New advances in establishing the location of Cervera’s Jewish quarters

Abstract

Attempts to establish the location of Cervera’s two calls or Jewish quarters began with Agustí Duran i Sanpere’s proposal in 1924. More recently, research by the historians Pere Verdés and Max Turull (2003) correctly suggested, for the first time in 80 years, a new site for call Jussà, different from that put forward by Duran and all the subsequent historiography published until then. This study has developed Verdés and Turull’s proposal and accurately validated it on the basis of documentary evidence. It can thus now be stated that Cervera’s first Jewish quarter corresponded to the street today called carreró del Teco. The achievement in question has been followed by others, such as identifying the site of the Mitjà gateway, which controlled access to the 12th-13th-century walled enclosure from the north. This finding not only indicates a very stable division between the Plaça and Capcorral districts, but has also made it possible to determine the location of the enigmatic call Mitjà. The arrangement of the medieval Jewish quarters suddenly chimes with documentation, which now seems to make more sense. In addition to reporting on the advances mentioned above, this study describes the methodology used to locate call Jussà and outlines a number of related aspects that will be examined in greater depth in a forthcoming monograph promoted by the Regional Museum of Cervera.

Keywords: Late Middle Ages, Jewish quarter, Catalonia, Cervera, Jewish history,

location, 13th-15th centuries, urban layout