After being forgotten for more than 500 years, the former home of Lleida’s Jewish populace now opens its doors. Step inside and explore the streets of its 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 (La Cuirassa) was not a walled neighbourhood, 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 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.
The quarter linked to the former Coiraça of the Moorish era, a protrusion from the city wall heading down the hill which houses the Old Cathedral; and from which it took its name. Today, the archaeological excavations reveal the remains of the Pogrom House, the parchment workshop or the remains of several streets that bring us close to a way of life that you can listen following the “Voices of La Cuirassa” (the QR/audio with the story of the different characters that lived in the jewish quartier).
Remarks
- Open space to the town.
- It offers recordings with QR for the entire route.