In the Andalusian city of Utrera, archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 14th-century synagogue.
The discovery, published Tuesday, places the 14th-century structure among a rare group of medieval synagogues that survived the 1492 deportation of Spanish Jews, writes Arkeonews.
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In total, only 4 synagogues are known to have survived in Spain after 1492. Two of them are in Toledo, one in Segovia and one in Cordoba.
For seven centuries the synagogue was not used as it was used. It has been recycled as a church, hospital, orphanage, restaurant and even disco pub.
Local priest, historian and poet Rodrigo Caro from Utrera wrote about him in the history of the city in 1604: “Only foreigners and Jews lived in this place … those who had a synagogue at the site of the Hospital of Mercy.”
Utrera city council decided to buy the building in 2016. However, the purchase price was controversial. Critics questioned the appropriateness of such a high price, as there is no concrete evidence of a synagogue in the area.
There are no maps or official records describing the medieval Utrera synagogue, as Jewish communities in Spain had substantial autonomy before deportation, including their own courts and tax systems. Also, even if the hospital was built over the synagogue, nothing from the original structure may have been preserved.
The expulsion of the Jews was often accompanied by violent pogroms, and widespread development in the 20th century destroyed much of the medieval city of Utrera.
Despite existing objections, the city continued the acquisition process and commissioned an archaeological study of the structure in November 2021. And this made it possible to confirm the story of Karo by describing the prayer hall of the synagogue, the surrounding row and a small room or niche in which the scrolls of the Scriptures were kept.
Archaeologists led by Miguel Angel de Dios said analysis of the walls and floors confirmed the existence of a prayer room. The basic elements of the synagogue, such as the vestibule and the surrounding benches found in the survey, confirm this.
In the future, the researchers hope to discover a hill called bima and a bathhouse used for rituals.
Previously Focus wrote about an ancient mosaic found in the living room of the famous sadist and right-hand man of Emperor Augustus.
Source: Focus
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