied by a building with notable
Baroque esgrafiats.
The baths were founded in 1160 by the alfaquiAbraham Bonastruc, associated with Count
Ramon Berenguer. The count granted some land outside the Roman wall under Castell Nou, a place
where water was plentiful and Bonastruc had them built and equipped. According to the contract
the alfaqui would run them and both would receive a third of the profits. Bonastruc' sons sold them to
Guillem Durfort.
8

The building was built according to the Arab tradition of bathing houses, but with
Romanesque techniques and decoration. It had various rooms and outbuildings, including one intended
for Mikveh. The most important rooms were the rest room with a vault central shrine and the steam
bath rooms. The building remained intact, though unused, buried under the house until 1835 when it
was knocked down. Plans and drawings of a scale model can be found at the City History Museum.
The mikveh, the Jewish bath of purification
The Mikveh, the Jewish bath of purification, is an essential building in any Jewish
community. Its functionality is the spiritual purification through total immersion of the body in the
water and this is why it accompanies all the most important acts in the life of a Jew. The Jewish
woman purifies herself after menstruation when she has to have a child and when she has already had
one and both the bride and the groom right before the wedding. Converts to Judaism must be immersed
in the bath and also anyone who has been in contact with contagious illnesses or impurities.
The person must be prepared for the act of purification. He/she must have washed and
combed first so that the water totally impregnates them. The immersion is carried out three times to
ensure this is the case. Men are usually purified on Fridays before sunset before the start of
the Shabbat or day dedicated to God.
Butcher's

Sant Domnec del Call street at the start of which the butcher's was located

The call butcher's was situated at the entrance to the Jewish quarter at Sant Domnec street or,
according to the designation of the time, atCarnicera or Sinagoga Mayor street. The cutting of meat
was carried out at two workshops in the building located at the Sant Domnec gate and owned
by David de Bellcaire since 1369. At this time the butcher was Jaume Rifs who had the premises
rented for ten pounds a year. In 1387 the aforementioned David de Bellcaire had both workshops
rented to another Christian butcher Ferrer Maiell.
The butchers
The meat eaten by the Jews had to be slaughtered according to a very strict religious ritual.
This was carried out at theslaughterhouse and the meat was sold at the butchers.
The slaughterhouse, market or scaffold was a space which acquired a certain ritual nature by
dint of the liturgy ( shejitah )undertaken there whilst slaughtering animals whose meat was intended
for human consumption (kosherfood). The norm was for the slaughterhouse to be located in an area on
the outskirts of the Jewish quarter to avoid unpleasant odours in the city.
The meat was sold at the butchers where sales points were erected which were let out. The
income obtained was used for certain needs of the aljama.
Call Interpretation Centre

Call Interpretation Centre

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In Manuel Rib square which opens out on the right of Sant Domnec delCall street there is
the new Call Interpretation Centre built on a former Jewish mansion and used as an information and
welcoming centre, a place for cultural activities and the point of departure for tourist visits to Jewish
quarters. The best conserved part of the building - whose last Jewish owner was Jucef Bonjach, a
weaver of silk veils, having died in 1393 - pertains to the corner between the square and Arc de Sant
Ramon del Call street which starts at this spot. This 16th century house was built by reusing materials
from previous ages such as one of its windows, undoubtedly a door originally, where the hole of
the mezuzahfrom the 14th century is still conserved. The remains of a Hebrew inscription inserted on
the wall bear testimony to the restoration of the property after the expulsion of the Jews.
Call Street

Call Street at nightfall

The street which lends its name to the district is surprising for its animation and shape; the
Roman wall which stands out from a faade reminds us of its origin: a closed cul-de-sac without an
exit which led to the Jewish quarter.
At the confluence of Sant Domnec Street with Call Street was the main gate to the Jewish
quarter. Call Street, which formed the cardus of the Roman city, underwent changes to its straight
layout with the construction in the Middle Ages of Castell Nou, a fortress which was set up on the
11

original Roman gate. Also known as the Tower of Hercules or Cat Tower, the castle suffered a severe
collapse in 1553, but its ruins survived until 1848 when they disappeared to make way for Ferran
Street.
At number 5 Call Street there are still remains of the Roman wall which was opened to
facilitate the thoroughfare to Banys Nous; both his house and that of number 7 maintain their medieval
mark after successive restorations.
The crossing of the Call Streets, Aviny, Boqueria and Banys Nous has been known as the
four corners of call.
Castell Nou

