376 Milanese
Figure 14.9 Rescue excavation of the medieval Jewish quarter in Alghero (2008). The circle
indicates the remains of a Jewish house.
The principal areas of the Jewish quarter of Alghero, affected by substantial
public works, lay in the area of the former Ospedale Vecchio (monastery and
church of Santa Chiara), Piazza Santa Croce, and the area of Casa Manno (be-
fore Pou Salit).
4.1 The Synagogue
Written sources indicate that the synagogue lay in the vicinity of Castellaç, un-
known from an archaeological perspective, but believed to have been located
in the area of the monastery of Santa Chiara. Due to the demographic growth
of the Jewish community, which was particularly vigorous between the late
fourteenth and mid-fifteenth centuries, the synagogue was enlarged in 1438,
and in 1454 was granted the right—at the request of the aljama’s secretaries,
Samuel de Carcassona and Jacob Cohen—to exhibit the crest of the Crown
of Aragon above the entrance to the temple.45 After the expulsion of the Jews
in 1492, the synagogue in Alghero was probably replaced by the church of
S. Croce, which must have occurred within a short time, since a notarial act
45 Tasca, Ebrei e società in Sardegna, doc. 443.