Gayle and I spend the night at the Parador in Lleida. Before checking out and heading off to Begur (Costa Brava), we decided to take a walk. What we found almost outside our door was the remains of Lleida's Old Jewish Quarter - La Cuirassa. The outdoor exhibit covers several former city blocks and offers a nicely curated walk through one piece of local Jewish history.
During the mediaeval era -from the Christian conquest of the city in the middle of the 12th century, down to the final expulsion of the Jews at the end of the 15th century- the Jewish quarter of Lleida was not a walled neighborhood, but it did have entrance gateways. Living side-by-side made it easier for the Jews to maintain their traditions, and protected them from popular uprisings.
The La Cuirassa became one of the most important Jewish communities of the Crown of Aragon, and was the site of the Western Collective, the institution that administered the affairs of the Jewish community in this part of the Principality. It is estimated that in the middle of the 14th century around five hundred Jews lived in Lleida, some 13% of the city's total population.
Now, after more that 500 years, Gayle and I were able to unexpectedly learn a little bit more about Jewish history in this area of Catalunya. As they say, " Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous". read more