The four corners of the Call where Castell Nou was located

Castell Nou, a former Vice-count's castle, was one of the landmark building of the Call.
Located in the current Banys Nous street, it occupied the current block between Call, Aviny and
Ferran streets. The castle was one of the strongholds built in the county period above the Roman gate
to protect the city's western gate.
Although during the 14th century it was used as a prison, Castell Nou's history is bound up
with the slaughters of 1391 when it was used as a refuge for hundreds of persecuted Jews and when it
was attacked on August 7th by those critical to the Jews.
The castle gradually became run down with the passage of time. The final remains of this
castle - also known by the names of Hercules Tower and Cat Tower - disappeared when Ferran street
was opened in the mid-19th century. Call street formed a small square near the castle where the Jewish
oven was located. Various documents tell us of collapses and the need to make repairs. A large part of
the castle fell in 1553 and the final remains (Torre de Cat) collapsed in 1848 with the opening of
Ferran street.
The castle
Inside some Jewish quarters there was a so-called castleand even two, as is the case of
Toledo, though it is possible that the New Castle in Toledo was built when the Old one was no longer
usable.
The meaning of this fortress in the interior of the Jewish quarter is unknown.
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It may be a defensive construction against attacks on the Jewish quarter or a construction

materializing the presence of the corresponding power to which the Jewish quarter was subject.
Fishmonger's

Fruita street where the Fishmonger's was located

The fishmonger's location is only referred to in a debt acknowledgement document for some
works carried out in a house rented by Regina, the widow of Vidal Capdepebre to Astruch Vidal Biona
in Call mayor:
Satis prope sinagoga maiorem dicti callis coram piscateriam eiusdem callis.
Vidal Capdepebre's home opened out onto the street which ran from the Escuela de Mujeres
(Women's school) (Marlet street) to Fuente street (Sant Honorat street).
Under Jewish law fish could only be sold with scales and it was forbidden to sell seafood and
other aquatic animals.
Former Padells House/City History Museum of Barcelona

Fragment of hanukiah conserved at the City History Museum

13

The so-called Set of Monuments in Plaa del Rei, formed by Palau Reial and Padells House,
currently forms part of the spacious structure of theCity History Museum of Barcelona. The Palau
Real was a Count's Palace in the 11th century and later served for centuries as the residence of the
kings of Aragn and Catalonia. The Padells house, housing the City History Museum, is a Gothic
palace which was moved to this square, brick by brick, from its previous location at Mercaders Street
in 1931. The visit to both sites can be complemented by a look around the archaeological subsoil of the
square. The museum organises guided tours around the Jewish quarters of Barcelona and here you can
also find the original headstone of Samuel Ha-Sardi, some of the Hebrew headstones at the Montjuc
cemetery and a scale model of the Banys Nous.
French Synagogue

The location of the French Synagogue alongside the Call Interpretation Centre

Escuela de los Franceses street or Banys Freds (Cold Baths) street, the former name of Arc de
Sant Ramn street, earned its name from thesynagogue for Jews of French origin taking refuge in
Barcelona who in 1306 received royal permission to build it. The name Banys Freds - in contrast to
Banys Nous built in 1160 which was also located on the street - perhaps refers to the existence of
a Mikveh in the area.
The mikveh, the Jewish bath of purification
14

The Mikveh, the Jewish bath of purification, is an essential building in any Jewish
community. Its functionality is the spiritual purification through total immersion of the body in the
water and this is why it accompanies all the most important acts in the life of a Jew. The Jewish
woman purifies herself after menstruation when she has to have a child and when she has already had
one and both the bride and the groom right before the wedding. Converts to Judaism must be immersed
in the bath and also anyone who has been in contact with contagious illnesses or impurities.
The person must be prepared for the act of purification. He/she must have washed and
combed first so that the water totally impregnates them. The immersion is carried out three times to
ensure this is the case. Men are usually purified on Fridays before sunset before the start of
the Shabbat or day dedicated to God.
Hebrew headstone in Marlet Street, 1

