CHILLÓN

CHILLÓN , town in Castile, south central Spain. The Jewish community in Chillón was destroyed during the anti-Jewish riots in Spain of 1391. After 1492 it was an important center of the *Conversos. One of them, Isabel Sanchez, not only informed the Inquisition about their alleged practice of Judaism but also conducted private investigations, earning the appellation la Inquisidora. The excitement aroused by the prophetic movement in 1500 among the Conversos in Cas-tile attracted many of the Conversos in Chillón. At the end of 1499, Inés from nearby Herrera was acclaimed a prophetess among the Conversos, including those of Chillón. The Conversos of Chillón, however, produced their own. In 1500 a local girl, Mari Gómez, was reported to have had a vision of her mother who told her that she had been divinely chosen and had ascended to heaven; she was said to have stated that a sublime reward awaited the Conversos who fasted, kept the Sabbath, and observed the Mosaic laws, and all would go to Ereẓ Israel. Mari and Inés had good reasons to cooperate since they both had a similar basis for their prophesies. The Inquisition wiped out both movements, which had large followings in La Mancha and Extremadura. Mari fled to Portugal while Inés was burned at stake. The prophecies indicate clearly that eight years after the Expulsion, Jewish practices and beliefs were quite widespread among the Conversos of these regions in Castile, including small villages, such as Chillón.

bibliography:

Baer, Spain, 2 (1966), 357; Baer, Urkunden, 2 (1936), 533–4; idem, in: Zion (Me'assef) 5 (1933), 67–69; Beinart, in: Tarbiz, 26 (1956/57), 77–82; P. Madoz, Diccionario geográfico-estadístico-histórico de España, 7 (c. 1850), 326. add. bibliography: H. Beinart, in: Zion, 48 (1983), 241–72.

[Haim Beinart /

Yom Tov Assis (2^nd ed.)]