Great Synagogue (Iași)

Great Synagogue of Iași
Sinagoga Mare din Iași (in Romanian)
The Great Synagogue
Basic information
Location Iași, Romania
Geographic coordinates Coordinates: 47°09′55.90″N 27°35′31.80″E / 47.1655278°N 27.5921667°E / 47.1655278; 27.5921667
Affiliation Judaism
Architectural description
Architectural type Synagogue
Architectural style Baroque
Completed 1671

The Great Synagogue of Iași (Romanian: Sinagoga Mare din Iași) is the oldest surviving synagogue in Romania,[1] located in Iași. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments.[2]

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 was begun in 2010.[3] 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 32 ft (10 m) diameter dome capped with a lantern. The dome was added to the building in the early 20th century.[4]

Of the more than 110 synagogues in Iași before World War II, the Great Synagogue remains a witness of the Holocaust, and it is one of only two which continues to serve the dwindling Jewish community of Iași.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Samuel Gruber's Jewish Art & Monuments, Romania: Iași Synagogue in Restoration, May 31, 2010
  2. ↑ The Romanian Register of Historical Monuments Archived 2011-04-01 at the Wayback Machine. (page 1616, entry 1248)
  3. ↑ Ruth Elen Gruber (2010-05-20). "Romania -- Historic synagogue in Iaşi under restoration". Retrieved 2011-07-11.
  4. ↑ Synagogues of Romania, Aristide Streja, Lucian Schwarz, Editura Hasefer, 1997, p. 111.
  5. ↑ Itic Svart-Kara (1997). "Contributions to the History of Jews in Iaşi". Bucharest. pp. 65–88. Retrieved 2011-07-11.
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