Hervás (; ) is a Spanish town in the north of the province of Cáceres. It had 3,907 inhabitants in 2023. It is 120 km from Cáceres and 90 km far from

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

. It is the capital of the Valle de Ambroz

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

in the Ambroz River valley. It has a soft

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

History

In the 12th century, the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

built Santihervás hermitage under the patronage of the Christian martyrs Gervasius and Protasius. By this hermitage the town started to grow during 13th and 14th centuries. From its foundation on it belonged to the lordship of

Béjar Béjar () is a town and municipality of Spain located in the province of Salamanca, autonomous community of Castile and León. As of 2018, it had a population of 12,961. The historical development of the town has been linked to its once thriving ...

in the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; : ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. It traces its origins to the 9th-century County of Castile (, ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León. During the 10th century, the Ca ...

: it passed to Cáceres jurisdiction on the 30 November 1833. The city's civil and religious architecture has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest since 1969.

La Judería

Many

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

families settled here from the 15th century on. Some Jews remained in Hervas following their

expulsion from Spain Expulsion from Spain may refer to: * Expulsion of Jews from Spain (1492 in Aragon and Castile, 1497–98 in Navarre) * Expulsion of the Moriscos (1609–1614) See also * Forced conversions of Muslims in Spain (1500–1502 in Castile, 1515–16 ...

in 1492; although they officially converted to Christianity, they continued to practice Judaism in secrecy for a very long time. A proverb that is still common today in the area says that “in Hervás there are many Jews”. The

Jewish quarter Jewish Quarter may refer to: *Jewish quarter (diaspora), areas of many cities and towns traditionally inhabited by Jews *Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem), one of the four traditional quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem *Jewish Quarter (), a popular name ...

''(Judería)'' of Hervas has been maintained and it is one of the main tourist attractions of the town.

Economy

The textile industry was very important from the 18th to 19th centuries. After that, the

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description ...

wood industry The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry – when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry (economics), industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and woo ...

, handicrafts and tourism have been the pillar of Hervás' economy.

Remarkable buildings

* La Enfermería de los Religiosos Franciscanos (

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Sickbay), 18th century, current town hall. * El Convento de los Religiosos Trinitarios (

Trinitarian The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

Convent), current Junta de Extremadura Hospedería (chain of four-star hotels run by the regional government). *

Pérez Comendador Pérez is a very common Castilian Spanish surname of patronymic origin. Origins The surname, written in Spanish orthography as , is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Pedro" ("Pero" in archaic Spanish), the Spanish equivalent of Peter (given n ...

-Leroux Museum, 18th century. * La Iglesia Parroquial de Santa María (Saint Mary's Parish Church). * Museo de la Cereza del Jerte (cereza con denominación de origen Valle del Jerte)
Hospederia Valle del Jerte
* Plasencia, la perla del Valle del Jerte

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hervas Historic Jewish communities in Europe Municipalities in the Province of Cáceres