The original headstone can be found at the City History Museum

Marlet Street starts at number 1 with a headstone recalling on its faade the figure
of Rabbi Samuel Ha-Sardi and which was found in 1820 during the construction works on the current
buildings. On the transcription which appears on the headstone from 1826, a modern reinterpretation
would probably run something like:
Pious Foundation of Rabbi Samuel Ha-Sardi: its light burns evermore.
It is a replica in any case as the original is on show at the City History Museum of Barcelona.
Jewish cemetery of Montjuc

15

A ring found in the Jewish cemetery, currently at the City History Museum

The Montjuc mountain, one of Barcelona's universal symbols, bears its unforgettable name, a
reminder of those Jews who formed part of the city's life for six centuries. In addition to their tombs,
175 of them were discovered in 1945, in Mons Judaicus and its outskirts the Jews had houses and
farmland.
The cemetery
The cemetery was located outside the walls at a certain distance from the Jewish district. The
chosen site:
Must be on virgin soil
Must be on a slope
Be oriented towards Jerusalem
The Jewish quarter had to have a direct access to the cemetery to prevent the burials from
having to pass through the interior of the city.
After 1492 the monarchs authorised (in Barcelona in 1391) the reuse of stones from Jewish
cemeteriesas construction material. It is thus not unusual to find fragments of Hebrew inscriptions in
several subsequent constructions.
Despite the pillaging they suffered from the late 14th century, the memory of these cemeteries
has remained in the name in certain places, for instance, Montjuc in Barcelona or Girona. We are
aware of the existence of more than twenty medieval Jewish cemeteries. Others are only known of
thanks to the documentation or the headstones conserved. The one in Barcelona at Montjuc was
excavated in 1945 and 2000, the one in Seville in 2004, the one in Toledo in 2009 and the one in vila
in 2012.
Jewish inscriptions at Sant Iu Square

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Hebrew inscription on a block of stone at Palau del Lloctinent in Sant Iu Square

We can find inscriptions in Hebrew characters on building walls, in the main on the faades of
the Palau del Lloctinent which give out onto Sant Iu square and Plaza del Rei (King's square): they are
blocks of stone from the Jewish burial site of Montjuc. Once the community had disappeared in the
14th century, the King authorised the use of its stones with or without inscriptions as construction
material.
The cemetery
The cemetery was located outside the walls at a certain distance from the Jewish district. The
chosen site:
Must be on virgin soil
Must be on a slope
Be oriented towards Jerusalem
The Jewish quarter had to have a direct access to the cemetery to prevent the burials from
having to pass through the interior of the city.
After 1492 the monarchs authorised (in Barcelona in 1391) the reuse of stones from Jewish
cemeteriesas construction material. It is thus not unusual to find fragments of Hebrew inscriptions in
several subsequent constructions.
Despite the pillaging they suffered from the late 14th century, the memory of these cemeteries
has remained in the name in certain places, for instance, Montjuc in Barcelona or Girona. We are
aware of the existence of more than twenty medieval Jewish cemeteries. Others are only known of
thanks to the documentation or the headstones conserved. The one in Barcelona at Montjuc was
excavated in 1945 and 2000, the one in Seville in 2004, the one in Toledo in 2009 and the one in vila
in 2012.
Main Call

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Main call

Just because the call was a closed space this does not necessarily mean the Jews lived
isolated. In Montjuc, the mount of the Jews, as well as the cemetery they possessed farmland and
some houses and towers. On the Barcelona plain they owned a lot of land, in the main vineyards,
gardens, farmland and fruit trees; some of this land they cultivated themselves and others loan
collateral. The plain area where they had the most properties were, inter alia, Magria, Bederrida, Les
Corts, at Collserola, the outskirts of Rec Comtal... They also had houses and workshops in Sant Jaume
square and stalls at the Plaza del Blat market. Around Miracle (the current space of Parads Street
where the Roman temple used to be) was the abode in the 11th century of the Jewish money-changers
Bonhom, Enees and David in a space which recalled a residential area and which later was left outside
the Main call area.
Main call occupied the north-eastern quadrant of the Roman city. Some remains of the wall
can still been found from the Roman urbanisation inside the houses situated between the Bany Nous
and Arc de Sant Ramon del Call streets. The Roman streets conserved are those of Sant Domnec and
Sant Honorat, former decumani minori; Volta street, the current Sant Sever street and Bajada de Santa
Eullia; a former cardo minimus and Call street, the former cardo maximus which stretched to the
Roman gate and which was diverted at some point and adopted the shape it still has today. Traces can
still be found of anothercardo minimus, which has now disappeared, and other medieval cul-de-sacs.
The limits of Main call were Call street and Castell Nou street to the south; Sant Honorat street, to be
precise the line of houses between Sant Honorat and Bisbe street, to the east; Sant Sever street and
Bajada de Santa Eullia as far as the Roman wall to the north and a dividing line between the streets of
Arc de Sant Ramon del Call and Banys Nous to the west. However, in the mid-13th century the King
authorised doors and windows to be opened in the Roman wall and the limits were expanded with the
urbanisation of Aviny and Banys Nous streets.
The Jews of Barcelona grouped together in Main call between the 12th and 14th centuries,
though in stricter fashion as from the 13th century. In 1275 King Jaime I received a reminder from
Pope Gregory X of the need to delimit the Jewish districts which was apparently not being fully
complied with in Barcelona.
Main Synagogue
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The faithful at the synagogue. Barcelona Haggadah

