Costa de Prata, Portugal
The Costa de Prata, a region of sharp contrasts,
occupies the coastal strip between Lisbon and Porto. It has a rich heritage of centuries-old
monuments that testify to the coming together
of peoples and cultures.
- Obidos
- Tomar
- Leiria
- Coimbra
- Other Places of Interest
Obidos
This walled town, with its
narrow streets spreading from the foot of
the castle, still preserves all the atmosphere
of a 16th century mediaeval town. The Jewish
quarter, an area was once inhabited by traders,
artists and scientists, was in the centre
of the town, close to the Rua Direita and the beautiful 16th century Renaissance
church of Santa Maria, where it is possible
to appreciate the paintings of Josefa d'Obidos,
one of the most important 17th century Portuguese
artists. Since it was the property of the
queens of Portugal,
Obidos always enjoyed special protection from
the royal court and at one time had a school
of arts and sciences. The effects of all this
culture are clearly evident in its artistic
heritage, in particular the Manueline palace
that was built inside the castle walls (now
converted into the Obidos Pousada).
Tomar
This town was the headquarters
of the Order of the Knights Templar in Portugal
until the 14th century, when the order was
extinguished and replaced by the Order of
Christ, founded at that same time. The first
jewish settlement in the town also took place
in the 14th century. The Jewish quarter only
occupied one street: the present-day Rua
Dr. Joaquim Jacinto. Nonetheless, despite
its small size, it was a prosperous community
and its influence was to increse greatly in
the 15th century, in the period of the Discoveries,
when Tomar was already the headquarters of
the Order of Christ and its governor was Prince
Henry the Navigator.
At #73 on the same street
was the synagogue,
which remained in use until 1496, the date
when the order was given to expel the Jews from Portugal. Today it houses the
Abraao Zacuto Portugueuse-Hebrew Museum. Even
today, clay pots are still kept embedded high
in the four corners of the chamber of worship,
as part of a traditional technique for improving
the room's acoustics. In the 20th century,
through the efforts of Samuel Schwartz, the
synagogue was restored and given to the State,
and, since 1921 it has collected not only
the local heritage of documents and epigraphs
but also tombstones with Hebraic inscriptions
from other parts of the country. In 1985,
fresh excavation work was undertaken at the
synagogue, leading to the discovery of an
oven for the heating of water and a wall which
gave access to the holy baths designed for
purification purposes.
Classified as World Heritage
by UNESCO, the Convento de Cristo surrounded
by mediaeval walls, with its seven cloisters
and emblematic Manueline window is an essential
part of any visitor's itinerary. In Tomar,
the best way to gain an impression of the
three separate moments in the history of Portuguese
architecture is to visit the churches of Santa
Maria do Olival (Gothic), Sao Joao Baptista
(with its Munueline doorway and important
16th century paintings inside the church)
and, on the road to the castle, the church
of Nossa Senhora da Conceicao (a Renaissance
chapel). In the surrounding district, nature
lovers will appreciate the great lake created
by the dam of Castelo de Bode, with its magnificent
views and the chance to enjoy water sports.
Leiria
Dominated by its proud castle,
the former royal palace conquered from the
Moors in 1135, the city developed at the foot
of the hill, bordered by the river Lis and
spreading out from the old Rua Dur in keeping
with the typical structure of mediaeval towns.
The Jewish quarter was to be found in the
area now occupied by Rua Dom Afonso Henriques, Rua Dom Dinis and Largo da Se and would have dated back to the 14th century,
in the reign of Dom Dinis (1279-1325). It
was in this old part of the city, close to
the Cathedral (begun in 1550 with an Archeological
Museum now attached to it), that one of the
first Jewish works in Portugal was published:
the "Almanach Perpetuum" by Abraao
Zacuto, printed by the equally Jewish Arbaao
d'Ortas. Other interesting places to visit
are the Igreja da Misericordia, under
which the Old Synagogue is thought to lie,
the Igraja de Sao Pedro (a 12th century
Romanesque church), the Municipal Museum and
the 16th-17th century shrine of Nossa Senhora
da Encarnacao with its panoramic views.
Coimbra
Situated on the north bank
of the river Mondego and one of the most important
European Jewish quarters was to be found in
the cities in the middle ages, Coimbria is
best known for its University, which enjoyed
royal protection from the moment of its first
implantation in Coimbria (after its foundation
in Lisbon in 1290). At one time, the city had three
Jewish quarters, in the parishes of Santiago, Santa Justa and Pedreira. With
the epidemic caused by the black plague in
the 14th century, the population decreased
significantly, becoming concentrated only
in the Jewish quarter of Santa Justa,
which, after the order was given for the expulsion of the Jews in 1496, came to be known as Rua
Nova. The most important synagogue was
situated in the Judiaria Velha de Santiago,
the Jewish quarter close to the Igreja do
Corpo de Deus. A walk around the mediaeval
quarters of this city is evocative of the
traditions which are still kept alive today
and also provides a number of, interesting
surprises: amongst tile arches and steps are
to be found the St. Velha (the Old
Cathedral, originally built ill the Romanesque
style), the Mosteiro de Santa Cruz (a 12th century monastery, containing the
tombs of the first kings of Portugal) and
the Almedina Gate. The cultural heritage of
the Jews was carried on into many families
of converted or so-called -New Christians,"
contributing to the scientific and humanistic
advancement of the University, symbolically
situated on the hill overlooking the city.
Any tour of the city must also include a visit
to the university's fabulous Baroque library
which contains more than 150,000 volumes and
the Sala dos Capelos (Ceremonial Hall).
Nearby is the Museu Machado de Castro,
with its Roman Cryptoportico which
contains impressive collections of paintings,
Renaissance sculpture and gold jewellery (12th-19th
centuries). The National Science Museum exhibits
the inventions and instruments used in experiments
that led to the that led advancement of modern
science, in which men such as the scientist
Pedro Nunes (1502-1578), a New Christian and
university professor in this city, were to
play such an important part.
At Conimbriga, in the surroundings of Coimbra,
are the most important Roman ruins in Portugal and, 29 km from the city,
can be found the spa of Luso and the extremely beautiful forest of Bucaco
with its neo-Manueline hotel-palace.
Other
places of interest
A visit to the Costa de
Prata represents the chance to discover two
of the major causes of the great pride that
is frequently felt in Portuguese architecture,
both of them classified by UNESCO as World
Heritage: the Monastery of Alcobaca and the
Monastery of Batalha. The first is a Cistercian
abbey founded in 1152, with an imposing nave
and austere cloisters. The Monastery of Batalha
(14th-16th centuries) is a masterpiece of
Gothic architecture, famous for its unfinished
chapels and the beautiful stained glass windows
of the Founders' Chapel, which houses the
tomb of Prince Henry the Navigator, who had
such a close and open relationship with the
Jewish community.
Sources: Journey to Jewish Portugal courtesy
of the Portuguese
National Tourist Office |