COVILHÃO:
City in the province of Beira, Portugal, which in the thirteenth century had a Jewish congregation and was the seat of a district rabbi. After the banishment of the Jews from Portugal, many Maranos resided in Covilhão, where their descendants are still to be found. In 1543 the fanatical populace desired to make victims of all the Maranos in a single auto da fé. A number fled the city, while many fell victims to the Inquisition.
Pedro Vaëz, a medical authority of the sixteenth century, practised in Covilhão.
Bibliography:
- Kayserling, Gesch. der Juden in Portugal, passim.
