OspIRS_e F) Bibliography and Contributions A) THE JEWS IN ROME Even if the evidence of the first presences of the Jewish people dates back to the II century b.C., the massive arrival of the Jews to Rome is connected to the deportations of thousands of them as slaves by empereor Tito after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Their condition changed time by time until the Jews was allowed to organize free and independent communities, always characterized by a strong feeling of identity and distinction from the other people. Such communities arose nearby the Tiber using the river like primary source of economic and trading activities: the main areas of settlement was at first Trastevere, around to square in Piscinula, and subsequently also on the left river bank, at the Porch of Ottavia where the ghetto would have be built, just in front of the Fabricio Bridge, that for this reason was also known as Pons Judeorum .

In Trastevere it is still present in Vicolo dell'Atleta, in the basement of a restaurant, what is considered the most ancient synagogue, that dates back to the XIII century (pict.A1 and A2), and identified by some scholars as the Nathan ben Jechiel one (1035-1106). Page top B) THE GHETTO During the Middle Ages the roman Jews, mainly involved in commercial activities, did not have particular difficulties in living together the Christian population. But during the Renaissance, after the Protestant schism, the Roman Church became more coercive for the not Christian people so that in July 14th 1555 the pope Paul IV Carafa, just elected (1555-1559), revoked with the bulla “ Cum nimis absurdum ” all the previously granted rights and ordered to confine the about 3000 members of the Jewish community in a restricted area, the district known as Ghetto.

[complete original latin text] In order to reduce the effect of such ordinance in 1562 the new pope Pius IV (1560-1565) instituted in favor of the Jews the “Jus Gazzagà” (right of ownership) according to which the Christians kept the property of the houses located in the ghetto area, but without the right of evict the Jews who lived there nor to increase of the rent. Originally the doors of the Ghetto were only two; in 1577 it was opened a third one. The main door was in the Giudea Square (no more existing and where it was located the fountain, the only drinkable water resource of the ghetto, just outside the fencing borders), the others two was nearby the churches of St.Angelo and St.Gregorio. In 1589 the pope Sisto V (1585-1590) revoked some restrictions and widened the ghetto including the long building facing the Tiber river and Via della Fiumara (no more existing) at the ends of which two new doors were constructed. The ghetto reached a surface of 3 hectares.

In the picture B1, on the base of the 1748 Nolli map, are indicated the borders, the names and the positions of the five doors and the names of the main roads of the ghetto. After more than two centuries the excessive growth of the resident people forced the pope Leone XII (1823-1829) to allow a further increase of the ghetto: therefore the (1825) building between Via della Reginella and Via St.Ambrogio was annexed to the ghetto opening an accessing passage between Via di Pescheria and Via Rua and adding three more doors, up to a total of eight doors (see pict.B2). Finally in April 17th 1848, in the evening of the 5608 Pesach, the pope Pio IX (1846-1878) ordered the opening of all the doors of the ghetto and the demolition of the walls, that however was completed only in 1885.

During the construction of the new embankments of the Tiber all the buildings of the ghetto were demolish except for the building, still existing, between Via della Reginella and Via di S.Ambrogio. Page top C) HEALTH TRADITION AND THE FIRST HOSPITAL The Jewish community, even if restricted by the antiJewish norms in force in Rome, throve thanks to traders and craftsmen, administrators and trustees of the pope, scholars and doctors, the last ones mainly among the rabbis. The medical attitude made up for the difficult life conditions in the ghetto, maintaining the sanitary conditions to a level comparable to the rest of the city. During the plague in 1656 rabbi Zahalon noted that “la pestilenza colpì anche gli ebrei, i quali però guarivano più in fretta dei cristiani” [the plague infected also the Jews, that however recovered more quickly than the Christians]. A first Opera Pia Ebraica [Jewish Religious Charity] was founded in 1600 with the purpose to provide a simple health service, mostly at domicile, to the Jewish people that was not allowed to enter the the hospitals in Rome.

In 1881, due to a popular initiative of a small group of about forty traders who taxed themselves by 10 Liras each, it was set up the “Associazione via della Fiumara 26 per il ricovero degli ammalati poveri” [Association of Fiumara Street 26 for the hospitalization of poor sick people]: so in the unhealthy street running alongside the Tiber (pict.C1) a real hospital house was risen, even if constisting of a simple two rooms house with only four beds and managed by voluntary staff; however it was guaranteed the observance of the religious rules also for the preparation of the food. When the ghetto was opened the Jewish community included more than thirty brotherhoods for social and sanitary welfare and charity: this nucleus was the origin of the “Deputazione centrale israelitica di carità” [Central Jewish Deputation for charity] (1885), a new organization for charitable supervision born of the merging and reorganization of some brotherhoods.

Page top D) THE JEWISH HOSPITAL IN THE TIBER ISLAND In the end of the 1800's, thanks to the generosity of some well-to-do Jewish people, new charitable institutions were set out making easier the integration of poor people in the town, become capital of the Reign of Italy, after more than two hundred years spent enclosed in the ghetto, by now unhealthy and destined to be demolished. In such context Angelo Tagliacozzo, one of the most representative exponents of the Jewish community, managed to obtain from the mayor of Rome Luigi Pianciani the concession of the left wing of the ex-Franciscan monastery of St.Bartholomew at the Island, a municipal property. The Association of Via of the Fiumara was quickly transferred in the new building (1882) and its name changed to “Jewish Hospital Bet Aholim” (in Jewish “Sick's house”). It included all the remaining charitable brotherhoods and get by the “Deputazione centrale israelitica di carità” the entrusting of all the sanitary activities relevant to the Jewish community.

In 1887 also the “Ricovero per israeliti poveri e invalidi” [Home for poor and disabled Jews] was accommodated in the same building; it continued the tradition of assistance to the old people already performed by the broterhood “Mosclav Zechenim ” [Home for old people]. (pict.D1 and D2) The destruction of the ghetto, carried out in few months, caused the economic and social problem relevant to the moving to new lodgings: many Jews, with the help of the “Comitato per il decentramento degli Israeliti poveri di Roma” [Committee for the decentralization of the poor Jews in Rome] founded in 1884, settled in Trastevere, nearby the old district and the new hospital that, more and more equipped, became a reference point as sanitary institution.

