A rare 15th-century Portuguese manuscript, once divided into three parts, has come home to Jerusalem, so to speak, the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem says.

The Lisbon Mahzor—a decorated small-format manuscript on parchment—was most likely written and illustrated in Lisbon, Portugal, in the second half of the 15th century. It includes prayers and piyyutim (“liturgical poems”) for the High Holidays, the Three Festivals and more, according to the Sephardic rite. It features artistic decorations throughout—typical of Portuguese manuscript illumination—with lace or filigree-like frames, and enriched with geometric and floral motifs.

Jews Expelled In 1496

The mahzor was produced by the Lisbon school, which created masterpieces in the final days of Portuguese Jewry. During this period, the Jews of Spain had already been expelled from that country in 1492; some migrated to Portugal, where, for a short time, they were able to practice Judaism. In 1496, all Jews in Portugal were forced either to convert or be expelled.

Pictured is the Musaf prayer for Rosh Hashanah, a page from the section of the rare 15th-century Lisbon Mahzor now at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, September 2025. Photo courtesy of Kedem Auction House.

Chaim Neria, curator of the library’s Haim and Hanna Solomon Judaica Collection, explained that “among the monumental works created during that period was the world-famous Lisbon Bible [now at the British Library] and other manuscripts, including the Mahzor Lisbon. It appears that even in their most difficult moments, the Portuguese Jewish community did not give up its books; they took these cultural treasures along to their next destination.”