The Sinagoga Mayor, the oldest of the existing ones in Barcelona, dates back to the 9th
century despite the fact there are no documentary references to its existence until the 13th century. It is
located at number 7, Sant Domnec del Call street, inside the block lying between the streets Sant
Domnec, Marlet and Arc de Sant Ramon del Call and the current Manuel Rib square. It had tree
access doors: via Marlet street, via an alley which has since disappeared which left number 8 of Arc de
Sant Ramon del Call street and the entrance at number 9 of Sant Domnec street. At the start of the
street there was the entrance portal, the doorkeepers house and the Jewish butcher's which, although
not an institution, it was the place where kosher meat was sold..
The synagogue: place of confinement
On certain occasions, as in the famous case of the presumed profanation of hosts in Girona of
1367, the Main Synagogue was aplace for holding prisoners. On said occasion, whilst the trial was on
a large number of people was confined including representatives of the aljama of the city, Nissim
Girond, Hasday Cresques and Isaach Perfet, without food, in an attempt by the Christian authorities to
obtain valuable information for the case, something which did not occur. The occurrence of these
retentions demonstrates, from a Christian perspective, that it was also a prominent place in political
terms. It is also possible that the very meetings of the aljama representatives were undertaken inside,
something which would reinforce this argument.
Marlet Street

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Marlet Street

Marlet street is one of the best known streets in the Barcelona Call owing to the headstone
embedded in the wall of house number 1. This house was constructed in 1820 and amongst its remains
said stone was found which the owners decided to put in the same place it had been before. They also
added another headstone bearing an erroneous translation. A plaque was recently installed with a
translation which we believe to be the correct one:
Samuel Ha-Sard Pious Foundation; its light burns evermore.
It is an irregularly lined street which moves away from the straight lines of the Roman
urbanisation.
In the part nearest Sant Domnec del Call a low door can be seen which leads to a passage
and which must have been one of the entrances to the synagogue.
Following to Fruita Street , we can observe an image which lets us imagine what the streets of
the Call were actually like: small, narrow, winding and with houses which seem to obstruct your
journey.
Marlet Street Synagogue

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Entrance to the so-called Marlet street synagogue

On Marlet street a certain property today introduces itself to the public as the
Main Synagogue of Barcelona, coinciding with what, according to researchers, must have been the
women's entrance or the sinagoga de les dones (Womens synagogue). The room may have served as a
place of prayer.
The synagogue
The synagogue (place of congregation, in Greek) is a Jewish temple. It faces Jerusalem, the
Holy City, and it is a place for religious ceremonies, communal prayer, studying and meeting.
The Torahis read at the ceremonies. This task is conducted by the Rabbis aided by
the cohen or singing child. The synagogue is not only a house of prayer but also an instruction centre
as it is there where the Talmudic schools are usually run.
Men and women sit in separate sections.
The synagogue interior contains:
The Hejal closet located in the east wall, facing Jerusalem, stored inside the Sefer Torah, the
scrolls of the Torah, the Jewish sacred law.
The Ner Tamid, the everlasting flame always lit before the Ark.
The menorah, a seven-armed candelabrum, a habitual symbol in worship.
The Bimah, place from where the Torah is read.
Massot Synagogue

