September 16 Guided tour of Jewish medieval Lorca and embroidery museums

Explore the fascinating role of the Sephardic Jews in Lorca’s history and how they are connected to the spectacular Semana Santa processions

Various guided visits and tours are being held during September 2023 in Lorca to coincide with the annual celebration of Jewish cultural heritage throughout Europe, a tradition which the “City of the Sun” has been keen to embrace as it celebrates the importance of the Sephardic Jews in its medieval history.

In fact the medieval synagogue and Jewish quarter which were discovered during excavations close to the castle in 2003 are among the most important Jewish remnants dating from the Early Middle Ages in the whole of Spain, a sign that the Sephardic Jews coinhabited peacefully with North Africans and Christians in Lorca until both the Moors and the Jews were officially expelled from the country by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492 (and four years later from Portugal, on the orders of King Manuel I.

One of the guided tours is a historical visit which takes place on Saturday September 16 at the Museo Arqueológico Municipal, where many of the remains found during archaeological excavations are on display. These include pottery, metal tools, glassware and numerous superbly crafted lamps and lanterns from the synagogue.

This is followed by visits to two of the local embroidery museums to see some of the fantastically elaborate items of clothing which are worn during the spectacular annual Semana Santa celebrations in Lorca, and to the headquarters of the “cofradías” to which the museums belong. Here explanations are given of the close connections between passages from Jewish religious texts and the people represented in the biblical processions which draw crowds to Lorca from all over the world.

The “Lorca Sefardí: Ayer y Hoy” tour begins at 11.30 and lasts approximately two hours. Prior registration is required online here and is priced at 12 euros for over-16s, 10 euros for children aged 12 to 16 and others who qualify for reduced rates, and is free for children under 12.

The meeting point is at the main door of the visitors centre in the Convento de la Merced building. A minimum group size of 10 is needed for the visit to go ahead.

Further information is available from Lorca Taller del Tiempo (Convento de la Merced, Puerta de San Ginés, telephone 968 479003 / 968 959646, email info@lorcatallerdeltiempo.com).

For more local events, news and visiting information go to the home page of Lorca Today.