Belmonte | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 40°21′N 7°21′W / 40.350°N 7.350°W | |
Country | Portugal |
Region | Centro |
Intermunic. comm. | Beiras e Serra da Estrela |
District | Castelo Branco |
Area | |
• Total | 118.76 km2 (45.85 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 6,859 |
• Density | 58/km2 (150/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC±00:00 (WET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (WEST) |
Website | http://www.cm-belmonte.pt |
Belmonte (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˌbɛlˈmõtɨ] ) is a municipality in the district of Castelo Branco, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 6,859,[1] in an area of 118.76 km2.[2]
Belmonte is distinguished by its enduring Jewish community, tracing back to at least the 13th century, which maintained its faith through crypto-Judaism and numbered about 300 in 2008. Despite facing the Inquisition and forced conversions, this community preserved Jewish traditions in secret, culminating in the re-establishment of open practice and the founding of a synagogue in 1996.[3] The history is chronicled in the Belmonte Jewish Museum, which opened in 2005.[4]