Córdoba -- The Jewish Quarter
After completing our tour of the mosque/cathedral, we headed to the Jewish quarter nearby. We had explored the quarter the previous afternoon and were particularly interested in old synagogue and three of the key personages associated with old city over the milennia.
This synagogue, built in 1315 CE, is, in effect, a museum of the people who lived, worked and prayed in this crowded quarter over the centuries. After the expulsion of the Jews in 1492, the synagogue was seized by the authorities and converted into the Hospital Santo Quiteria for people suffering from rabies. In 1588, the building was acquired by the shoemakers guild, who used it as a community centre and small chapel, changing the patron saint of the building to Santos Crispin-Crispian, the patron saint of shoemakers. In 1885 it was declared a National Monument. Since then it has undergone several phases of the restoration.
