Monsaraz

The antiquity of the Jewish population in Monsaraz must be prior to the Kingdom of Portugal, from the Al-Andalus (territory of the Iberian Peninsula under Islamic rule) and Islamic rule, the coexistence between the believers of the three monotheistic religions.

According to documentary evidence, the presence of Jews in Monsaraz appears in a Charter granted by King Afonso III in 1276, which organised the city, both administratively and judicially. In the reign of D. Fernando I, in 1382, we know of the existence of an important Jewish figure, Abrão Alfarime, resident in Monsaraz, and received a large income in the region.

The Jewish community of Monsaraz grew during the 14th and 15th centuries, similar to what happen in the country, and forming a well-defined and organised Jewish quarter within the castle walls. The Jews of Monsaraz dedicated themselves to commerce and manufacturing, as well as to agriculture as evidenced by the place names that indicates that the names of many small villages and farmland were clearly Jewish.

The memory of the persecution that took place during the Inquisition was evident in populations, through the building known as the House of the Inquisition, where the Monsaraz Jewish History Interactive Centre is found today.