Old Jewish Quarter

The Jewish presence in Guarda has been documented since the 13th century and it would be one of the most important of Beira Interior. It was located in the Parish of S. Vicente, within the walled perimeter, close to the main road axis of the medieval city, namely Rua S. Vicente, the former Rua Direita and Largo de S. Vicente, places of great circulation that allowed and facilitated the development of the commercial activity of the members of this community. One of the most important references was the Synagogue, installed in a building that belonged to the monarch to whom rent was paid. Some of the most important activities of the community took place there, whether religious practices or meetings to discuss matters of common interest. It has always existed within the walled city and there is still the old Jewish  educational or even judicial neighbourhood. The dynamics of the Jewish community offered the population a whole series of services: tailors, shoemakers, tanners, blacksmiths, weavers, clerks, physicists, surgeons, goldsmiths, carpenters and enamellers, as the architecture of the houses with two floors show – the ground floor was the commercial area (the door was wide) and the 1st floor was used for housing the family (the door was narrower).