Naslov
The Location of Jewish Houses in the City of Zadar in the 16 C

Autori
Sorić, Sofija

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Skup
6th International Conference Social and cultural history of the Jews on the Eastern Adriatic Coast- The Jews and the Sea

Mjesto i datum
Dubrovnik, Hrvatska, 10.09.2006. - 12.09.2006

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Recenziran

Ključne riječi
Zadar, Jewish community, 16th C, private houses

Sažetak
A little is known about the presence of Jews in Zadar during the 16th century. The recently found documents from the State Archive in Zadar confirm the existence of a smaller Jewish community in the period from 1542 until 1565. Their residence is mentioned in the part of the town named confinio sancti Simeonis or more precise the street contrata sancti Simeonis. The fact that they have chosen an important part of the town is not irrelevant. The quarter of Saint Simeon was above all an important cult centre with the church of St Mary the Great in which the relics of Saint Simeon the Prophet were kept, making it a place of worship and pilgrimage. The vicinity of the main Town square, the Goldsmith’s street, the Arsenal and the remains of two palaces belonging to Zadar noble families mark this quarter as an important social, business and trading centre. Jewish business interests, focused around their apotheca banche, mentioned in the very first document dated in 1542, are probably the main reasons why they settled there. Soon after they came to Zadar, the Jewish families lived in one house near the bank, later on documents mention four residences in the same street of St. Simeon’s. One of these houses had a courtyard, a fact which helps us to define it as a typical residence of a prosperous family. Unfortunately, this very part of the town was badly damaged during the WWII, and today there are no traces of those houses. However, it is possible to locate them approximately within the limited area of Saint Simeon's street. Therefore, we can conclude that the Jews in Zadar have settled in the rented houses within a restricted part of the town as can be seen in other Dalmatian towns. Furthermore, it is important to notice that there is no mention of a ghetto or of a similar restrictive regulation of Jewish families’ residence or way of life. On the contrary, the Jews in Zadar were well respected ; they entered freely in its social and economical life, which is a fact proved also by the position and the type of their residences. Those few but important facts from archival documents help us to get an idea of the way the Jewish community lived during their temporary presence in our town and the way they enriched our knowledge of 16th century Zadar.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Povijest, Povijest umjetnosti

POVEZANOST RADA