Sinagoga Major

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  • Address
    Carrer de Marlet 5, Barri Gòtic
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  • Phone
    93 317 07 90
  • Website
  • Transport
    underground rail: Liceu

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Lonely Planet review

What little is left of the Jewish ghetto's main medieval synagogue was accidentally discovered in the early 2000s. In the two rooms, now again a working temple, can be seen remnants of Roman-era walls and some tanners' wells.

This was one of four synagogues in the city, but after the pogroms of 1391 it stopped being used for religious purposes. From 1477 the Arguens family occupied the building and used it for dyeing textiles. When it became known they were Jews, they were forced to flee to France. The area between Carrer dels Banys Nous and Plaça de Sant Jaume was the heart of the city's medieval Jewish quarter, known as the Call, until the Jews were expelled in the late 15th century. Even before their expulsion, Jews were not exactly privileged citizens. As in many medieval centres, they were obliged to wear a special identifying mark on their garments and had trouble getting permission to expand their ghetto as the Call's population increased.