The Gothic Area and The Jewish Quarter

The second field trip that we went on, gave the us the opportunity to explore the surroundings and neighborhood of the Cathedral.  Prior to this field trip, I had never been to this area before.  Little did we know, this field trip would bring us through the dark narrow streets bordering the Cathedral, in a complicated maze.  This field trip allowed me to expereince a new part of the city that I was not aware of.  I cannot forget my immediate reaction to the design of the streets.  The area around this massive building is comprised of small-narrow streets not wide enough for even a car to drive through.  Not only did I enjoy the cobble stones and uniqueness of each street, but each street had its own identity decorated in graffiti and "artwork".  As this trip progressed, we found ourselves in the center of Plaza Jaume where we also saw the Capitol building.  

Our first stop was the ancient Synagogue that has now been restored into a museum.  This was the meeting place for all the Jews to reconvene and pray.  This is known to be one of the oldest synagogues not only throughout Spain but also throughout Europe, with only the bottom floor open to visitors.  This building had an incredible significance to those who lived throughout the neighborhood during this time and is now known as a major symbol to its visitors.  From what we saw, the museum was incredibly tiny, underground, and secluded from everything else.  Upon during further research online about this area, the massacre of the Jewish people occurred in 1391.  The building was restored in 1995, and opened to the public in 2002.  Upon leaving the synagogue we were brought to this courtyard located outside of an elementary school.   When looking at the school walls, one can see the bullet holes.  This was the building that the Jews hid in in order to escape from the massacre. This building is a clear reminder of the Jewish Massacre and the intensity of it.  When looking at these walls and listening to the story, I was given goose bumps.  It is so unfair for the Jews in Spain to be so secluded from the rest of the community and treated this way.  The riots occurred in 1391.  This was a time where no Jews lived in Barcelona because most of them were killed during this time.  Those who decided to stay were required to either convert to Christianity or decided that the best thing to do was to flee the country.  There are only a limited amount of Jews in Barcelona today, hundreds of years later.