Besalú - Comtal Vila

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BESALÚ MEDIEVAL

Governing Countess Ava
She was the only woman ever to govern Besalú. After the death of her husband, Miró I el Jove, in the year 927, she took responsibility for the county’s politics until her sons came of age

BESALÚ MEDIEVAL

Master Abraham des Castlar
14th century Jew. He was one of the ten medical eminences of his time, according to Kalonymos ben Kalonymos. He was the doctor of King Pere III el Cerimoniós.

BESALÚ MEDIEVAL

Ramon Vidal of Besalú
Troubadour who lived between the 12th and 13th century. Author of “The reasons for lyrical poetry”, which was considered to be one of the first grammars written in common language in the western world.

BESALÚ MEDIEVAL

Count-Bishop Miró Bonfill
Well educated man with a good heart who lived at the end of the 10th century. In the year 977 he founded the churches of Sant Pere and Sant Vicenç de Besalú.

BESALÚ MEDIEVAL

Pere Baró
Bridge engineer from Perpignan who was contracted in the year 1316 to oversee the construction of Besalú's bridge.

BESALÚ MEDIEVAL

Joan de Roure
He spent the first half of the 14th century selling cloths in Besalú. He took the oath of office at the University of Besalú.

BESALÚ MEDIEVAL

Soldier for Bernat Tallaferro
Another main character shaping the history of Medieval Besalú in the 11th century. Like him, many other people worked for the Count who made Besalú one of the richest counties in the region.

Jewish heritage

BESALÚ'S SYNAGOGUE Archaeological excavations were recently carried out with the aim of unearthing the possible remains of the synagogue and to analyise its structure, internal distribution and the historical phases that marked it. They were also aimed at establishing the relationship between the synagogue and the Miqvé (Bath house). The excavations were carried out in an area covered in concrete, close to the Miqvé, which seems to have protected the various works carried out in this square over the years. The antuique documents found in this area of the building of the Synagogue and the excavations carried out in 1964, 1965 and 1977 have led to the discovery of the Miqvé and a wall located in the north-east side of the square. It therefore seemed logical to follow the line to the façade of the last house built in the street baixada del miqvé. On October 4, 1264, Jaume I the Conqueror granted Besalú's Jewish Communities permission to build the Synagogue or “schola judeorum”. The Synagogue was the most important public building of the Jewish quarter; it was the centre of the Jewish community’s life, where prayers were made and where the Torah and other biblical texts were read and taught. The Torah scroll was kept in the Synagogue. The dimensions of the building, which could have been adjacent to the baths or the Miqvé, could not have exceeded the measurements established by the Popes of the first centuries of Christianity. The documents discovered repeatedly associate Besalú's Synagogue with the Jewish square, thus it is thought to be located somewhere in the square or very nearby. The Miqvé was discovered in 1964 by Mr. Esteve Arboix, owner of the land above the building. Coincidently, the building was discovered in the place where the Synagogue was documented to have been. The building was discovered unexpectedly through the upper level. On completion of the excavation, it was proposed to seek the help of Rabbi Chilli of Paris, who came accompanied by Rabbi of Perpinyà, so that he could carry out his own assessment. It was they who confirmed that the discovery was a Miqvé, thanks to the data on its water capacity (40 saha). This is the first such building to have been discovered in Spain and the third so far in Europe.. The word Miqvé means Jewish Baths of Purification.