Gracia Mendes Nasi

Gracia Nasi (* 1510 in Portugal, † 1569 in Constantine Opel; Christian baptismal name: Beatrice de Luna Mique ) was a Jewish- Sephardic woman of the Renaissance, the Commission initiated the bank " House of Mendes / Nasi ", was a diplomat and philanthropist, and as such deemed to be a savior of her people.

Biography

Gracia Nasi was born in the shadow of the Inquisition, the daughter of a wealthy Marrano family.

1528 she married in the Cathedral of Lisbon Francisco Mendes (his Catholic name, his Jewish name was Semah Bemvisto - or Benveniste ), who also came from a wealthy, Marrano family. The Mendes family owned a large bank with connections to France and Flanders. According to the Christian wedding for the Catholic public, the couple also married according to Jewish ritual, including ketubah.

When she, at age 27, became a widow in 1536, she moved to Antwerp to her brother Diogo Mendes ( Meir Benviste ). After his death in 1542 she inherited the assets of the Mendes family and proved an excellent and courageous businesswoman. 1544 she left Antwerp and traveled for several years with her daughter, her sister, her daughter and her son-in throughout Europe. In Ferrara, she was a patron of the arts and was, among other things 1550, the first translation of the Bible into Spanish with Abraham Usque in order, the Ferrara Bible, which was printed in 1553 with Abraham Usque in Ferrara. From this translation two issues were printed: one for Christians and the other for Jews.

1553 settled Gracia Nasi and her nephew Joseph Nasi in the Ottoman Empire, where they, their trade with Venice and Italy continue to lead with ships that had been built on their behalf specifically. Gracia was known to have brought Jews from persecution by the Inquisition in safety. In 1558 or 1559, when Joseph the rule had been awarded an area near the lake of Tiberias for his active support of Suleiman in the struggle for succession to the throne, Gracia acquired an estate in the town of Tiberias in Israel today, and founded a Jewish settlement and yeshiva However, there were only a short time.