place · L0258

Barcelona ברצלונה

Chief city of Catalonian Jewry: seat of the Rashba's rabbinate and school ("El Rab d'España"), stage of the 1263 Disputation before King James I, and home of the yeshiva whose last great head was the Ran.

I. Who

Hebrew
ברצלונה

III. Where

Modern location
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

V. How do we know

ClaimEvidenceConfidenceSources
The Disputation of Barcelona (1263) was held at the royal palace before James I of Aragon between Nachmanides and the convert Pablo Christiani — the most famous of the medieval forced debates. external ★★★★★
The Rashba served as rav of Barcelona for decades, and in the following century the Ran headed its yeshiva — the school in which the Rivash and Crescas were formed. tradition external ★★★★☆

Referenced by: Ramban, Rashba, The Ran