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Jewish aljama of Santa Coloma de Queralt

Santa Coloma de Queralt, Conca de Barberà, Tarragona

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Jewish aljama of Santa Coloma de Queralt

Historical milestone · Santa Coloma de Queralt, Conca de Barberà, Tarragona

Image of Santa Coloma de Queralt, not of the place itself.

Santa Coloma de Queralt was home to one of the most active Jewish communities in inland Catalonia, documented since 1272 and clearly growing during the first half of the 14th century: in the period 1347-50 there were 81 Jewish heads of family, and a 1347 letter speaks of fifty Jewish houses in the town. Its merchants were mainly engaged in importing French cloth, trading in wheat and livestock, and lending at interest, and from the late 14th century they played a leading role in exporting Coloma saffron across Europe. The community, with a synagogue, its own butcher's shop and documented moneylenders, suffered an assault during the 1348 plague and disappeared when the Catholic Monarchs ordered the expulsion of Jews who had not converted, on 30 March 1492.

1348

Photo: Ziol (CC BY-SA 2.5)

What to see and do in Santa Coloma de Queralt