Belmonte is a municipality and town in the district of Castelo Branco, Portugal. The municipality's population in 2021 was 6,205, in an are…Belmonte is a municipality and town in the district of Castelo Branco, Portugal. The municipality's population in 2021 was 6,205, in an area of 118.76 square kilometres. Belmonte is distinguished by its enduring Jewish community, which dates back to at least the 13th century. This community, numbering about 300 in 2008, preserved its faith through crypto-Judaism, maintaining Jewish traditions in secret despite the pressures of the Inquisition and forced conversions. Open practice was re-established with the founding of a synagogue in 1996. The Belmonte Jewish Museum, opened in 2005, chronicles this remarkable history.
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