The Pogrom

In April 1506, the streets around the Church of São Domingos became a killing ground where up to 4,000 people were murdered in just three days. The victims were New Christians, Jews who had been forcibly baptized a decade earlier when Portugal banned Judaism. They practiced Christianity publicly but many kept their faith privately, creating deep suspicion among Old Christians.

During a severe drought, worshippers at São Domingos claimed to see a glowing crucifix, a sign from God. When a New Christian questioned the miracle, two Dominican friars incited the crowd to violence. What began as a single killing exploded into citywide slaughter. Mobs dragged families from homes, beating and burning them alive in the squares. Rioters killed anyone suspected of Jewish ancestry, looting their property. Foreign sailors joined the rampage.

The massacre only ended when the King's guards restored order three days later. King Manuel I executed the ringleaders, including both friars, and granted New Christians permission to leave Portugal. But thousands had already perished in what remains one of Europe's deadliest religious pogroms of the 16th century.