21

Miniature of the Barcelona Haggadah (1340), currently at the British Library

The figure of Massot Avengen is not particularly well known and has never been the main
object of any study. The Financier of Peter the Ceremonious and a member of the Casa del Infante
Juan (Prince John House) was a major figure in the Barcelona Jewish community in the second half of
the 14th century and the final owner of the main house of the corn exchange, situated at Sant Honorat
street, 3, before the disintegration of the aljama as a consequence of the slaughter of 1391.
The prestige of Massot Avengen amongst the other members of the Jewish community in
Barcelona can be seen by the fact that he was thealjama secretary on various occasions.
His status within the community led the King to grant him permission to put up
a private synagogue, not in the corn exchange house on Sant Honorat street, but at the current number
15 of Arco de San Ramn street.
The synagogue

22

The synagogue (place of congregation, in Greek) is a Jewish temple. It faces Jerusalem, the
Holy City, and it is a place for religious ceremonies, communal prayer, studying and meeting.
The Torahis read at the ceremonies. This task is conducted by the Rabbis aided by
the cohen or singing child. The synagogue is not only a house of prayer but also an instruction centre
as it is there where the Talmudic schools are usually run.
Men and women sit in separate sections.
The synagogue interior contains:
The Hejal closet located in the east wall, facing Jerusalem, stored inside the Sefer Torah, the
scrolls of the Torah, the Jewish sacred law.
The Ner Tamid, the everlasting flame always lit before the Ark.
The menorah, a seven-armed candelabrum, a habitual symbol in worship.
The Bimah, place from where the Torah is read.
Medieval silos and house

The medieval silos in the subsoil of Fruita street

In the subsoil of the current Sant Honorat street you can visit a Romandomus built in the 4th
century AD Part of the perystilum or central porticoed garden has been conserved with various laci,
water tanks and plants. The decoration of the house and its position alongside the colonial settlement
as well as its extension (it must have occupied the whole block) tells us that it belonged to a prominent
personality of the city.
On the same site you can behold the remains of other historical agessuch as six huge
silos from the Early Middle Ages which were built in the Barcelona Jewish quarter. Its stands out for
its height (four metres) and its construction system. The medieval complex illustrates the economic
and commercial vitality of the Barcelona Jewish quarter in the 13th century.
The six silos endowed with large dimensions and the various tanks identified represented a
secure storage space for different products (cereals, coral silks...). It may well have formed part of
the corn exchangewhich the written documentation locates in said block on the eastern edge of the
district, organised around a small open air square with an exit onto the current Sant Honorat street.
23

The medieval corn exchange was a commercial type equipment which received merchants
and their products temporarily - and which this required large storage spaces - generating great
commercial activity with all kinds of transactions. The documents indicate that in the mid-14th century
one of the house owners was Massot Avengen, a well-off member of the Barcelona Jewish
community.
Minor Call

Lleona street in Minor call

In medieval Barcelona there were two Jewish districts: Main Call andMinor call, also called
Sanahuja or ngela. The two calls were not connected to each other, but we believe that when the
streets of Banys Nous, Boqueria and Aviny began to be urbanised - in other words, after the opening
of the Roman wall - the communication was much more direct. In between the two Jewish quarters
was Castell Nou (New Castle). And also equidistant between the two districts was the Banys Nous or
New Baths building which were public and not restricted on religious, racial or gender grounds.
Minor call is also known as Call de Nngela or Call dEn Sanahuja, names which refer to
the plot owners. The district is an urbanisation planned in the 13th century formed by five blocks with
a synagogue and a square and situated alongside Castell Nou via its external part, in other words, on
the exterior of the Roman wall. Minor callhad no direct connection to Mayor. Its limits were the streets
of Boqueria, Rauric, Lleona and Aviny. It had two gates, one near Castell Nou, via the exterior side,
and the other on Boqueria street, next to Rauric street which was possibly a gate mentioned in 1255.
Boqueria street was the street which led to the quarter. Several alleys came out from the latter as far as
Trinitat square (which disappeared when Ferran street was opened). This street was later occupied
by converts who set up their businesses there: goldsmiths, veil weavers, tailors, cobblers...
Volta del Remei street, entering via Boqueria, also conserves a medieval tower from the 13th
century; it had previously been called Arc den Sanahuja street. If observed from Ferran street the rear
of the so-called tower-house can be seen, much less reworked than the front.
Minor Call Synagogue-Sant Jaume Church
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The current Sant Jaume church on Ferran Street

