Nov 1 Trancoso, Portugal

Trancoso is another small hilltop town in Portugal. It is near Guarda although only about 2000' elevation. Image 1 is from wikipedia.


The castle of Trancoso (second image)  was completed under Ferdinand I in 1370 and combines crusader (towers with slits for firing arrows) and Moorish (scalloped battlements for firing weapons) style.




The third and fourth image show various carvings near doors. As in Guarda (which is nearby), these symbols are thought to indicate New Christian occupation of the homes. Our local guide had some reasonable theories on what the symbols meant but I don't think he had published them. Also I don't remember what he said.




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The fifth image shows a plaque indicating that the Jewish Society of Portugal considers this structure part of the historic Jewish Quarter.

 

The sixth image is of the Gato Preto House. The lion symbol is presumably for the Kingdom of Judah.  The symbolism of the pelican is debated. These symbols were placed on the structure in the middle of the 19th century after the end of the formal Inquisition and how this happened is a matter of speculation. 



The seventh image shows a pillar with George in the front.

It was built under Manuel I in 1510 as a symbol that the city had been granted a charter and could govern itself.

The eighth (which was obviously preserved from being plastered over) and ninth images show various symbols. As in the earlier ones, they show some sort of New Christian occupation.

 In the ninth image Latin letters are carved near the door. Our local guide had a reasonable theory of what the letters stood for but I forgot what that theory was.

Also, to be clear, in Belmonte, Guarda and Trancoso (and probably all over Spain and Portugal), the New Christian quarter was essentially the same as the old pre-1492 or pre-1497 Jewish Quarter.