Belmonte Jewish Quarter

Portugal forced its Jews to convert in 1497, and the Inquisition pursued those suspected of continuing to practise for the next two and a half centuries. In Belmonte a community kept going in secret - marrying within itself, observing what it could of the calendar and the fasts, praying in Portuguese with prayers transmitted orally by women, and outwardly living as Catholics - and it did so until it was documented in 1917 by Samuel Schwarz, a Polish mining engineer who recognised a Hebrew word in a prayer they recited. The community returned to open practice through the twentieth century, built the Bet Eliahu synagogue in 1996 and is now formally recognised. A Jewish museum in the town sets out the history of crypto-Judaism plainly. Belmonte also has a castle, a Romanesque church, and the birthplace of Pedro Álvares Cabral, whose family held the town.

What you actually see

• The crypto-Jewish history - four centuries of secret practice, documented in 1917.
• The museum - a clear account of the forced conversion and what followed.
• The synagogue - Bet Eliahu, built in 1996 as the community returned to open practice.
• The town - a castle, a Romanesque church and the Cabral family's seat.

When to go

April to October. Half a day. The museum closes on Mondays; the synagogue is a working place of worship with restricted visiting.

Honest expectations

The synagogue is not a tourist site and access is limited - this is a living community. The museum is small. Belmonte is a quiet town with modest facilities. Winters here are cold.

Nearby

Covilhã and the Serra da Estrela are south; Sortelha is east.