At the opening out of Volta del Remei into Ferran street there used to be Trinitat square and
this was the site of theCall menor synagogue, later turned into a church by the converts themselves
after the Jewish quarter slaughters of 1391.
The Synagogue may have been built in 1263, the year in which Jaime I granted permission to
Bonanasc Salam to do so at this site. In 1394 the Trinidad church arose at this site. It is very different
from the neoclassical profile of the current church, dedicated to Sant Jaume, with the architecture of
said synagogue or the Trinidad church, but the stones have withstood the lashings of time, maintaining
a space for praying right in the heart of the hustle and bustle of this major city.
The synagogue
The synagogue (place of congregation, in Greek) is a Jewish temple. It faces Jerusalem, the
Holy City, and it is a place for religious ceremonies, communal prayer, studying and meeting.

25

The Torahis read at the ceremonies. This task is conducted by the Rabbis aided by
the cohen or singing child. The synagogue is not only a house of prayer but also an instruction centre
as it is there where the Talmudic schools are usually run.
Men and women sit in separate sections.
The synagogue interior contains:
The Hejal closet located in the east wall, facing Jerusalem, stored inside the Sefer Torah, the
scrolls of the Torah, the Jewish sacred law.
The Ner Tamid, the everlasting flame always lit before the Ark.
The menorah, a seven-armed candelabrum, a habitual symbol in worship.
The Bimah, place from where the Torah is read.
Plaza de Sant Jaume

The Generalitat palace, built on part of the Main call

Situated right in the heart of the old district, Sant Jaume Square is located on the former
forum of the Roman city and indicates the limit ofCall mayor or the main Jewish quarters in Barcelona
which opened out to the northwest.
In the Middle Ages the square, today a true symbol of Catalan public life, with the palaces of
the Generalitat and the Town Hall opposite each other, was little more than a widening between the
current Llibretera and Call streets. The presence of Jewish houses and workshops has been
documented here outside the limits of the district; as in other Spanish cities before the royal decrees
required them to be concentrated in a specific space, the Jews were able to live all over Barcelona.
Rauric Street

26

Rauric Street

Before the 14th century Rauric street was a boulevard which stretched to Vilanova dels
Cdols and which was changed (moved) to Riera del Pi, the current Cardenal Casaas street.
In the centre of the Minor call was the square later called la Trinitat; it was opposite
the synagogue and disappeared in the mid-19th century. The synagogue was converted into Trinitat
Church by a group ofconverts.
Rei Square

27

Plaza del Rei (King's Square) and the former Royal Palace

Plaza del Rei (King's square) is a retiring space which opens out into the heart of the Gothic
District and which is as rife with charm as it is with historical references. Here you can find the Palau
Reial alongside which in 1263 the notorious Disputation of Barcelona ran its course between the
Dominican convert Pau Cristi, a great polemicist and expert in theTalmud, and the Jew from Girona,
Moses ben Nahman, or Nahmanides, one of the great learned men of the age. The disputation ran off
in five intense sessions presided over by the King and followed by a vast crowd in which the debate
about the arrival of the Messiah was in stalemate, at least according to the drafting of the conclusions
in Hebrew or in Latin, though it ended up meaning exile for the man from Girona.
The Disputation of Barcelona
In 1263 King Jaime I, at the behest of the preaching friars, convened and presided over at his
Barcelona palace the religious disputation between Moses ben Nahman, the Rabbi of Girona, on the
Jewish side, and Friar Pau Cristi, a convert, on the Christian side. In addition to the King, San
Raimon de Penyafort and many other personalities were present. The debate about the two religions
28

would last for several days and dealt with various themes such as the coming of the Messiah. Versions
of this disputation, which took on a European bearing, are kept in Latin and Hebrew which, elfevidently, differ in their conclusions. However, the disputation culminated in the censuring and
burning of Hebrew books, the obligation to listen to the sermons of the Dominicans and the exiling to
Jerusalem of Moses ben Nahman.
Sant Domnec del Call Street

