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Carrer Marlet, El Call · History

The Hebrew stone on Carrer Marlet is a copy

The Hebrew stone everyone photographs at Carrer Marlet 1 has been a replica since 1981.

Checked: true

The story holds up against the record.

Published · checked against 4 sources
Part one · in the video's ink wash style

The legend says

The most famous Hebrew words on a Barcelona street are a copy.

It sits in a narrow lane of the Call, Barcelona's medieval Jewish quarter.

It names a rabbi, Samuel ha-Sardí, and the charity he founded.

Its last line was long read as a date. It is a blessing: his light burns forever.

Around it lived a whole community, until one summer, in thirteen ninety-one.

A mob attacked the quarter. Hundreds were killed, the rest converted or fled.

Centuries later, the stone turned up in the rubble of a house, and went back into the new wall.

The original now rests in the city's history museum. The copy keeps its light on the street.

This is the story as it is told. We tell it as a story. Below is what the record holds.

But
Part two

The record shows

8 facts, each checked against a source we opened. Tap a source to read the line that carries it.

  1. 01

    The stone at Carrer Marlet 1 is the best-known trace of Barcelona's medieval Jewish quarter, the Call

    1MUHBA guide CALL/BCN
    La més emblemàtica és la làpida commemorativa del Carrer Marlet
    1MUHBA guide CALL/BCN
    un dels carrers més coneguts del Call barceloní, precisament per la presència de la inscripció encastada en el mur de la casa núm. 1
  2. 02

    The stone in the wall is a replica (made 1981); the original is in the Museu d'Història de Barcelona (MUHBA, inv. 11330)

    2C. Vidal Salmeron, Insula 5 (2009), Univ. de Barcelona
    el 1981 es va fer una rèplica de la làpida i es va posar al mateix lloc on es trobava l'original, que va ser traslladat al Museu d'Història de la Ciutat … inv. 11330
    3ca.wikipedia, "Carrer de Marlet"
    La làpida que hi ha actualment en hebreu és una còpia de l'original
    4barcelona-metropolitan.com
    a replica of a stone marker in Hebrew
  3. 03

    It names a pious foundation (a charity) of Rabbi Samuel ha-Sardí

    1MUHBA guide CALL/BCN
    La fundació pia de Rabí Samuel ha-Sardí
    1MUHBA guide CALL/BCN
    Pia Almoina; Rabí Xemuel; Ha-Sardí
    2C. Vidal Salmeron, Insula 5 (2009), Univ. de Barcelona
    recorda la fundació d'una pia almoina gràcies a Samuel ben Isaac ha-Sardí
  4. 04

    Its last line is an abbreviation read as a blessing, "his light burns forever", not a date

    2C. Vidal Salmeron, Insula 5 (2009), Univ. de Barcelona
    Fundació pia de rabí Samuel ha-Sardí, el seu llum crema permanentment
    2C. Vidal Salmeron, Insula 5 (2009), Univ. de Barcelona
    no seria correcte … ja que es tracta d'una abreviatura
    3ca.wikipedia, "Carrer de Marlet"
    El seu llum crema permanentment
  5. 05

    It was long read as a date: the translation added under it in 1826 was incorrect

    2C. Vidal Salmeron, Insula 5 (2009), Univ. de Barcelona
    sota s'hi va afegir una traducció (incorrecta, tanmateix)
    3ca.wikipedia, "Carrer de Marlet"
    una mala traducció al castellà que es va fer l'any 1826
  6. 06

    It turned up in the rubble when the house at Marlet 1 was pulled down (by 1820) and was set into the new building's façade

    2C. Vidal Salmeron, Insula 5 (2009), Univ. de Barcelona
    almenys, el 1820, any en què es va enderrocar una casa al número 1 del carrer Marlet … entre la runa, s'hi trobava la dita làpida. Llavors es va reposar a la façana del nou edifici
  7. 07

    The Jewish community lived in the Call until 1391

    1MUHBA guide CALL/BCN
    va viure al Call fins el 1391, l'any de l'avalot
    1MUHBA guide CALL/BCN
    El fatídic avalot de l'any 1391 féu desaparèixer la comunitat jueva de la ciutat
  8. 08

    The attack came in August 1391; about three hundred died, the rest converted or fled

    1MUHBA guide CALL/BCN
    L'atac contra el Call els dies 5 i 7 d'agost del 1391
    1MUHBA guide CALL/BCN
    la mort d'uns tres-cents jueus i, o bé la conversió al cristianisme dels restants o bé la fugida a altres territoris
    4barcelona-metropolitan.com
    On August 5th of that year … 300 people were dead

Timeline

On recordTradition only
  1. c. 1190–1256Rabbi Samuel ha-SardíThe rabbi the stone names lives most of his life in Barcelona. Scholars place the carving in his lifetime, most likely the 13th century.
  2. 1391-08-05The attack on the CallOn 5 and 7 August a mob attacks the quarter. About three hundred die; the rest convert or flee.
  3. 1820Found in the rubbleThe house at Carrer Marlet 1 is pulled down; the stone turns up in the rubble and is set into the new façade.
  4. 1826A wrong translationA Castilian translation set below it reads the last line as a date, "Año 692".
  5. 1981The replicaA replica goes into the wall; the original moves to the city history museum.
  6. TodayMUHBAThe original is kept by the Museu d'Història de Barcelona, inv. 11330.

Left out on purpose

What we chose not to say in the video, and why. If a comment says "you forgot…", the answer is probably here.

"Early 14th century" / "1314" (from the brief, and some websites)

Not supported: the man it names lived about 1190 to 1256, the accepted reading dates it to his lifetime, and the "1314" and "year 692" readings come from the incorrect 1826 translation. The video gives the stone no date at all.

"The only sign left of the medieval quarter" (from the brief)

MUHBA says the remains are few, not none, and calls the stone the most emblematic, not the only one. The video says "most famous".

The synagogue on the corner of Marlet

Its identification is debated; not needed.

"Ha-Sardí means 'the Sardinian'"

A scholarly interpretation, not settled.

1981, 1820 and 300 as numbers

One number in the whole video, "1391"; "hundreds", "centuries later" and "today" instead.

From DornyxDornyx Stories Interactive history you can live through. Barcelona and beyond.Explore Dornyx Stories →
Read the video's transcript

Leo The most famous Hebrew words on a Barcelona street are a copy.

Sara It sits in a narrow lane of the Call, Barcelona's medieval Jewish quarter.

Leo It names a rabbi, Samuel ha-Sardí, and the charity he founded.

Sara Its last line was long read as a date. It is a blessing: his light burns forever.

Leo Around it lived a whole community, until one summer, in thirteen ninety-one.

Sara A mob attacked the quarter. Hundreds were killed, the rest converted or fled.

Leo Centuries later, the stone turned up in the rubble of a house, and went back into the new wall.

Sara The original now rests in the city's history museum. The copy keeps its light on the street.

Sara Stories first, facts follow. Follow Dornix.

Sources

  1. MUHBA guide CALL/BCN
  2. C. Vidal Salmeron, Insula 5 (2009), Univ. de Barcelona
  3. ca.wikipedia, "Carrer de Marlet"
  4. barcelona-metropolitan.com

Photo credits

Found a mistake? Send us your source. If it holds, we correct this page and note the change here.