In 1911 the Hospital was recognized as religious charity with the scope of: “curare gratuitamente gli ammalati poveri israeliti aventi il domicilio di soccorso in Roma, affetti da malattie acute o croniche non contagiose né diffusive” [to cure free of charge the poor sick Jews resident in Rome, suffering from acute or chronic not contagious nor diffusive diseases], and their Statute was approved with a Royal Decree. The regulations allowed to accommodate occasionally Jews not needy, even if travelling from other cities, but on payment and without detriment to the health service for the poor ones. So the tradition of the doctor-rabbis, among which let us mention Samuele Toscano, the first doctor of the hospital, and the director Benedetto Zevi, continued in the new hospital. The Hospital had 17 beds and 8 more, separately located in a wing of the adjacent monastery of St.Bartholomew, assigned to the chronic sick people.

(pict.D4) The activity of the Hospital was economically supported by the subsidies supplied at first by the Ghemilud Chasadim (Charitable institution) and then by the “Deputazione centrale israelitica di carità”, as well as by the bequests of single benefactors among which let us mention Mosè Levi for his generosity. Page top E) THE HOSPITAL TODAY The Jewish Hospital is currently integrated in the sanitary system of the Lazio Region, being open by now to all the citizens and organized to treat all pathologies. Nevertheless it is qualified in particular for the surgery of the hand and as a geriatric structure: this in coherence with its tradition of closeness to the home for the old, the above mentioned Ricovero per Israeliti Poveri Invalidi. In 1975 the Jewish Hospital was classified as "Specialized Geriatrical Provincial Hospital".

In 1970 the Medical Management of the hospital, the Hospital Wards, the Day Hospital, the Analysis Laboratory, the Radiology and the Surgery departments have been transferred to the Magliana area in Fulda Str., as well as the Ricovero per Israeliti Poveri Invalidi, that become independent in 2001 and transferred again to Portuense Str. in 2003. Only the General and Administrative Management's offices and a great specialized health clinic are still in the old rooms at the first and second floor of the ex-monastery of St. Bartholomew, recently restored within the works for the 2000 Jubilee (pict.E1 and E2). A third health clinic has been established in 2000 in the Marconi area. The Hospital has altogether 120 bed places; 24 are reserved to surgical day-hospital service with that provides more than 20.000 operations per year. Within a project assigned in 2000 by the Lazio Region to the hospital, at present oncological and integrated attendance is provided at home to about 80 patients.

In the second half of 1980's a controversy, not yet solved, arose between the Hospital and the Association for the Historical Museum of the Tiber Island (AMSIT), the last claiming the right to use the Palace Pierleoni Caetani including the rooms currently occupied by the Hospital. References in Rome: Jewish Hospital (head office and surgery): Via Fulda 14 (in the Portuense-Magliana area) Surgeries: Tiber Island - Piazza San Bartolomeo all'Isola n.21 and Via Veronese 59 (in the Marconi area). Learn and talk about Pope Paul IV, 16th-century Italian people, 16th-century Roman Catholic archbishops, 16th-century popes, Anti-Protestantism Posthumous style None Pope Paul IV, C.R. ( Latin : Paulus IV; 28 June 1476 – 18 August 1559), born Gian Pietro Carafa, was Pope from 23 May 1555 to his death in 1559.

[1] [2] While serving as papal nuncio in Spain, he developed an anti-Spanish outlook that later coloured his papacy, and resulted in the Papal States suffering a serious military defeat in the Italian War of 1551–59 . Carafa was appointed bishop of Chieti, but resigned in 1524 in order to found with St. Cajetan the Congregation of Clerics Regular ( Theatines ). Recalled to Rome, and made Archbishop of Naples , he was instrumental in setting up the Roman Inquisition , and was opposed to any dialogue with the emerging Protestant party in Europe. Carafa was elected pope in 1555 through the influence of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese in the face of opposition from Emperor Charles V. His papacy was characterized by strong nationalism in reaction to the influence of Philip II of Spain and the Habsburgs. He compelled the Jews of Rome to wear distinctive clothing and confine themselves to a ghetto . The appointment of Carlo Carafa as Cardinal Nephew damaged the papacy further when Paul was forced to remove him from office following a scandal. He curbed many clerical abuses in Rome but his methods were seen as harsh.

Contents Early life[ edit ] Gian Pietro Carafa was born in Capriglia Irpina , near Avellino , into a prominent noble family of Naples . [2] His father Giovanni Antonio Carafa died in West Flanders in 1516 and his mother Vittoria Camponeschi was the daughter of Pietro Lalle Camponeschi, 5th Conte di Montorio , a Neapolitan nobleman, and wife Dona Maria de Noronha, a Portuguese noblewoman of the House of Pereira . [1] Bishop[ edit ] He was mentored by Cardinal Oliviero Carafa , his relative, who resigned the see of Chieti (Latin Theate) in his favour. Under the direction of Pope Leo X , he was ambassador to England and then papal nuncio in Spain, where he conceived a violent detestation of Spanish rule that affected the policies of his later papacy. [1] However, in 1524, Pope Clement VII allowed Carafa to resign his benefices and join the ascetic and newly founded Congregation of Clerks Regular, popularly called the Theatines , after Carafa's see of Theate.

Following the sack of Rome in 1527, the order moved to Venice . But Carafa was recalled to Rome by the reform-minded Pope Paul III (1534–49), to sit on a committee of reform of the papal court, an appointment that forecast an end to a humanist papacy and a revival of scholasticism , for Carafa was a thorough disciple of Thomas Aquinas . [1] In December 1536 he was made Cardinal-Priest of S. Pancrazio and then Archbishop of Naples . The Regensburg Colloquy in 1541 failed to achieve any measure of reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants in Europe, but instead saw a number of prominent Italians defect to the Protestant camp. In response, Carafa was able to persuade Pope Paul III to set up a Roman Inquisition , modelled on the Spanish Inquisition with himself as one of the Inquisitors-General. The Papal Bull was promulgated in 1542 and Carafa vowed, "Even if my own father were a heretic, I would gather the wood to burn him".