Sant Domnec del Call Street

Also known as Carnicera (butchers) Street or Sinagoga Mayor (MainSynagogue) Street, this
was the most important street in the Jewish quarter. At the start of the street there was the entrance
portal, the doorkeepers house and the Jewish butcher's which, although not an institution, it was the
place where koshermeat was sold. The street's current name derives from the fact that on August 5th
1391, when the attack on Calloccurred, it was St. Dominic's day. The existence of a Dominican
convent within the limits of Callis not historically accurate as well as all the legends created around it.
This was the main street of Maincall where the synagogue, butcher's and other notable buildings were
located. To the north, the street formed a small square which is no longer there and to the south was
the main gateway to the district.
Sant Honorat Street

29

Sant Honorat Street

The current Sant Honorat Street was one of the decumani minori of the Roman city and at its
confluence with Sant Jaume Square it was closed off by a gate which marked one of the limits
of Main call. At the side of the current Palace of the Generalitat, on the right, there is a row of Jewish
houses bought by members of the General Delegation in 1400 to erect in its stead this Gothic building
designed by the architect Marc Safont, which would later undergo further extensions and
transformations.
On the northern side of the street were the homes of Benvenist Samueland his nephew Samuel
Benvenist which were situated at the old walls on Bisbe street. The house which stands out in the line
of the street in the 14th century was the most relevant of the set and the only one which had an exit to
Bisbe street on the other side of the Jewish quarter. It belonged to the poet Moses Natn and later to
the surgeon Bonju Cabrit and his heirs. It seems that this area near a gate of the Call, was the
residential area inhabited by doctors and surgeons. One reason for this specific location in the Call was
the proximity of the royal palace to which they were frequently summonsed. May Jews were frequent
visitors to the King's home and were even assigned the category of relations.
Alongside there was a cul-de-sac which is currently bricked up at the end of which was
the sinagoga Menor or Poca (minorsynagogue).
Sant Sever Street

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Sant Sever Street

Sant Sever street was cul-de-sac which did not open until 1394. The area, near the Cathedral,
changed greatly in appearance in the 17th century with the construction of the rear of the Palau de la
Generalitat building, on the one hand, and that of Sant Sever Church on the other.
In building number 5 of Sant Sever street which forms a corner with Sant Felip Neri street,
archaeological investigations have been carried out which have allowed the existence of a domus from
the late Roman age, to be confirmed, a press from the 9th to 11th centuries, the remains of
constructions from the 13th to 14th centuries as a possible disused market from the first half of the
13th century, wells, three intercommunicated silos and remains from the 18th to 19th centuries. In
more recent times, making the most of the free space at Sant Felip Neri square, the faade of this
building looking out onto the square was reconstructed with recycled material whilst also moving here
the house of the cobblers' guild.
Sinagoga Chica or Sinagoga Poca (Small Synagogue)

31

The wall of the Palacio de la Generalitat in Sant Honorat street where the Sinagoga Poca was
located

In the 14th century there were at least five synagogues in the BarcelonaCall: the Sinagoga
Mayor (Main Synagogue), the Women's Synagogue built according to the common features of various
Jewish communities to make up for the lack of space and intended for the female members of the
community as gathering and prayer places; the French Synagogue founded by Jews of French origin
taking refuge in Barcelona who in 1306 received royal permission to build it; and the Massot
Synagogue built by the wealthy Massot Avengena in the second half of the 14th century.
There was also a fifth synagoguecalled the Sinagoga Chica or Sinagoga Poca which was
erected at the site currently, and since 1434, accommodating the Chapel of Sant Jordi of the Palacio de
la Generalitat.
The synagogue
The synagogue (place of congregation, in Greek) is a Jewish temple. It faces Jerusalem, the
Holy City, and it is a place for religious ceremonies, communal prayer, studying and meeting.
The Torahis read at the ceremonies. This task is conducted by the Rabbis aided by
the cohen or singing child. The synagogue is not only a house of prayer but also an instruction centre
as it is there where the Talmudic schools are usually run.
Men and women sit in separate sections.
The synagogue interior contains:
The Hejal closet located in the east wall, facing Jerusalem, stored inside the Sefer Torah, the
scrolls of the Torah, the Jewish sacred law.
The Ner Tamid, the everlasting flame always lit before the Ark.
The menorah, a seven-armed candelabrum, a habitual symbol in worship.
The Bimah, place from where the Torah is read.
The Fountain of Call

