Mezuza of the house on Carrer de la Força, n. 15, in Girona’s Jewish Quarter

Date: 1401 - 1500

Archive: Diocesan Archive of Girona – Chapter Archive – Diocesan Library of the Seminary

Document type: Textual

Reference code: CAT BDSG, Manuscrits, Ms. 5

Link to the archive

Description: The Mezuzah is actually the scroll of parchment handwritten by an expert scribe known as the Sofer. It contains on the one hand the “Sheman Israel”, a biblical passage from Deuteronomy that declares the oneness of God and the dedication of the Jewish people to the Almighty (Dt 6,4-9 and Dt 11,13-21) and on the other only the name of God “Shadai” (Almighty). It was (and still is) placed in a case of glass, wood or metal and placed, after reciting a blessing, on the top of the right jamb of the doors of the houses. In addition to its function as a manifest reminder of the Jewish faith, the Mezuzah is also a symbol of God’s careful watch over the house and its inhabitants.
It was found in March 1886 on the occasion of some works in the house in Carrer de la Força, n. 15, Girona, area of the old Jewish street, property of Josep de Burgués and de Caramany. It later became the property of Joaquim Bachs, who gave it to the Girona Seminary, on the occasion of the creation of the Biblical Museum, an initiative of the Sacred Scripture professor Albert Vidal i Cruañas.

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