The Jewish Quarter in Toledo: the Basements under patio

Abstract

In the Middle Ages had, the Jewish quarter in Toledo was composed of two neighbourhoods, on either side of Angel Street: the superior, the Alacava bordered the Christian neighbourhood of San Román, the other to the south of that street, the "great Jewish quarter" dominates the Tagus. The Alacava was destroyed in 1355, the "great Jewry" abandoned by the Jews from 1492. Then, since the end of the 15th century, the Jewish quarter has undergone profound changes. The basements of the houses have been preserved in several cases, some of them under the main hall on the ground floor (palacio), others under the patio. The subsoil plans show the existence of basements with a central pillar on the one hand, basements with hexagonal domes on the other hand. The latest hypothesis on the use of the basement under patio is to be a synagogue.