Ruta Judía de Tui
The medieval Jewish commune of Tui was of great importance in the city, leaving a wide cultural heritage that makes Tui the main Jewish and converso centre of Galicia.
One of the most remarkable characteristics of Tui’s Jewish community is its integration within the city, coexisting with the Christian community without social conflict during the Middle Ages. The most important example of this influence is shown in the cathedral, whose Gothic cloister keeps an engraved menorah or seven-branched candelabrum. It serves as a testimony of the local Jewish community’s cooperation with the political and economic powers, the cathedral chapter and the bishop to build, in the 13th century, one of the architectural gems of Tui; its cloister.
The Jewish community of Tui had all the elements of their religion: a synagogue, next to the medieval wall, the old bishopric palaces, and a cemetery next to the historic district of Riomuiños. They had their own community, with the house of Salomón or those belonging to Moisés or Aarón, which are located at Calle de las Monjas and date from the 15th century, in addition to the Torre do Xudeu, a place next to which several members of the Jewish community lived between the 13th and 14th centuries.
The Expulsion of the Jews in 1942 and the subsequent forced conversion of many of them in Portugal in 1947 caused increasing social tensions. The inquisition that took place in numerous processes in the area caused some of the most important chapters in the town’s social history, like the reaction of the cathedral chapter of Tui after the social rise of some Jewish convert families, such as the Coronel or the Saravia, in light of Francisco Coronel’s appointment as the cathedral canon in 1600.
Within the community of Tui, the silversmiths that worked for the Cathedral stand out, with high quality works such as chalices, crosses, vessels or sceptres that showed their expertise and artisan tradition. These pieces are kept in the Cathedral Museum, together with the extraordinary sanbenitos, exhibited in the Diocesan Museum, a set of garments with the names of the Judaizers the Holy Office imposed a penance to, that constitute the only ones kept in Spain.
One of the most remarkable characteristics of Tui’s Jewish community is its integration within the city, coexisting with the Christian community without social conflict during the Middle Ages. The most important example of this influence is shown in the cathedral, whose Gothic cloister keeps an engraved menorah or seven-branched candelabrum. It serves as a testimony of the local Jewish community’s cooperation with the political and economic powers, the cathedral chapter and the bishop to build, in the 13th century, one of the architectural gems of Tui; its cloister.
The Jewish community of Tui had all the elements of their religion: a synagogue, next to the medieval wall, the old bishopric palaces, and a cemetery next to the historic district of Riomuiños. They had their own community, with the house of Salomón or those belonging to Moisés or Aarón, which are located at Calle de las Monjas and date from the 15th century, in addition to the Torre do Xudeu, a place next to which several members of the Jewish community lived between the 13th and 14th centuries.
The Expulsion of the Jews in 1942 and the subsequent forced conversion of many of them in Portugal in 1947 caused increasing social tensions. The inquisition that took place in numerous processes in the area caused some of the most important chapters in the town’s social history, like the reaction of the cathedral chapter of Tui after the social rise of some Jewish convert families, such as the Coronel or the Saravia, in light of Francisco Coronel’s appointment as the cathedral canon in 1600.
Within the community of Tui, the silversmiths that worked for the Cathedral stand out, with high quality works such as chalices, crosses, vessels or sceptres that showed their expertise and artisan tradition. These pieces are kept in the Cathedral Museum, together with the extraordinary sanbenitos, exhibited in the Diocesan Museum, a set of garments with the names of the Judaizers the Holy Office imposed a penance to, that constitute the only ones kept in Spain.
Services
- Information point: Sí
Customer service
- Idioma: Castellano, Gallego, Inglés, Portugués
Access
- Las infraestructuras del recurso están adaptadas para personas con discapacidad: Sí
- Los accesos al recurso están adaptados para personas con discapacidad: Sí
- Accesos a pie: Sí
Features
- Description of the surroundings: Urban
- Duración (horas): 2
- Tipología del Recorrido: Circular
- Interés Paisajístico: High
- Dificultad : Medium-low
- Tipología de la ruta: Cultural
- Estado de Conservación: Good
Environmental protection status
- Figura de Protección: BIC