Site of the former Call fountain on Sant Honorat street

32

The fountain was built in 1357 alongside the current Sant Jaume Square and it gave its name
to the current Sant Honorat street as from the 14th century. Until the time of its construction the Jews
had to fetch water from outside the call according to that set out in the municipal ordinances of 1356
which forbade Christians from harming Jews coming to and from the fountain to fetch water:
Que nagun hom ne neguna fembra no gos fer mal de nit ne de dia a nagun Juheu ne Juya qui
vaja o venga a la font per portar sen aygua ne trencar lus ampoles canters o altres vaxells que aporten
per portarsen de la dita ayguna.
The fountain's construction inside the call was supposed to solve the problem reflected by this
municipal ordinance and, in actual fact, it was a further step in the segregation process in view of the
fact that it was no longer necessary to leave the callnor form queues alongside the Christians.
Glossary
Bar Mitzvah, l. heb: Initiation ceremony (13-14 years old). From this age, young men were
regarded, according to halakha or Jewish law, as responsible for their acts.
Hanukkah, l. heb: Festival of the lights. Celebrated for eight days, and commemorating the
defeat of the Hellenites and the recovery of Jewish Independence by the Maccabees from the Greeks
and the subsequent purification of the Temple of Jerusalem of pagan icons in the 2nd century B. C.
Jewish Quarter: Traditional name given to the Jewish district or part of a city where the Jews
homes were concentrated. In some cases it was determined by law as an exclusive place of residence
of the members of this community. By extension, the term applies to any area known to be inhabited
by families of Jewish culture.
Kashrut, l. heb: Part of the precepts of Jewish religion which stipulates what the faithful can
and cannot swallow based on the biblical precepts of Leviathan, 11.
Mikveh, l. heb: Ritual bathing. Space where the purification baths prescribed by Judaism are
taken.
Passover: Jewish Easter.
Purim, l. heb: Lit. Lucks; Jewish festival about the history of Queen Esther.
Shavuot, l. heb: Festival of weeks, commemorates the handing over of the Torah to Moses at
Sinai.
Sukkot, l. heb: Feast of the tabernacles or booths.
Talmud, l. heb: Oral law; collates the Rabbinic discussions of the laws, customs...
Alfaqui, l. ar: Doctor specialised in a knowledge of Islamic law essentially based on the
Koran. The alfaquis duties included taking care of teaching and religious duties in the community,
providing advice to those who need it and applying justice in line with Koranic law.
Aljama, l. heb: Specific institution of the Medieval Hispanic kingdoms which dealt with the
governance and internal administration of the Jewish community.
Bailiff: A charter of the kingdoms of the former Crown of Aragn. The one was called the
General Bailiff though there were Bailiff with jurisdictions in more specific areas. Its responsibilities
include judging cases between Moslems and Jews.
Call, l. cat: Jewish quarter in the cities and settlements of Catalonia and the Balearic islands.
Circle: Discs which appear as a decoration, frequently coloured, in chapters of Jewish origin.
Collection: self-governing Jewish organisation which brought together several aljamas for
economic reasons the distribution, valuation and collection of taxes to be submitted to the king.
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Converts Converts: A christened Jew who has converted to Christianity.Jews converted to

Christianity who returned to their place of origin after expulsion.
Corn Exchange: Place where grain was stored and traded.
Gaon: Chairman of the major Jewish academies of Babylon, Sura and Pumbedita (from
(circa) 589 to 1040) and they were generally accepted as spiritual leaders in the Jewish community
worldwide during the Early Middle Ages. It means pride or splendour in biblical Hebrew and
learned in modern Hebrew.
Kosher, l. heb: This means suitable and it designates the set of dietary laws and standards on
foodstuffs deemed to be pure and which could be eaten according to Jewish law.
Mezuzah, l. heb: rolled parchment containing a Jewish prayer and the word Shaddai. It is
placed inside a tube or box and is embedded in the framework of the doors of Jewish homes.
Neemanim, l. heb: Secretaries of the aljama.
Rabbi, l. heb: A man instructed and ordained in the law who can spiritually lead a community.
It literally means master.
Synagogue, l. gr: Gathering place for faithful Jews and the place of worship and studies. The
term comes from the Greek synagog which means place of congregation.
Taqqanot, l. heb: Ordinances regulating a communitys life.

34