[3] Election as pope[ edit ] He was a surprise choice as pope to succeed Pope Marcellus II (1555); his severe and unbending character combined with his advanced age and Italian patriotism meant under normal circumstances he would have declined the honor. He accepted apparently because Emperor Charles V was opposed to his accession. [1] Papacy[ edit ] As pope his nationalism was a driving force; he used the office to preserve some liberties in the face of fourfold foreign occupation. Like Pope Paul III , he was an enemy of the Colonna family . His treatment of Giovanna d'Aragona , who had married into that family, drew further negative comment from Venice. This because she had long been a patron of artists and writers. [4] As Cardinal-nephew , Carlo Carafa became his uncle's chief political adviser. Having accepted a pension from the French, Cardinal Caraffa worked to secure a French alliance. [5] Carlo's older brother Giovanni was made commander of the papal forces and Duke of Paliano after the pro-Spanish Colonna were deprived of that town in 1556. Another nephew, Antonio , was given command of the Papal guard and made Marquis of Montebello.

Their conduct became notorious in Rome. However at the conclusion of the disastrous war with Philip II of Spain in the Italian War of 1551–59 and after many scandals, in 1559 the Pope publicly disgraced his nephews and banished them from Rome. [5] With the Protestant Reformation , the Papacy required all Roman Catholic rulers to consider Protestant rulers as heretics , thus making their realms illegitimate under customary international law. Consequently, Europe's Catholic monarchs considered Ireland a feudal fief of the Papacy, to be granted to any Catholic sovereign who managed to secure the island Kingdom from the control of its Protestant monarchs. Paul IV issued a papal bull in 1555, Ilius, per quem Reges regnant, recognising Philip and Mary as King and Queen of England and its dominions including Ireland. [6] He also angered people in England by insisting on the restitution of property confiscated during the dissolution , and rejected the claim of Elizabeth I of England to the Crown. [1] Paul IV was violently opposed to the liberal Giovanni Cardinal Morone whom he strongly suspected of being a hidden Protestant, so much that he had him imprisoned.

In order to prevent Morone from succeeding him and imposing what he believed to be his Protestant beliefs on the Church, Pope Paul IV codified the Catholic Law excluding heretics and non-Catholics from receiving or legitimately becoming Pope, in the bull Cum ex apostolatus officio . Paul IV was rigidly orthodox, austere in life, and authoritarian in manner. He affirmed the Catholic doctrine of extra ecclesiam nulla salus ("Outside the Church there is no salvation"). He used the Holy Office to suppress the Spirituali , a Catholic group deemed heretical. The strengthening of the Inquisition continued under Paul IV, and few could consider themselves safe by virtue of position in his drive to reform the Church; even cardinals he disliked could be imprisoned. [7] He appointed inquisitor Michele Ghislieri, the future Pope Pius V , to the position of Supreme Inquisitor despite the fact as Inquisitor of Como , Ghislieri's persecutions had inspired a citywide rebellion, forcing him to flee in fear for his life.

[8] Vicolo Capocciuto, Roman Ghetto by Franz Roesler c.1880 On 17 July 1555, Paul IV issued one of the most famous papal bulls in Church history. The bull , Cum Nimis Absurdum (the title stemmed from its opening phrase, "Since it is absurd") ordered the creation of a Jewish ghetto in Rome . The pope set its borders near the Rione Sant'Angelo, an area where large numbers of Jews already resided, and ordered it walled off from the rest of the city. A single gate, locked every day at sundown, was the only means of reaching the rest of the city. The Jews themselves were forced to pay all design and construction costs related to the project, which came to a total of roughly 300 scudi. The bull restricted Jews in other ways as well. They were forbidden to have more than one synagogue per city—leading, in Rome alone, to the destruction of seven "excess" places of worship. All Jews were forced to wear distinctive yellow hats, especially outside the ghetto, and they were forbidden to trade in everything but food and secondhand clothes.

[9] Christians of all ages were encouraged to treat the Jews as second-class citizens; for a Jew to defy a Christian in any way was to invite severe punishment, often at the hands of a mob. By the end of Paul IV's five-year reign the number of Roman Jews had dropped by half. [8] Yet his anti-semitic legacy endured for over 300 years: the ghetto he established ceased to exist only with the dissolution of the Papal States in 1870. Its walls were torn down in 1888. According to Leopold von Ranke , a rigid austerity and an earnest zeal for the restoration of primitive habits became the dominant tendency of his Papacy. Monks who had left their monasteries were expelled from the city and from the Papal States. He would no longer tolerate the practice by which one man had been allowed to enjoy the revenues of an office while delegating its duties to another [10] All begging was forbidden. Even the collection of alms for Masses, which had previously been made by the clergy, was discontinued. A medal was struck representing Christ driving the money changers from the Temple.

Paul IV put in place a reform of the papal administration designed to stamp out trafficking of principal positions in the Curia. [5] All secular offices, from the highest to the lowest, were assigned to others based on merit. Important economies were made, and taxes were proportionately remitted. Paul IV established a chest, of which only he held the key, for the purpose of receiving all complaints that anyone desired to make. [10] During his papacy, censorship reached new heights. [11] Among his first acts as Pope was to cut off Michelangelo 's pension, and he ordered the nudes of The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel be painted more modestly (a request that Michelangelo ignored) (the beginning of the Vatican's Fig leaf campaign). Paul IV also introduced the Index Librorum Prohibitorum or "Index of Prohibited Books" to Venice , then an independent and prosperous trading state, in order to crack down on the growing threat of Protestantism. Under his authority, all books written by Protestants were banned, together with Italian and German translations of the Latin Bible. Death[ edit ] Paul IV's health began to break down in May 1559.

