Synagogue of Trieste | |
---|---|
Italian: Tempio Israelitico di Trieste | |
Religion | |
Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
Rite | Italian rite |
Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Synagogue |
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | Via S. Francesco D'Assisi 19, Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Northern Italy |
Country | Italy |
Location of the synagogue in Northern Italy | |
Geographic coordinates | 45°39′11″N13°46′49″E / 45.65306°N 13.78028°E |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | |
Type | Synagogue architecture |
Style | Romanesque Revival |
Groundbreaking | 1908 |
Completed | 1912 |
Specifications | |
Dome(s) | One |
Materials | Brick |
Website | |
triestebraica | |
[1] |
The Synagogue of Trieste (Italian : Tempio Israelitico di Trieste), also the Great Synagogue of Trieste, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, that is located at Via S. Francesco D'Assisi 19, Trieste, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in Northern Italy. Designed by Ruggero Berlam and Arduino Berlam in the Romanesque Revival style, the synagogue was completed in 1912. [1]
It was built under Austrian rule, between 1908 and 1912, and bears the hallmark of architects Ruggero and Arduino Berlam. The synagogue was unveiled in 1912 in the presence of municipal officials, and it replaced the four smaller ones (Scholae) that previously existed, from mid 18th century, and which were based on an architectural model quite common in northeastern Italy, with rectangular rooms with rows of pews orientated towards the centre or the eastern side; inside, they were delicately decorated and furnished but showed a humble and anonymous aspect from the outside.
The Great Temple was meant to satisfy the religious need of a growing Community that, in 1938, had almost 6,000 members. For its construction an international contest was organized, but it had no results. The synagogue was closed in 1942 following the instigation of the race laws under the Fascist regime. It was devastated by fascist squads and later, during the Nazi occupation, it was used as a storehouse for works of art and books seized from the Jewish houses. The ritual silvers of the community were preserved from the plunder thanks to a clever hiding place inside the very building. As soon as the war finished the synagogue went back into operation.
Today it is recognised as one of the largest and most important[ clarification needed ] places of worship for Jews in Europe.[ citation needed ]
Different architectural styles have successfully blended into this building, whose essence is represented by four powerful marble pillars supporting an imposing central dome.
The style has been described as follows:
The exterior style was said to be late Roman of a type found in fourth-century Syria, and the architects chose it because it brought them close as possible to ancient Jewish architecture. Jews in the Holy Land and throughout the Roman Empire had used Roman forms. Syria was near enough to the Holy Land to incorporate design elements used by Jews. A synagogue in this style could suggest the wide geographic distribution of Jews, both in the Roman Empire and in modern times. It could suggest the proximity of Jews to others within the ancient and the modern Roman (that is, Habsburg) empires. It could suggest the Jews' Middle Eastern origin without making them look too close to Byzantine Christians or to Muslims." [2]
The size and structure of the building clearly define it as a synagogue of the emancipation period, in which the main prayer room, with a rectangular floor plan, divides itself into three naves ending with the majestic apse and its vault with golden mosaic. The whole room is orientated towards a monumental aròn with copper doors, surmounted by a pink granite aedicule which sustains the tables of the law with four columns. At its sides, two big menoròt, bronze candelabra with seven branches, leaning on a marble balustrade with wheatsheaf, symbols of the Community of Trieste. On the ceiling, elegant pendants, banded decorations edging the dome with geometrical patterns, trees and stars and other bands on the great arches quoting verses from the book of the Psalms and showing trees of life. Above the aròn, on three sides, the beautiful balcony which used to be the women's gallery and that, nowadays, is not used anymore because of security reasons and the small dimensions of the Community. In this gallery, above the entrance door and under a barrel vault, there is a big organ with pipes framed by stars of David. [3]
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It has a place for prayer where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, choir performances, and children's plays. They also have rooms for study, social halls, administrative and charitable offices, classrooms for religious and Hebrew studies, and many places to sit and congregate. They often display commemorative, historic, or modern artwork alongside items of Jewish historical significance or history about the synagogue itself.
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly popular in the Ancient Roman world.
A Torah ark is an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls.
The Great Synagogue of Rome is the largest synagogue in Rome.
Synagogue architecture often follows styles in vogue at the place and time of construction. There is no set blueprint for synagogues and the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. According to tradition, the Shekhinah or divine presence can be found wherever there is a minyan, a quorum, of ten. A synagogue always contains an Torah ark where the Torah scrolls are kept, called the aron qodesh by Ashkenazi Jews and the hekhal by Sephardic Jews.
Ruggero Berlam was an Austrian architect.
The history of the Jews in Trieste goes back over 800 years.
The Novi Sad Synagogue is a former Neolog Jewish congregation and synagogue, located on Jevrejska (Jewish) Street, in the city center of Novi Sad, in the province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Completed in 1909, the building was used as a synagogue until c. 1966; and subsequently used as cultural center since 2012. During its use, with a capacity of 900 worshipers, the synagogue was one of the largest synagogues in Central Europe.
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The Jewish Museum of Rome is situated in the basement of the Great Synagogue of Rome and offers both information on the Jewish presence in Rome since the second century BCE and a large collection of works of art produced by the Jewish community. A visit to the museum includes a guided tour of the Great Synagogue and of the smaller Spanish Synagogue in the same complex.
The Split Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, located in Split, Croatia. Built in the early 1500s, the synagogue is one of the oldest Sefardic synagogues in use today.
The Great Synagogue was a former Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, that was located in Oświęcim, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of Poland. Designed by Carl Korn and completed in 1873, the synagogue served as a house of prayer until World War II when it was destroyed by Nazis in November 1939.
The Rijeka Orthodox Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, located on Ivan Filipović Street, formerly Galvani Street, in Rijeka in Croatia. The synagogue was built in a Rationalist style in 1931. It is one of the very few synagogues in Croatian territory to have survived the destruction of the Nazi period.
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