Segell de NahmànidesMuseum of Jewish History

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Stele of En Caravida

Provenance Girona
Chronology 14th-15th centuries
Material Limestone
Record MHJ085
SectionCemetery

The first individual with this name in Girona is documented in 1227, in connection with a loan. The given name Astruc appears among members of this family in at least four consecutive generations, and was probably reserved for the firstborn son. By the end of the 13th century, the Caravida family was also present in Besalú, Manresa, Vilafranca and Vic. In Girona, one of the most prominent members of this family was Astruc Caravida, father of Ester, who was involved in a highly contentious divorce in the mid-14th century (married to David Bonjorn de Barri, from Collioure, she only managed to obtain a divorce from her husband after stealing his books and scientific instruments in 1337; Jacob ben David Bonjorn, author of the famous astronomical tables, was the son of Ester and grandson of Astruc Caravida). In 1347, Astruc's will established a charitable legacy for the alms of the Jewish quarter (heqdesh). After his death, the family entered a period of decline and never regained the prestige and power it had enjoyed previously. Some members of the family, such as Salomón Caravida, were physicians, others took part in the organisation of the community, serving as secretaries of the aljama. Caravida is also recorded as a first name: Caravida Ravaia, Caravida Saporta and Caravida Caracosa, all members of important families in Girona's Jewish society and, very possibly, sons of women from the Caravida family.

Translation:
This is the gravestone of...
En Caravida...
...

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  • Stele of En Caravida