He rallied in July, holding public audiences and attending meetings of the Inquisition. But he engaged in fasting, and the heat of the summer wore him down again. He was bedridden, and on August 17 it became clear he would not live. Cardinals and other officials gathered at his bedside on August 18, where Paul IV asked them to elect a "righteous and holy" successor and to retain the Inquisition as "the very basis" of the Catholic Church's power. By 2 or 3 PM, he was close to death, and died at 5 PM. [12] The people of Rome did not forget what they had suffered because of the war he had brought on the State. Crowds of people gathered at the Piazza del Campidoglio and began rioting even before Paul IV died. [13] His statue, erected before the Campidoglio just months before, had a yellow hat placed on it (similar to the yellow hat Paul IV had forced Jews to wear in public). After a mock trial, the statue was decapitated. [13] It was then thrown into the Tiber .

[14] The crowd broke into the three city jails and freed more than 400 prisoners, then broke into the offices of the Inquisition at the Palazzo dell' Inquisizone near to the Church of San Rocco . They murdered the Inquisitor, Tommaso Scotti, and freed 72 prisoners. One of those released was Dominican John Craig , who later was a colleague of John Knox . The people ransacked the palace, and then set it afire (destroying the Inquisition's records). [12] That same day, or the next day (records are unclear), the crowd attacked the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva . The intercession of some local nobility dissuaded them from burning it and killing all those within. [15] On the third day of rioting, the crowd removed the Carafa family coat of arms from all churches, monuments, and other buildings in the city. [14] The crowd dedicated to him the following pasquinata : [16] Carafa hated by the devil and the sky is buried here with his rotting corpse, Erebus has taken the spirit; he hated peace on earth, our faith he contested.

he ruined the church and the people, men and sky offended; treacherous friend, suppliant with the army which was fatal to him. You want to know more? Pope was him and that is enough. Such hostile views have not mellowed much with time; modern historians tend to view his papacy as an especially poor one. His policies stemmed from personal prejudices—against Spain, for example, or the Jews—rather than any overarching political or religious goals. In a time of precarious balance between Catholic and Protestant, his adversarial nature did little to slow the latter's spread across northern Europe. His anti-Spanish feelings alienated the Habsburgs, arguably the most powerful Catholic rulers in Europe, and his ascetic personal beliefs left him out of touch with the artistic and intellectual movements of his era (he often spoke of whitewashing the Sistine Ceiling ). Such a reactionary attitude alienated clergy and laity alike: historian John Julius Norwich calls him "the worst pope of the 16th century." [8] Four or five hours after his death, Paul IV's body was taken to the Cappella Paolina chapel in the Apostolic Palace .

It lay in repose , and a choir sang the Office of the Dead on the morning of August 19. Cardinals and many others then paid homage to Paul IV ("kissed the feet of the pope"). The canons of St. Peter's Basilica refused to take his body into the basilica unless they were paid the customary money and gifts. Instead, the canons sang the usual office in the Cappella del Santissimo Sacramento (Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament). Paul IV's body was taken to the Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace at 6 PM. [14] Paul IV's nephew, Cardinal-nephew Carlo Carafa , arrived in Rome late on August 19. Worried that the rioters might break in and desecrate the pope's corpse, at 10 PM Cardinal Carafa had Pope Paul IV buried without ceremony next to the Cappella del Volto Santo (Chapel of the Holy Face) in St. Peter's. His remains stayed there until October 1566, when his successor as pope, Pius V, had them transferred to Santa Maria sopra Minerva.

In the chapel founded by Paul IV's uncle and mentor, Cardinal Oliviero Carafa , a tomb was created by Pirro Ligorio and Paul IV's remains placed therein. [14] In fiction[ edit ] Paul IV's title in the Prophecy of St. Malachy is "Of the Faith of Peter". [17] As Paul IV, Carafa appears as a character in John Webster's Jacobean revenge drama The White Devil (1612). [18] In the novel Q by Luther Blissett , while not appearing himself, Gian Pietro Carafa is mentioned repeatedly as the cardinal whose spy and agent provocateur, Qoelet, causes many of the disasters to befall Protestants during the Reformation and the Roman Church's response in the 16th century. [19] Original courtesy of Wikipedia: — Please support Wikipedia. This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia . A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. We're sorry, but there's no news about "Pope Paul IV" right now.

Limit to books that you can completely read online Include partial books (book previews) Oops, we seem to be having trouble contacting Twitter Support Wikipedia A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. Please add your support for Wikipedia! Searchlight Group Digplanet also receives support from Searchlight Group. Visit Searchlight Copyright © 2009-2017 Digparty. All rights reserved. Theater of Acculturation, by Kenneth Stow Building of the Tempio Maggiore The modern Ghetto area is being built around the synagogue. The Tempio Maggiore and the current Jewish Ghetto area did not exist in their present form until the end of the nineteenth century, when the rules relegating Jews to that area and restricting religious freedom were lifted. The history of the walled Jewish Ghetto began in 1555, but Jews lived in Rome since the reign of Emperor Titus, around 70 AD. There is evidence of the presence of Jews in Rome since 161 BC as envoys of Judah Maccabee, making this the oldest Jewish community in Europe.

Other envoys came from Jerusalem in 150 and 139 BC, and after the sacking of Jerusalem in 63 AD, Jewish slaves were brought to Rome. Jewish delegates and merchants also began to come to Rome, and a permanent establishment began to grow. By the 8th Century, there were 12 or 13 synagogues in Rome. The way Jews were treated, from the adoption of Christianity by Roman emperors and during the Middle Ages, fluctuated from emperor to emperor and from Pope to Pope. Sometimes, they were forced to live outside the city walls. Synagogues were often burned down on official orders. Often, there were periods of frequent public tortures and humiliations. Shortly following the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century came the Roman Inquisition of the 16th century, begun by Pope Paul III in 1542. He established a body to safeguard the integrity of Catholicism and, while not as intense as the Spanish Inquisition, this period marked a steadily crumbling tolerance towards Jews in Rome. There were several events leading up to the walling off of Jews in the Ghetto.

