Photography by Liesl Marelli of Girona Consulting, Inc. For more information please visit www.GironaConsultingINC.us - Photography by Liesl Marelli of Girona Consulting (Veteran-Owned Business)

Photography throughout the Catalonia region of Spain and into Perpignan, France.
Photography by Liesl Marelli of Girona Consulting, Inc.
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Liesl Marelli > A Brief History: Girona, Spain

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A Brief History: Girona, Spain

courtesy of Wikipedia

The first historical inhabitants in the region were Iberians; Girona is the ancient Gerunda, a city of the Ausetani. Later, the Romans built a citadel there, which was given the name of Gerunda. The Visigoths ruled in Girona until it was conquered by the Moors. Finally, Charlemagne reconquered it in 785 and made it one of the fourteen original countships of Catalonia. Thus it was wrested temporarily from the Moors, who were driven out finally in 1015. Wilfred the Hairy incorporated Girona to the countship of Barcelona in 878. Alfonso I of Aragón declared Girona to be a city in the 11th century. The ancient countship later became a duchy (1351) when King Peter III of Aragon gave the title of Duke to his first-born son, John. In 1414, King Ferdinand I in turn gave the title of Prince of Girona to his first-born son, Alfonso. The title is currently carried by Prince Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the first since the 16th century to do so.

The 12th century saw a flourishing of the Jewish community of Girona, with one of the most important Kabbalistic schools in Europe. The Rabbi of Girona, Moshe ben Nahman Gerondi (better known as Nahmanides or Ramban) was appointed Great Rabbi of Catalonia. The history of the Jewish community of Girona ended in 1492, when the Catholic Kings expelled all the Jews from Catalonia. Today, the Jewish ghetto or Call is one of the best preserved in Europe and is a major tourist attraction. On the north side of the old city is the Montjuïc (or hill of the Jews in medieval Catalan), where an important religious cemetery was located.

Girona has undergone twenty-five sieges and been captured seven times. It was besieged by the French royal armies under Charles de Monchy d'Hocquincourt in 1653, under Bernardin Gigault de Bellefonds in 1684, and twice in 1694 under Anne Jules de Noailles. In May, 1809, it was besieged by 35,000 French Napoleonic troops under Vergier, Augereau and St. Cyr, and held out obstinately under the leadership of Alvarez until disease and famine compelled it to capitulate, 12 December. Finally, the French conquered the city in 1809, after 7 months of siege. Girona was center of the Ter department during the French rule, which lasted from 1809 to 1813. The defensive city walls were demolished at the end of the 19th century to allow for the expansion of the city. In recent years, the missing parts of the city walls on the eastern side of the city have been reconstructed. Called the Passeig de la Muralla it now forms a tourist route around the old city.

Liesl Marelli > Photography by Liesl Marelli of Girona Consulting, Inc. For more information please visit www.GironaConsultingINC.us

Liesl Marelli > Location: Girona, Spain

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Liesl Marelli > The Jewish Museum of Girona, Spain
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The Jewish Museum of Girona
courtesy of GironaJ http://gironaj.com/
Girona was home to a large and flourishing religious, cultural and economic community of Jews from the 9th to the 15th century when they were forced to choose between converting to Catholicism or leaving the country.

For many centuries before this sad ending the Jews built up an important position in trades like leather work, tailoring, baking, trading goods, building and of course money lending. The "call" or ghetto was separated from the rest of town by gates, they had their own ruling council and made their own laws, all possible because they paid their taxes direct to the Spanish Kings.

The museum is set in what was the last of at least three synagogues found in Girona, with its own "micvah" for ceremonial baths attached. The daily life during the middle ages is explained and how Girona established an important reputation for religious enquiry. Along with other Jewish communities in Barcelona, Besalu, Perpignan and Tortosa they established trading routes and the foundations of banking and commercial networks which helped these communities flourish.

Eventually clashes with the catholics increased, taxes were progressively raised, the local interference increased including forcing Jews to wear identifying badges and in 1391 there were several important riots where many died. In Girona after one of these attacks the remaining Jews were put in the Gironalla tower, supposedly for their protection, in terrible conditions and left for 17 weeks while their houses and businesses were looted and burned.

By 1492 when Queen Isabella issued the order requiring Jews to convert or leave within 3 months, many converted only to be hunted down in subsequent years by the Spanish Inquisition and, of the ones that fled, many went to Perpignan due to proximity but the French king expelled them a year later so the respite was brief.

Most Jewish exiles ended up in Rome, Constantinople or Salonika where the Turks welcomed their capital and skills with open arms.
Despite their persecution in Spain many families managed to convert and have integrated to such an extent that the Catalans are sometimes referred to as the Jews of Spain, referring to their work ethic and business acumen.

Liesl Marelli > Location: Girona, Spain

Photography by Liesl Marelli, All Rights Reserved.
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Photography by Liesl Marelli of Girona Consulting, Inc. For more information please visit http://www.GironaConsultingINC.us

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