Great Synagogue (Iași) Explained

Great Synagogue of Iași
Native Name:ro|Sinagoga Mare din Iași
Image Upright:1.4
Religious Affiliation:Judaism
Rite:Nusach Ashkenaz
Festivals:-->
Organisational Status:Synagogue
Organizational Status:-->
Functional Status:Active
Location:1 Sinagogilor Street, Iași, Iași County, Western Moldavia
Country:Romania
Map Type:Romania
Map Size:250
Map Relief:1
Architecture Style:Baroque
Groundbreaking:1657
Date Destroyed:-->
Dome Quantity:One
Dome Height Inner:32feet
Materials:Brick
Elevation Ft:-->
Module:
Embed:yes
Designation1:Monument istoric
Designation1 Offname:Iași: Sinagoga Mare
Designation1 Type:Monumente de arhitectură
Designation1 Date:sec. XVIII
Designation1 Number:IS-II-m-B-04057
Footnotes:[1] [2]

The Great Synagogue of Iași (ro|Sinagoga Mare din Iași) is a Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 1 Sinagogilor Street, in Iași, in the Iași County, of Western Moldavia, Romania. The synagogue was completed in 1671 in the Baroque style,[1] and it is the oldest surviving synagogue in Romania.[3]

The synagogue is listed on the National Register of Historic Monuments[2] [4] and in 2014 was included on the watchlist of World Monuments Fund.[5]

History and architecture

Raised in 1671, the Great Synagogue is a free standing building adjacent to a small garden off Cucu Street (once called Sinagogilor Street for the many synagogues located on it) just north of the city center in the old Jewish neighbourhood of Târgu Cucului. The synagogue underwent major renovations in 1761, 1822 and 1864. It was partly restored in the 1970s and a major restoration took place between 2006 and 2018.[5] [6] [7] The Women's Gallery houses a small museum of the Jewish community of Iași.

The building has round-arched windows, and two wings. One wing is two stories high and capped by a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The other is a tall, single-story hall with a 32order=flipNaNorder=flip diameter dome capped with a lantern. The dome was added to the building in the early 20th century.[8]

Of the more than 110 synagogues in Iași before World War II, the Great Synagogue is one of only two which continues to serve the dwindling Jewish community of Iași, following the Holocaust.[9]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Great Synagogue in Iaşi . Historic Synagogues of Europe . . n.d. . 29 August 2024 .
  2. Web site: Lista Monumentelor Istorice 2015: Județol Iași . Ministerul Culturii . . 2018 . ro . 31 August 2024 . 1718 .
  3. Web site: Gruber, Samuel . Samuel D. Gruber . Jewish Art & Monuments . Romania: Iași Synagogue in Restoration . May 31, 2010 .
  4. Web site: The Romanian Register of Historical Monuments . 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110401003135/http://arhiva.cultura.ro/Files/GenericFiles/LMI-2010.pdf . 2011-04-01 . 1616 .
  5. Web site: Great Synagogue of Iaşi . World Monuments Watch: Completed project . . 2022 . 31 August 2024 .
  6. News: Romania: Historic synagogue in Iaşi under restoration . Jewish Heritage Travel . Gruber, Ruth Elen . 2010-05-20 . 2011-07-11.
  7. News: Sinagoga Mare s-a redeschis aseară, după mai bine de 10 ani de restaurări . ziaruldeiasi . ro . 2018-12-04 .
  8. Book: Synagogues of Romania . Streja, Aristide . Schwarz, Lucian . Hasefer, Editura . 1997 . 111 .
  9. News: Contributions to the History of Jews in Iaşi . 65–88 . Svart-Kara, Itic . . Bucharest . 1997 . 2011-07-11.