On Rosh Hashannah (the Jewish New Year) of 1553, by order of Pope Julius III, copies of the Talmud were confiscated and publicly burned. Following Pope Paul IV's accession to the papacy in 1555, he ordered Jews to wear yellow veils and hats. On July 12, 1555, Pope Paul IV issued his "cum nimis adsurdum" policy (when enough is enough), marking off an area of Rome on the east side of the Tiber meant to contain all the Jews of Rome. The reason for this action was not so much to keep the Jews away from Christians, but was rather to increase the likelihood of converting the Jews, although there was only an average of about 10 conversions per year. The Ghetto in Rome was the first Ghetto in Europe. The Ghetto in Rome likely took its name from the Jewish quarter of Venice. The walls of the Ghetto were finished in 2 months. The cost of the wall was exacted from the Jews in Rome. By July 26th, all Jews were moved into the Ghetto. At the main entrance was the Piazza Giudea.

The Portico d'Ottavia was the main gate into the Ghetto and was also near the Piazza Pescheria, formerly a fish market. The Portico d'Ottavia was erected by Augustus in 146 BC to honor his sister Octavia, and some of its columns are incorporated into the Sant'Angelo in Pescheria. The Portico pre-dated the Jews' existence in Rome, but this church was where many Jews were forced to hear Catholic sermons (although legend has it that many put wax in their ears to avoid hearing it). There was another gate at the Ponte Fabricio, a bridge built in 62BC that crosses the Tiber River. Most of the enclosure was building mass. Only a little wall was needed. Fragments of the wall still remain, attached to the Portico d'Ottavia. Small piazzas riddled the Ghetto and were important for community and for information dissemination, since there were no synagogues in which to do so. All the synagogues were closed down, save one that was a merging of all of their previous synagogues into one. This synagogue was called the Cinque Scole, or 5-Temple Synagogue.

It housed 5 schools of Italian Jewish practices (and some Sephardic after the Spanish Inquisition)- Roman, Lazian, Sicilian, Catalan, and Castillian. The Cinque Scole was moved outside of the enclosing wall in 1566 by order of Pope Pius IV. Near this space, at the end of the Via della Reginella, was the Piazza Mattei. The Mattei family was the official gentile gatekeeper, and one set of gates was named for them. The Piazza Mattei still remains, with a few fragments of the original walled ghetto. In the middle of the piazza is the Fontana delle Tartughe (Fountain of the Tortoises), commissioned by and dedicated to the Mattei family. The fountain has additions done by Bernini. Between 1555 and 1848, this fountain was the only public fountain and clean water source for the public inside the Ghetto. The conditions in the Ghetto were squalid. A high population density meant that large families lived in cramped apartments, usually heavily added on to with wood. Floods were frequent, as the ground level was below that of the nearby Tiber River.

During the Plague between 1647-1650, the Ghetto was sealed off for 9 months. In 1824, with its population at its maximum, an extension to the Ghetto was added on the North end. At this point, there were 8 gates, which were the only points of entry. About 7,000 Jews lived within an area of 33,000 square meters, or about 4 city blocks. No building could exceed 5 stories, meaning that apartment space was severely limited and cramped. Jews in Rome had to live under immense regulation between 1555 and 1848. Jews could not own land or the buildings they rented. They had to wear distinctive markings. They could not practice medicine with Christians. Christians were not allowed inside the gates. Jews were allowed to exit only after sunrise and required to re-enter before sunset. They could not engage in commerce, other than selling second-hand clothing. They could not make a profit, yet they had to pay higher taxes. The dead were buried in unmarked graves. There were Inquisition burnings in 1583.

The Jews underwent forced baptisms, and were forced to convert. Pope Gregory XIII made attending masses mandatory in the late 1500s. If Jewish children were seen outside the gates, they were often kidnapped and forced to convert. The Talmud and other writings were confiscated and burned in the Campo de' Fiori. The community took to passing around one Talmud between families to lower the risk of confiscation, and each family would make notes in the margin to continue the tradition of scholarly dialogue. On Passover of 1848, the walls of the Ghetto were razed during relief brought by Pope Pius IX, who abolished some of the Ghetto regulations. By 1849, however, the Ghetto regulations were reinstated. On September 20, 1870, Italy became unified by Giuseppe Garibaldi. In 1885, the Ghetto was razed and rebuilt for reasons of public health and renewal. Many Jews began to move out of the area, and the Ghetto was absorbed back into Rome. After the Ghetto was leveled, it was rebuilt in a 20th-century block structure.

In 1893, the Cinque Scole, originally left standing, was burned by a fire. The construction of the new synagogue, the Tempio Maggiore, began shortly thereafter, and was completed July 28, 1904. A tablet commemorates King Victor Emmanuel III's visit to the synagogue in 1904. Jews in the Ghetto experienced a period of respite from direct oppression until the German occupation of Italy. The Jews were at first protected by the Pope, but in 1943, Jews began to be deported to concentration camps. The area between the Portico d'Ottavia and the Tempio Maggiore was the site of Jewish deportation during German occupation in 1943. Many Jews continue to live in the Ghetto area, although many are moving out due to rising rent prices. Some surnames visible on doorplates around the neighborhood are recognizable as Jewish, in existence in Rome since the first convoys. The surname Anav is said to be one of the first Jewish surnames present in Rome, and its Italian and Spanish variations include Delli Mansi, Almansi, Umani, and Piattelli.

In addition, there were Levi's and Coen's present in these convoys, two of the oldest surnames in existence. Remnants of gates of the Ghetto still remain. The Jewish Ghetto is now comprised of about 4 blocks that look more or less like other parts of Rome, but in the time of the Ghetto, they were crammed with wooden buildings and often flooded. There was one jumble of 5 synagogues known as Cinque Scuole, and sanitary conditions were poor. The Tempio Maggiore was completed in 1904. Inside, it contains all the important elements of a synagogue, including an ark, no human images, etc. It has the only square dome in Rome, which is made of aluminum, and the underside is painted as a rainbow, the symbol of the covenant. It is interesting to note that the interior resembles churches seen around Rome. There is much use of marble and columns, and even what resembles a square central nave. When I asked about motives about design - to resemble churches or look distinctly different, I was told that "this is Rome.

There are columns and marble." The synagogue also has a museum inside with artifacts from all over Italy that have been donated by individual families. Artifacts range from torah covers to Nazi papers, spanning several centuries of time. The synagogue of Rome. The Tempio Maggiore functions as a main synagogue for Jews in Rome, of which there are about 16,000. To give you an idea of population scale, there are about 37,000 Jews in Seattle. Jews have been in Rome, however, for over 2,000 years. The synagogue follows an Orthodox Italian tradition of Judaism. The chief Rabbi of Italy officiates at the Tempio Maggiore, heading Italy's rabbinical council. The synagogue functions to give Jews a permanent place of worship, a sense of having a place after so long of being cramped in a small place and not being allowed to practice religion freely. There is nothing cramped or stooped to suggest the Ghetto lifestyle. In addition, it is a monument, its way, to the oppression of the Jews in Rome. The Portico d'Ottavia and the pieces of wall attached to it are some of the only remnants of the old Ghetto walls.

They have been left and preserved, but in a way that does not suggest pride. The Piazza Giudea is now the Piazza Santa Maria del Pianto; the name change echoes the desire to leave behind the Ghetto. The area has relatively little foot traffic, and if it were not adjacent to the Theater of Marcellus, would have the feeling of being tucked away in a corner. The Jews of Rome were getting across the message of moving on from the indignity of former Ghetto life.

The ghetto of Rome - The Colosseum The Colosseum "As long as the Colosseum, there will Rome when the Colosseum falls, Rome will also fall, but when Rome falls, the world will fall" The districts of Rome The Jewish ghetto of Rome is among the oldest in the ghettos of the world; arose in 1555 when Pope Paul IV, born Giovanni Pietro Carafa, with the bolla Cum nimis absurdum , revoked all rights granted to the Jews and Romans ordered the establishment of the ghetto, called "menagerie of Jews", causing him to rise in the Sant'Angelo district next to the Theatre of Marcellus, which at the time constituted the majority of the population. For more details the area where Jews were confined comprised the few narrow streets located between Piazza Judea (now lost), the remains of the Portico d'Ottavia and the bank of the Tiber near the Tiber Island.

Following the 1555 papal bull of Paul IV, titled Cum nimis absurdum (that is, "because it is extremely inconceivable", in reference to tolerance toward Jews), were built of huge gates close physically area of about 3 hectares within the which would have to reside the 3,000 members of the Jewish community. The population, for ograve;, & continued to grow rapidly and, in the second half of the seventeenth century, the inhabitants of the ghetto had become about 9000 and the fence had to be slightly enlarged. Further enlargement was only granted in 1825 by Pope Leo XII, after receiving funding from Jewish bankers Rothschild; on this occasion was opened a sixth door, in Via della Reginella. Today there are no longer the gates or doors, but they identify very clearly in the old maps of the city. According to the papal bull, residents could leave the ghetto only during the day, then, from dusk till dawn the entrances to the district were closed by large gates, and anyone who had lingered and he stayed out past the 'time allowed would come to terms with the implacable papal justice.

In addition to reside inside the ghetto, Jews had to wear, when they left, a badge that would make them more recognizable (it was piece of cloth or a veil of bluish color called glaucus in the bubble of 1555) and was banned for their own property. The houses where they lived were rented by owners not Jews, who rented to members of the community & agrave; at controlled prices by a law, called Ius Gazzagà, which provided that the rent, once established, would remain locked forever. The latter prohibition produce a decrease of the care for the buildings themselves and why the houses in the ghetto were particularly degraded, which justified the newly established Italian Government, during the construction of the embankments, to authorize the destruction. In 1888, with the implementation of the new master plan of the capital, most of the old narrow streets and old buildings, unhealthy and lack of sanitary facilities, were demolished creating three new roads: Via del Portico d'Ottavia (which took the place of the old street of the Fish), via Catalana and via the Temple. Have disappeared in this way small whole blocks and streets that made up the old urban fabric of the neighborhood.

To get an idea of how should look the old ghetto just look at the row of buildings that are located on the Via del Portico d'Ottavia. In 1889 a competition was held for the construction of the new synagogue and, in 1897, the Community Jewish get, by the City of Rome, the area between Lungotevere Cenci and Via del Portico d'Ottavia, be set free from previous demolitions. In 1901 began the jobs that ended in 1904 and July 29 of that year, the Great Synagogue of Rome was inaugurated. In the basement of the building has recently found accommodation the Jewish Museum. In the Nazi-Fascist period Saturday, October 16, 1943, the Nazis conducted a raid which, despite involving many other areas of Rome, had its epicenter in the former ghetto, where they were captured over a thousand Jews. After surrounded the neighborhood at the first light of day, departments of the SS seized many people, especially in via del Portico d'Ottavia.

From one of the two Renaissance buildings of the street, place at number 13, called by locals "Bocci", were in fact taken to force many of the people then deported. � The prisoners were locked up in the Military College of Palazzo Salviati in via Lungara. Transferred to the Tiburtina train station, were loaded onto a convoy of eighteen cattle cars. The convoy, started on 18 October, he came to the concentration camp of Auschwitz 22 next. Only seventeen prisoners manage to survive, including one woman and child. The Colosseum on the Social Network Walking along the Tiber in Rome - A characteristic element of the Roman landscape Home » Museums, Monuments and Archaeological Areas Walking along the Tiber in Rome - A characteristic element of the Roman landscape "Walking along the Tiber in Rome - A characteristic element of the Roman landscape" submitted by RomeTour Editorial Team and last updated on Thursday 28th April 2011 This itinerary unwinds along the Tiber, always a characteristic element of the Roman landscape.

Up until the construction of the embankments, in the late 19th century, it was completely navigable and characterised by an unending sequence of buildings that faced onto and were reflected in the water. The river was used for fishing and bathing; the water was used to drink and for motive power. Today, from late spring through early autumn, an atmospheric river navigation service between the Ponte del Foro Italico and Ponte Umberto I (tel. 064463481) is offered. On the other hand, for bicycle lovers there is a bike lane between Ponte Flaminio and Ponte Risorgimento. Our walk starts from the Isola Tiberina, which was of exceptional importance in the history of the birth and development of Rome. In fact, starting in extremely ancient times, the island's presence facilitated the crossing of the river, leading to the building of the first permanent settlements on the surrounding high ground. According to ancient tradition, the island was allegedly formed in the late 6th century A.D. after the Etruscan kings were driven from Rome, when the people threw into the river, out of contempt for the monarchy, the wheat harvested on the royal properties of Campus Martius.

Another legend tells of a large boat grounded in the middle of the river during a flood, and later filled up with sand transported by the current. In reality the island is situated on an ancient volcanic rock core similar to that on which the nearby Capitol stands, but the shape actually does seem to resemble a ship. This did not escape the attention of the Romans who, in the 1st century B.C., accentuated the shape, modelling the island's sides with travertine and raising an obelisk in the centre, like a majestic mast. This "stone ship" was meant to commemorate the healthful ship of Aesculapius, the god of medicine, and his miraculous intervention. Legend has it that in the 3rd century B.C., during a plague, the Romans went by ship to Epidaurus, in Greece, to learn from the god Aesculapius how to escape the scourge. But when the returning ship was ascending the river, the god's sacred serpent slipped out of it, at the point where the island was, indicating that that island was to be consecrated to him.

The construction of a building sacred to the god Aesculapius, where the present-day church of San Bartolomeo now stands, determined the definitive destination of the island to a place of medical treatment, also facilitated by its position segregated from the residential centre. Today, still, the Fatebenefratelli Hospital is the building which occupies the island almost entirely, characterising it deeply. A historic trattoria of the isola Tiberina is Sora Lella, at Via di Ponte dei Quattro Capi 16, which belonged to the sister of Roman actor Aldo Fabrizi. The island is connected to the mainland by two bridges: the Cestio, connecting it with the Trastevere bank, and the Fabricio, or Ponte dei Quattro Capi, which was built in 62 B.C. and is the oldest bridge in Rome which has arrived to us practically intact. From the island it is also possible to see a third bridge, the Ponte Rotto, which collapsed in the late 16th century.

In the past the Ponte Fabricio was called Ponte dei Giudei (Bridge of Jews) because it joined the Isola Tiberina to the area of the Ghetto where Rome's Jews lived. The term "Ghetto" is used to indicate the quarter lying between Monte dei Cenci and the Theatre of Marcellus, lying entirely within the Sant'Angelo district. It was founded by Pope Paul IV Carafa in 1555, and abolished only in 1870, with the end of the Church State. It was surrounded by a wall in which there were three gates, opened in the morning and closed at dusk. In an area of approximately three hectares, in the 17th century around 9,000 inhabitants lived there in frightful sanitary conditions. The Ghetto faces onto the Lungotevere Cenci with the monumental building of the Synagogue, built in 1904,today also the seat of the Israelite Museum of the Jewish Community of Rome. Behind the Synagogue runs the Via del Portico d'Ottavia, which owes its name to the ruins of the ancient portico built at the end of the 1st century B.C.

by the Emperor Augustus for his sister. Inside part of the monument stands the church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria, so-called in reference to the important fish market held here from the Middle Ages up to the end of the 19th century. The stone tablet used in the market to remind customers of the obligation to give the Municipal Magistrates the heads of any fish whose length was longer than that of the tablet itself is still there. The church of Sant'Angelo was one of the four churches where Jews had to go every Saturday with the obligation of listening to the sermons aiming to convert them. It was possible to avoid doing so by paying a fine, but more often the Jews preferred to fill their ears with wax!

Today the Ghetto is one of the zones of Rome which, more than any other, has kept the physiognomy, aromas, and flavours of the old city: for a taste of the specialities of authentic Roman and Jewish cooking - carciofi alla giudia (crisp-fried whole artichokes), filetti di baccalà (fried fillets of salted cod), coda alla vaccinara (braised oxtail "butcher" style) - we recommend the trattorias Giggetto, at Via del Portico d'Ottavia 21a/22 (tel. 06-6861105), and Al Pompiere, at Via Santa Maria dei Calderari 38 (06 6868377). Also make a stop at Boccione, Via del Portico d'Ottavia 1, for cakes, pastries, and unleavened bread baked in the best Roman-Jewish tradition.

Continuing the itinerary southward, we reach the zone of the Foro Boario, the site in ancient times of the cattle and beef market, and the Velabrum, once a stagnant marsh where, according to tradition, the basket with the twins Romulus and Remus was found. The sons of Mars and Rhea Silvia, the twins were saved by a she-wolf who nursed them. For this reason the she-wolf has become one of the symbols of the city of Rome. Dominating monuments in the area are the two famous Temples called of Vesta (the one with a circular plan, in reality dedicated to Hercules Victor) and of Fortuna Virilis (in reality dedicated to the river god Portumnus). Following is the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin dating from the 6th century and entrusted later to the Greeks who had fled to Rome from the East. In fact, the church's name comes from the Greek, referring to the splendid decorations characterising it. Here, each Sunday at 10.30 a.m., a Greek-Orthodox mass is held.

Beneath the portico, of the church, to the left, is the famous Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth), a large stone disk depicting the face of a faun or river god, with its mouth open. It is probably a monumental slab to close a drain but, according to legend, the stone was used to judge people's honesty: whoever told a lie while holding his hand in the mouth would have ended up pulling out only the stump. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck also fell subject to its mysterious charm in the famous film Roman Holiday! At this point the walk continues towards Castel Sant'Angelo, northward; we can either continue on foot or take a bus. If, on the other hand, we want to take a short break, on the other side of the Tiber, at the entrance to Ponte Cestio, we can enjoy one of the most famous "grattacecche" (water ices) in Rome. Castel Sant'Angelo was built in the early 2nd century by the Emperor Hadrian, as a monumental tomb for himself and his successors.

It is connected to the left bank of the Tiber by Ponte Elio, today's Ponte Sant'Angelo, decorated with ten marble statues of angels with the symbols of the passion of Christ, carved after a design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The monument's fate was decided in 403, when the Emperor Honorius incorporated it into the city walls, making it into a bridgehead on the river. From the 13th century it became an "annexe" of the nearby Vatican, and Pope Nicholas III created the famous "Passetto di Borgo", a covered corridor connecting St. Peter's to the Castle. The fortress became famous down through time, especially as a prison; here Benvenuto Cellini and the famous adventurer Giuseppe Balsamo, known as the Count of Cagliostro, were imprisoned. The name with which the fortress is known derives from a miraculous event which took place in 590: Rome was in the midst of a severe plague, and Pope Gregory the Great had organised a solemn procession to pray for its end. When the procession reached the Mole of Hadrian, Archangel Michael was seen flying up and sheathing his flaming sword, symbolising the end of the plague.

The statue of the angel, placed on the top of the castle to commemorate the event, was replaced six times. Leaving Castel Sant'Angelo behind us and again going along the Tiber, we go past the Palace of Justice and reach Ponte Cavour, on the other side of which is the Ara Pacis. The altar of peace was ordered by Augustus to celebrate the peace in the Empire after the conquests of Gaul and Spain. The monument, which originally stood near the present-day Via in Lucina in the Campus Martius quarter, was moved here in 1938. Before the altar is the Mausoleum built by Augustus as a tomb for himself and his family. The monument, which fell into abandon, was at various times used as a vineyard, a garden and, in the late 16th century, an area for tournaments and bullfights. At the end of the 19th century it was called "Anfiteatro Umberto", and from 1905 to 1930 it was a concert hall called "Augusteo".

At the end of the 1930s the monument was separated from its surroundings, with the creation of the large piazza Augusto Imperatore. Right on the piazza, at no. 9, we recommend the restaurant 'Gusto (06 3226273), with extremely refined cuisine and decor; on Saturdays and Sundays it is also open for lunch. Also, for excellent fettuccine, at no. 30 there is Alfredo all'Augusteo (06 6878734). Length of itinerary: entire day. Practical information: Synagogue and Jewish Museum, open from 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon, closed Saturdays. Castel Sant'Angelo, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Mondays. As you visit 'Walking along the Tiber in Rome - A characteristic element of the Roman landscape' you may also like following articles . . .

A guide in Rome a guide in rome Tour of the Trastevere and of the Jewish Ghetto The most picturesque districts of Rome. After visiting Villa Farnesina admiring the beautiful frescoes of Raphael, we will walk through the picturesque district of Trastevere. Crossing the Tiber river to the Island of Tiberina and then on to the left bank to the Ghetto of Rome, the oldest Jewish community of Rome. We start our tour visiting the Villa Farnesina, the quintessential example of Renaissance suburban villa in Rome built by order of Agostino Chigi. He was a rich banker from Siena, who with unrestrained spending employed the youngest and most brilliant artists of the time. The greatest feature of the villa is the loggia with painted frescoes by Raphael on the ground floor depicting the classical and secular myths of Cupid and Psyche, and The Triumph of Galatea. On the second floor are trompe-l'œil frescoes by Baldassare Peruzzi, the architect of the building, who wanted to give the idea of a grand open loggia with city and countryside painted views beyond. After our visit of the Villa we start our walk into the district of Trastevere.

Trastevere means 'beyond the Tiber' and simply defined the right bank of the river or the smallest part of the old city versus the largest section located on the left bank. Once it was the residence of immigrants from the East and centuries later transformed into a medieval urban area. Trastevere still maintains part of its character thanks to its narrow cobbled streets lined by medieval houses. Our walk through this area will lead us to Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, the true heart of this old neighborhood. Here the local inhabitants, students and artist linger around on balmy afternoons and evenings. We will enter the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere. This church is considered the first in Rome to be dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Today we see the 12th century church with reused ancient Roman columns holding up the nave and an apse decorated with fine 13th century mosaics. Further on we will cross the river Tiber over one of the oldest Roman bridges to Isola Tiberina. This small island was always dedicated to curing and healing.

Starting from the 3rd century BC when the temple was built dedicated to Asculapius, the god of medicine, up to the 16th century, when the followers of Saint John founded a hospital, still in service nowadays. Standing on the island is also the closest you can get to see the ever-flowing stream of the Tiber River and the Ponte Rotto. As we continue crossing another old Roman bridge, we observe the only square domed temple in Rome, the main Synagogue built in 1904 and the largest building in the Jewish section of Rome, the Ghetto. Pope Paul IV created the ghetto in 1555, when he ordered all the Jews to be confined here. Walls that encircled the Ghetto were pulled down in 1848. They started to demolish many of the overcrowded crumbling buildings, where Jews had been forced to live in for centuries and the entire area was restructured in 1888 with the opening of 3 main streets. As we walk through the ex-ghetto and you hear our stories about the main events of the oldest Jewish community in Western Europe you will notice one thing.

This district is still today the hearth of a very lively Jewish community filled with kosher restaurants and bakeries. At last we will walk by the ruins of Portico of Octavia, built by emperor Augustus for his sister. We will end our tour by another great ancient Rome feature, the Theater of Marcellus also built by order of Augustus in 12 BC. If interested in a more specific tour of Jewish Rome, we can spend one hour extra visiting the Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum. These visits will be conducted in collaboration with the Cultural Association "Le Cinque Scole”. Length: 4 hours

Question: What was ordered by Pope Paul IV in 1555 to be set up on the left bank of the Tiber?
Answer: Ghetto